Twyla Tharp Wins National Medal of Arts

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The New York Sun

Seven artists and one patron of the arts were honored Wednesday when President George W. Bush presented the 2004 National Medal of Arts awards in an Oval Office ceremony. After the ceremony, first lady Laura Bush and Lynne Cheney held a reception.


Two of this year’s winners are New York-based: choreographer Twyla Tharp and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Also receiving grants this year were: author Ray Bradbury, opera composer Carlisle Floyd, sculptor Frederick Hart, poet Anthony Hecht, wildlife artist John Ruthven, and architectural historian Vincent Scully.


“These eight individuals have significantly enriched the cultural life of our nation through their creativity, teaching, and beneficent work,” stated National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia. “These artists and this foundation have given us new ways of understanding and delighting in the world.”


Ms. Tharp is the creative genius behind the hit Broadway show “Movin’ Out,” which brought dance back to the Great White Way and earned her a 2003 Tony Award. Her career in contemporary dance choreography began with the founding of her company, Twyla Tharp Dance, in 1965. She has since shaped the vocabulary of dance in this country through work for American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, the Boston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance, and the Martha Graham Dance Company. She has also earned an international reputation with work for the Paris Opera Ballet and the Royal Ballet.


The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is a private philanthropic organization that uses its $4 billion in assets to support the efforts of performing arts groups, museums, libraries, centers for advanced studies, and more. The foundation came to the aid of many arts organizations after September 11 with a special $50 million fund to help artists and institutions affected by the tragedy.


“We’re very glad to have the programs that we’re so committed to recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Council for the Arts, and the president,” said a program officer for the foundation, Angelica Rudenstine.


Many of the grants the foundation makes are to support the long-term health of organizations, such as scholarly efforts or endowment growth. “What’s happening with museums and with performing arts, is that they are not managing to find support of their core activities. To have those things recognized is important to our constituency,” said Ms. Rudenstine.


The awards are bestowed annually upon those who have made an extraordinary contribution to the arts in this country. “It’s the highest award that the United States gives to artists and patrons,” said National Endowment for the Arts director of communications Felicia Knight.


Founded in 1984, the program is administered by the National Council on the Arts – the NEA’s advisory body, which is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The council is responsible for reviewing the nominations and providing recommendations to the president. It is the president, however, who chooses the recipients.


“We solicit nominations from the American public. We encourage anyone to make a nomination. It’s very much a national award,” Ms. Knight explained. “We look at a body of work. This is a lifetime achievement award.”


Unlike the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts is not limited to honoring performing artists. Nominees for medals can come from all genres of art, as well as from the back office and the audience; programmers and patrons are also often awarded for their contributions. In 1999, Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Lichtenstein won the award for his leadership in arts administration, as did Metropolitan Museum of Art Director Philippe de Montebello in 2002.


The late Irene Diamond – who was a major supporter of new ballet choreography at New York City Ballet – was recognized in 1999. Other arts patrons so honored have included: the Sara Lee Corporation, the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Foundation, Texaco Inc., Southeastern Bell Corporation, Dayton Hudson Corporation, Brook Astor, and Hallmark Cards Inc.


This year’s crop of winners continues the tradition of recognizing American artists of all stripes from novelists and sculptors to poets and historians. Recipients typically range broadly from popular culture to high art. Bob Hope won the award in 1995, the same year as opera singer and Met great Licia Albanese. In 1999, the awards went to both singer Aretha Franklin and NYCB ballerina Maria Tallchief.


The New York Sun

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