President Barack Obama yesterday presented the National Medal of Arts to ten recipients for their outstanding achievements and support of the arts. MFAD faculty member and SVA Acting Chairman Milton Glaser was one of them. The first designer to receive this honor.

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Actually, twelve medalists were announced; however two were not able to attend the ceremony. The medals were presented by the president and Mrs. Michele Obama in an East Room ceremony at the White House.

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The National Medal of Arts is a White House initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts. Each year, the NEA organizes and oversees the National Medal of Arts nomination process and notifies the artists of their selection to receive a medal, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence.

"These individuals and organizations show us how many ways art works every day. They represent the breadth and depth of American architecture, design, film, music, performance, theatre, and visual art, " said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. "This lifetime honor recognizes their exceptional contributions, and I join the President and the country in saluting them."

In addition to Glaser the recipients include Bob Dylan, Clint Eastwood, Maya Lin, Rita Moreno, Jessye Norman, Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Frank Stella, Michael Tilson Thomas, and John Williams.
(AP Photo)