Trump Has Yet to Award the National Arts Medals for 2016

By PETER LIBBEY from NYT Arts

For decades the United States has recognized its greatest artists — about a dozen each year — with a national medal, an award created by Congress and typically distributed each year by the president at a White House ceremony.

Since 1985, arts figures including Georgia O’Keeffe, Frank Capra and Ella Fitzgerald have received the National Medal of Arts while similar cultural achievement has been recognized by the National Humanities Medal, which presidents have awarded to the likes of Steven Spielberg, Anna Deavere Smith and Louise Glück.

But neither of those medals has been awarded since President Trump took office, the longest gap ever and one that again draws attention to the president’s often awkward relationship with the arts. The deadline for nominations for the 2016 arts medals, which have yet to be awarded, was in February 2017.
The White House responded to questions about the medals by saying that planning is underway to distribute them as in years past. “We are currently evaluating candidates and will likely issue later this year,” said Lindsay E. Walters, a White House spokeswoman.

It does seem the delay may be simply a matter of an administrative backlog. The National Medal of Science, and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation have also not been awarded since 2016.

But the holdup around the arts medals is notable because of President Trump’s rocky relationship with the National Endowment for Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. His first proposed federal budget would have eliminated these agencies, which, in addition to promoting cultural programs, recommend candidates for the national medals to the president.

celebrates lifetime contributions to art, music, dance, film, television and culture. The White House said the decision was designed “to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction.” But several winners, critical of Mr. Trump, had already announced plans to skip the White House reception traditionally held in conjunction with the presentation. The reception was ultimately canceled.

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