National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government. Nominations are submitted to the National Council on the Arts, the advisory committee of the National Endowment for the Arts, who then submits its recommendations to the White House for the President of the United States to award. The medal was designed for the NEA by sculptor Robert Graham.
Laureates
In 1983, prior to the official establishment of the National Medal of Arts, through the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, President Ronald Reagan awarded a medal to artists and arts patrons.| Name | Area of Achievement |
| Pinchas Zukerman | Artist |
| Frederica von Stade | Artist |
| Czesław Miłosz | Artist |
| Maya Lin | Artist |
| Frank Stella | Artist |
| Philip Johnson | Artist |
| Luis Valdez | Artist |
| The Texaco Philanthropic Foundation | Patron |
| James Michener | Patron |
| Philip Morris | Patron |
| The Cleveland Foundation | Patron |
| Elma Lewis | Patron |
| The Dayton Hudson Foundation | Patron |
Recipients of the National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts was first awarded in 1985. It was most recently awarded in 2019.| Year | Name | Area of Achievement |
| 1985 | Elliott Carter Jr. | composer |
| 1985 | Ralph Ellison | writer |
| 1985 | Jose Ferrer | actor |
| 1985 | Martha Graham | dancer, choreographer |
| 1985 | Louise Nevelson | sculptor |
| 1985 | Georgia O'Keeffe | painter |
| 1985 | Leontyne Price | soprano |
| 1985 | Dorothy Buffum Chandler | arts patron |
| 1985 | Lincoln Kirstein | arts patron |
| 1985 | Paul Mellon | arts patron |
| 1985 | Alice Tully | arts patron |
| 1985 | Hallmark Cards, Inc. | corporate arts patron |
| 1986 | Marian Anderson | contralto singer |
| 1986 | Frank Capra | film director |
| 1986 | Aaron Copland | composer |
| 1986 | Willem de Kooning | painter |
| 1986 | Agnes de Mille | choreographer |
| 1986 | Eva Le Gallienne | actress, director, author |
| 1986 | Alan Lomax | folklorist, scholar |
| 1986 | Lewis Mumford | philosopher, literary critic |
| 1986 | Eudora Welty | writer |
| 1986 | Dominique de Menil | arts patron |
| 1986 | Exxon Corporation | corporate arts patron |
| 1986 | Seymour H. Knox II | arts patron |
| 1987 | Romare Bearden | painter |
| 1987 | Ella Fitzgerald | singer |
| 1987 | Howard Nemerov | writer, scholar |
| 1987 | Alwin Nikolais | dancer, choreographer |
| 1987 | Isamu Noguchi | sculptor |
| 1987 | William Schuman | composer |
| 1987 | Robert Penn Warren | writer, poet |
| 1987 | J. W. Fisher | arts patron |
| 1987 | Armand Hammer | arts patron |
| 1987 | Sydney Lewis | arts patron |
| 1988 | Saul Bellow | writer |
| 1988 | Helen Hayes | actress |
| 1988 | Gordon Parks | photographer, film director |
| 1988 | I.M. Pei | architect |
| 1988 | Jerome Robbins | dancer, choreographer |
| 1988 | Rudolf Serkin | pianist |
| 1988 | Virgil Thomson | composer, music critic |
| 1988 | Sydney J. Freedberg | art historian, curator |
| 1988 | Roger L. Stevens | arts administrator |
| 1988 | Brooke Astor | arts patron |
| 1988 | Francis Goelet | music patron |
| 1988 | Obert Clark Tanner | arts patron |
| 1989 | Leopold Adler | preservationist, civic leader |
| 1989 | Katherine Dunham | dancer, choreographer |
| 1989 | Alfred Eisenstaedt | photographer |
| 1989 | Martin Friedman | museum director |
| 1989 | Leigh Gerdine | arts patron, civic leader |
| 1989 | John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie | jazz trumpeter |
| 1989 | Walker Hancock | sculptor |
| 1989 | Vladimir Horowitz | pianist |
| 1989 | Czesław Miłosz | writer |
