President Obama awarded Sandra Cisneros and Moises Kaufman a National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States government. The NEA Chairman said: “These National Medal of Arts recipients have helped to define our nation’s cultural legacy through the artistic excellence of their creative traditions
Sandra Cisneros, the author of A HOUSE ON MANGO STREET and most recently A HOUSE OF MY OWN, was chosen “for enriching the American narrative.” Director and playwright Moises Kaufman is cited for “his powerful contributions to American theater.” Kaufman wrote THE LARAMIE PROJECT AND THE THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER.
In the same ceremony, President Obama presented the 2015 National Humanities Medals. Ron Chernow, Elaine Pagels, Abraham Verghese, and Isabel Wilkerson each received a National Humanities Medal from the NEH. Before the ceremony, the NEH chairman said: “Our understanding of ourselves, our history and our culture have been deepened and transformed by these extraordinary humanities medalists.”
To read more about the awards and read their full citations, visit the NEA website.
