Eva Longoria and Spike Lee are set to receive America’s National Medals of Arts at a ceremony on Monday.
U.S. President Joe Biden will present the 2022 and 2023 National Medals of Arts to recipients including actress Longoria and director Lee.
The 2022 National Medal of Arts honourees include Longoria, rapper Missy Elliott, visual artist Carrie Mae Weems, Broadway star Idina Menzel, photographer Randy A. Batista, and musician Flaco Jiménez.
Meanwhile, the 2023 award recipients include Lee, filmmaker Ken Burns, actress Queen Latifah, director Steven Spielberg, producer Bruce Cohen and singer Selena Quintanilla, who will receive the award posthumously.
According to the White House, the prestigious award is given to “artists, arts patrons, and groups by the United States Government and honors exemplary individuals and organizations that have advanced the arts in America and offered inspiration to others through their distinguished achievement, support, or patronage”.
In addition to the National Medals of Arts, Biden will also present the 2022 and 2023 National Humanities Medals at the same ceremony.
The 2022 National Humanities Medal recipients include poet Joy Harjo, writer Juan Felipe Herrera, and philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, while the 2023 recipients include filmmaker Dawn Porter, actor LeVar Burton, and chef and author Anthony Bourdain, who will receive the award posthumously.
The private ceremony, which will include words from Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden, will be held in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C.