| 1989 | Robert Motherwell | painter |
| 1989 | John Updike | writer |
| 1989 | Dayton Hudson Corporation | corporate arts patron |
| 1990 | George Abbott | producer |
| 1990 | Hume Cronyn | actor |
| 1990 | Jessica Tandy | actress |
| 1990 | Merce Cunningham | choreographer & dance company director |
| 1990 | Jasper Johns | painter & sculptor |
| 1990 | Jacob Lawrence | painter |
| 1990 | Riley "B.B." King | blues musician |
| 1990 | David Lloyd Kreeger | arts patron |
| 1990 | Harris & Carroll Sterling Masterson | arts patrons |
| 1990 | Ian McHarg | landscape architect |
| 1990 | Beverly Sills | opera singer |
| 1990 | Southeastern Bell Corporation | corporate arts patron |
| 1991 | Maurice Abravanel | music director & conductor |
| 1991 | Roy Acuff | country singer |
| 1991 | Pietro Belluschi | architect |
| 1991 | J. Carter Brown | museum director |
| 1991 | Charles "Honi" Coles | tap dancer |
| 1991 | John O. Crosby | opera director, conductor, administrator |
| 1991 | Richard Diebenkorn | painter |
| 1991 | R. Philip Hanes | arts patron |
| 1991 | Kitty Carlisle Hart | actress, singer & arts administrator |
| 1991 | Pearl Primus | choreographer & anthropologist |
| 1991 | Isaac Stern | violinist |
| 1991 | Texaco Inc. | corporate arts patron |
| 1992 | Marilyn Horne | opera singer |
| 1992 | James Earl Jones | actor |
| 1992 | Allan Houser | sculptor |
| 1992 | Minnie Pearl | comedian |
| 1992 | Robert Saudek | television producer, Museum of Broadcasting founding director |
| 1992 | Earl Scruggs | banjo player |
| 1992 | Robert Shaw | orchestra conductor, choral director |
| 1992 | Billy Taylor | jazz pianist |
| 1992 | Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown | architects |
| 1992 | Robert Wise | director |
| 1992 | AT&T Inc. | corporate arts patron |
| 1992 | Lila Wallace | foundation arts patron |
| 1993 | Walter and Leonore Annenberg | arts patrons |
| 1993 | Cabell "Cab" Calloway | singer & bandleader |
| 1993 | Ray Charles | singer & musician |
| 1993 | Bess Lomax Hawes | folklorist |
| 1993 | Stanley Kunitz | poet & educator |
| 1993 | Robert Merrill | baritone |
| 1993 | Arthur Miller | playwright |
| 1993 | Robert Rauschenberg | artist |
| 1993 | Lloyd Richards | theatrical director |
| 1993 | William Styron | writer |
| 1993 | Paul Taylor | dancer & choreographer |
| 1993 | Billy Wilder | director, writer & producer |
| 1994 | Harry Belafonte | singer & actor |
| 1994 | Dave Brubeck | jazz musician |
| 1994 | Celia Cruz | singer |
| 1994 | Dorothy DeLay | violin teacher |
| 1994 | Julie Harris | actress |
| 1994 | Erick Hawkins | choreographer |
| 1994 | Gene Kelly | actor & dancer |
| 1994 | Pete Seeger | composer, lyricist, vocalist, banjo player |
| 1994 | Catherine Filene Shouse | arts patron |
| 1994 | Wayne Thiebaud | artist, teacher |
| 1994 | Richard Wilbur | poet, teacher, critic, literary translator |
| 1994 | Young Audiences | arts presenter |
| 1995 | Licia Albanese | opera singer |
| 1995 | Gwendolyn Brooks | poet |
| 1995 | B. Gerald and Iris Cantor | arts patrons |
| 1995 | Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee | actors |
| 1995 | David Diamond | composer |
| 1995 | James Ingo Freed | architect |
| 1995 | Bob Hope | entertainer |
| 1995 | Roy Lichtenstein | painter, sculptor |
| 1995 | Arthur Mitchell | dancer, choreographer |
| 1995 | Bill Monroe | bluegrass musician |
| 1995 | Urban Gateways | arts education organization |
| 1996 | Edward Albee | playwright |
| 1996 | Sarah Caldwell | opera conductor |
| 1996 | Harry Callahan | photographer |
