Congratulations, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival! 1

President Barack Obama will tomorrow honor Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government.

The medals will be presented by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in an East Room ceremony at the White House on March 2 at 1:45pm, streamed live.

The National Medal of Arts is awarded to individuals or organizations who “are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.”

Named a National Historic Landmark in 2003, Jacob’s Pillow is the first dance presenting organization to receive a National Medal of Arts.

Jacob’s Pillow, founded in 1933 by Ted Shawn, a pioneer of American dance, is home to the nation’s longest-running international dance Festival; The School at Jacob’s Pillow, among the most prestigious dance training centers in the world; and rare and extensive dance Archives dating back to the early 1900s.

The 2010 recipients of the National Medal of Arts include:

Organizations

• Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival

Individuals

• Robert Brustein, Theatrical Critic, Producer, Playwright, and Educator
• Van Cliburn, Pianist and Music Educator
• Mark di Suvero, Sculptor
• Donald Hall, Poet
• Quincy Jones, Musician and Music Producer
• Harper Lee, Author
• Sonny Rollins, Jazz Musician
• Meryl Streep, Actress
• James Taylor, Singer and Songwriter

Like this? Read more about Jacob’s Pillow’s recognition:

• Read about Ella Baff receiving the medal at the White House. Read it in The Huffington Post
• I was honored to be a research fellow at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival last summer.

_{Men Dancers in Kinetic Molpai ; photo courtesy of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Archives
Ted Shawn, Founder of Jacob’s Pillow; photo John Lindquist © Harvard Theatre Collection}