US President Joe Biden has awarded Bruce Springsteen the National Medal of Arts.
«Bruce, some people are just born to run, man,» quipped Biden.
The President also presented the National Humanities Medal to other artists for their contributions to American society during the ceremony, which was for the award’s 2021 recipients, as that year’s ceremony was cancelled due to Covid-19.
Other 2021 National Medal of Arts recipients include Gladys Knight, Mindy Kaling, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, whose starring role in the show Veep made light of the vice presidency — an office Biden once held.
«She embraces life’s absurdity with absolute wit, and handles real life turns with absolute grace. A mom, a cancer survivor, a pioneer for women in comedy, she is an American original,» said Biden.
When Biden introduced author Colson Whitehead to the crowd, he noted that Whitehead had won back to back Pulitzer prizes for his books ‘The Underground Railroad’ (2016) and ‘The Nickel Boys’ (2020), and gave a hint of his own ambitions.
«Pretty good, man!» Biden told Whitehead. «I’m kind of looking for back-to- back myself,» said Biden, hinting at his plans to run for re-election.
Biden has said he intends to run for a second term the 2024 presidential election, but has not announced his final decision on the matter.
Here is the full list of honourees:
National Medal of Arts
- Judith Francisca Baca, artist
- Fred Eychaner, philanthropist
- Jose Feliciano, musician
- Mindy Kaling, actor
- Gladys Knight, musician
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actor
- Antonio Martorell-Cardona, painter
- Joan Shigekawa, producer and arts administrator
- Bruce Springsteen, musician
- Vera Wang, designer
- The Billie Holiday Theatre
- The International Association of Blacks in Dance
National Humanities Medal
- Richard Blanco, writer
- Johnnetta Betsch Cole, anthropologist
- Walter Isaacson, writer
- Earl Lewis, historian
- Henrietta Mann, Native American academic
- Ann Patchett, writer
- Bryan Stevenson, lawyer and activist
- Amy Tan, writer
- Tara Westover, writer
- Colson Whitehead, writer
- Native America Calling, radio show