| 1996 | Zelda Fichandler | theater director, producer, educator |
| 1996 | Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero | composer, musician |
| 1996 | Lionel Hampton | musician, bandleader |
| 1996 | Bella Lewitzky | dancer, choreographer, teacher |
| 1996 | Vera List | arts patron |
| 1996 | Robert Redford | actor, director, producer |
| 1996 | Maurice Sendak | writer, illustrator, designer |
| 1996 | Stephen Sondheim | composer, lyricist |
| 1996 | Boys Choir of Harlem | performing arts youth group |
| 1997 | Louise Bourgeois | sculptor |
| 1997 | Betty Carter | jazz vocalist |
| 1997 | Agnes Gund | arts patron |
| 1997 | Daniel Urban Kiley | landscape architect |
| 1997 | Angela Lansbury | actress |
| 1997 | James Levine | opera conductor, pianist |
| 1997 | Tito Puente | Latin percussionist, musician |
| 1997 | Jason Robards | actor |
| 1997 | Edward Villella | dancer, choreographer |
| 1997 | Doc Watson | bluegrass guitarist, vocalist |
| 1997 | MacDowell Colony | artist colony |
| 1998 | Jacques d'Amboise | dancer, choreographer, educator |
| 1998 | Antoine "Fats" Domino | rock 'n' roll pianist, singer |
| 1998 | Ramblin' Jack Elliott | folk singer, songwriter |
| 1998 | Frank Gehry | architect |
| 1998 | Barbara Handman | arts advocate |
| 1998 | Agnes Martin | visual artist |
| 1998 | Gregory Peck | actor, producer |
| 1998 | Roberta Peters | opera singer |
| 1998 | Philip Roth | writer |
| 1998 | Sara Lee Corporation | corporate arts patron |
| 1998 | Steppenwolf Theatre Company | arts organization |
| 1998 | Gwen Verdon | actress, dancer |
| 1999 | Irene Diamond | arts patron |
| 1999 | Aretha Franklin | singer |
| 1999 | Michael Graves | architect, designer |
| 1999 | Odetta | singer, music historian |
| 1999 | The Juilliard School | performing arts school |
| 1999 | Norman Lear | producer, writer, director, advocate |
| 1999 | Rosetta LeNoire | actress, producer |
| 1999 | Harvey Lichtenstein | arts administrator |
| 1999 | Lydia Mendoza | singer |
| 1999 | George Segal | sculptor |
| 1999 | Maria Tallchief | ballerina |
| 2000 | Maya Angelou | poet, writer |
| 2000 | Eddy Arnold | country singer |
| 2000 | Mikhail Baryshnikov | dancer & director |
| 2000 | Benny Carter | jazz musician |
| 2000 | Chuck Close | painter |
| 2000 | Horton Foote | playwright, screenwriter |
| 2000 | Lewis Manilow | arts patron |
| 2000 | National Public Radio, cultural programming division | broadcaster |
| 2000 | Claes Oldenburg | sculptor |
| 2000 | Itzhak Perlman | violinist |
| 2000 | Harold Prince | theater director, producer |
| 2000 | Barbra Streisand | actress, singer & director |
| 2001 | Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation | modern dance company and school |
| 2001 | Rudolfo Anaya | writer |
| 2001 | Johnny Cash | singer & songwriter |
| 2001 | Kirk Douglas | actor |
| 2001 | Helen Frankenthaler | painter |
| 2001 | Judith Jamison | artistic director, choreographer, dancer |
| 2001 | Yo-Yo Ma | cellist |
| 2001 | Mike Nichols | director, producer |
| 2002 | Florence Knoll Bassett | architect |
| 2002 | Trisha Brown | artistic director, choreographer, dancer |
| 2002 | Philippe de Montebello | museum director |
| 2002 | Uta Hagen | actress, drama teacher |
| 2002 | Lawrence Halprin | landscape architect |
| 2002 | Al Hirschfeld | artist, illustrator |
| 2002 | George Jones | singer |
| 2002 | Ming Cho Lee | theater designer |
| 2002 | William "Smokey" Robinson | songwriter, musician |
| 2003 | Austin City Limits | PBS television program |
| 2003 | Beverly Cleary | writer |
| 2003 | Rafe Esquith | arts educator |
| 2003 | Suzanne Farrell | dancer, choreographer, company director, educator |
| 2003 | Buddy Guy | blues musician |
| 2003 | Ron Howard | actor, director & producer |
| 2003 | Mormon Tabernacle Choir | choral group |
| 2003 | Leonard Slatkin | symphony orchestra conductor |
| 2003 | George Strait | country singer, songwriter |
| 2003 | Tommy Tune | dancer, actor, choreographer, director |
| 2004 | Andrew W. Mellon Foundation | philanthropic foundation |
| 2004 | Ray Bradbury | author |
| 2004 | Carlisle Floyd | opera composer |
| 2004 | Frederick Hart | sculptor |
| 2004 | Anthony Hecht | poet |
| 2004 | John Ruthven | wildlife artist |
| 2004 | Vincent Scully | architectural historian & educator |
| 2004 | Twyla Tharp | contemporary dance choreographer |
| 2005 | Louis Auchincloss | author |
| 2005 | James DePreist | symphony orchestra conductor |
| 2005 | Paquito D'Rivera | jazz musician |
| 2005 | Robert Duvall | actor |
| 2005 | Leonard Garment | arts advocate |
| 2005 | Ollie Johnston | pioneering film animator & artist |
| 2005 | Wynton Marsalis | jazz musician & educator |
| 2005 | Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts | arts education |
| 2005 | Tina Ramirez | dancer & choreographer |
| 2005 | Dolly Parton | singer & songwriter |
| 2006 | William Bolcom | composer |
| 2006 | Cyd Charisse | actress & dancer |
| 2006 | Roy DeCarava | photographer |
| 2006 | Wilhelmina Holladay | arts patron |
| 2006 | Interlochen Center for the Arts | summer arts camp and winter arts focused boarding high school |
| 2006 | Erich Kunzel | conductor |
| 2006 | Preservation Hall Jazz Band | jazz ensemble |
| 2006 | Gregory Rabassa | literary translator |
| 2006 | Viktor Schreckengost | industrial designer/sculptor |
| 2006 | Ralph Stanley | bluegrass musician |
| 2007 | Morten Lauridsen | composer |
| 2007 | N. Scott Momaday | author |
| 2007 | Craig Noel | director |
| 2007 | Roy Neuberger | arts patron |
| 2007 | Les Paul | electric guitar pioneer |
| 2007 | Henry Z. Steinway | arts patron |
| 2007 | George Tooker | painter |
| 2007 | Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival | music festival |
| 2007 | Andrew Wyeth | painter |
| 2008 | Stan Lee | comic book writer, editor |
| 2008 | Richard M. Sherman | songwriter |
| 2008 | Robert B. Sherman | songwriter |
| 2008 | Olivia de Havilland | actress |
| 2008 | Hank Jones | jazz pianist |
| 2008 | Jesús Moroles | sculptor |
| 2008 | Ford's Theatre Society | historic theatre organization |
| 2008 | Fisk Jubilee Singers, | African American choral group |
| 2008 | José Limón Dance Foundation | dance troupe |
| 2008 | The Presser Foundation | music philanthropy organization |
| 2009 | Bob Dylan | singer & songwriter |
| 2009 | Clint Eastwood | actor & director |
| 2009 | Milton Glaser | graphic designer |
| 2009 | Maya Lin | artist & architect |
| 2009 | Rita Moreno | actress |
| 2009 | Jessye Norman | soprano |
| 2009 | Joseph P. Riley, Jr. | mayor |
| 2009 | Frank Stella | artist |
| 2009 | Michael Tilson Thomas | conductor |
| 2009 | John Williams | composer, conductor & pianist |
| 2009 | Oberlin Conservatory of Music | |
| 2009 | School of American Ballet | |
| 2010 | Robert Brustein | theater director & producer |
| 2010 | Van Cliburn | classical pianist |
| 2010 | Mark di Suvero | sculptor |
| 2010 | Donald Hall | poet |
| 2010 | Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival | |
| 2010 | Quincy Jones | composer & music producer |
| 2010 | Harper Lee | novelist |
| 2010 | Sonny Rollins | jazz musician |
| 2010 | Meryl Streep | actress |
| 2010 | James Taylor | singer & songwriter |
| 2011 | Will Barnet | artist |
| 2011 | Rita Dove | poet |
| 2011 | Al Pacino | actor |
| 2011 | Emily Rauh Pulitzer | arts patron |
| 2011 | Martin Puryear | sculptor |
| 2011 | Mel Tillis | singer & songwriter |
| 2011 | United Service Organization | provides programs and entertainment to the U.S. military and their families |
| 2011 | André Watts | classical pianist |
| 2012 | Herb Alpert | musician |
| 2012 | Lin Arison | arts education advocate |
| 2012 | Joan Myers Brown | dancer, choreographer and artistic director |
| 2012 | Renée Fleming | opera singer |
| 2012 | Ernest Gaines | author & teacher |
| 2012 | Ellsworth Kelly | artist |
| 2012 | Tony Kushner | playwright |
| 2012 | George Lucas | film director |
| 2012 | Elaine May | actress & director |
| 2012 | Laurie Olin | landscape architect |
| 2012 | Allen Toussaint | composer, producer and performer |
| 2012 | Washington Performing Arts Society | arts presenter |
| 2013 | Julia Alvarez | novelist, poet & essayist |
| 2013 | Brooklyn Academy of Music | presenter |
| 2013 | Joan Harris | arts patron |
| 2013 | Bill T. Jones | dancer & choreographer |
| 2013 | John Kander | musical theater composer |
| 2013 | Jeffrey Katzenberg | director and CEO of DreamWorks |
| 2013 | Maxine Hong Kingston | writer |
| 2013 | Albert Maysles | documentary filmmaker |
| 2013 | Linda Ronstadt | musician |
| 2013 | Billie Tsien & Tod Williams | architects |
| 2013 | James Turrell | visual artist |
| 2014 | John Baldessari | visual artist |
| 2014 | Ping Chong | theater director, choreographer, and video and installation artist |
| 2014 | Míriam Colón | actress |
| 2014 | The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation | supporting creative expression across the country |
| 2014 | Sally Field | actress and filmmaker |
| 2014 | Ann Hamilton | visual artist |
| 2014 | Stephen King | author |
| 2014 | Meredith Monk | composer, singer, and performer |
| 2014 | George Shirley | tenor |
| 2014 | University Musical Society | presenting the performing arts to communities in Michigan |
| 2014 | Tobias Wolff | author and educator |
| 2015 | Mel Brooks | actor, comedian, writer |
| 2015 | Sandra Cisneros | author |
| 2015 | Eugene O'Neill Theater Center | theater |
| 2015 | Morgan Freeman | actor |
| 2015 | Philip Glass | composer |
| 2015 | Berry Gordy | record producer, songwriter |
| 2015 | Santiago Jiménez, Jr. | musician |
| 2015 | Moises Kaufman | theater |
| 2015 | Ralph Lemon | dance |
| 2015 | Audra McDonald | actor |
| 2015 | Luis Valdez | playwright, actor, director |
| 2015 | Jack Whitten | painter |
| 2019 | Alison Krauss | singer |
| 2019 | Sharon Percy Rockefeller | arts supporter |
| 2019 | The Musicians of the United States Military | military musicians |
| 2019 | Jon Voight | actor |
Declined honors
In 1989, composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein refused his award, allegedly due to how a federal grant to an art show on AIDS had been revoked.In 1992, musical theatre composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim refused his award, on account of believing that the NEA had "become a victim of its own and others' political infighting and is rapidly being transformed into a conduit and a symbol of censorship and repression rather than encouragement and support."
In 1997, poet Adrienne Rich refused her award as a protest against “inconsistencies” between art and “the cynical politics” of the Clinton administration.