REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT PRESENTATION OF THE NATIONAL MEDAL OF THE ARTS
AND THE NATIONAL HUMANITIES MEDAL
AT PRESENTATION OF THE NATIONAL MEDAL OF THE ARTS
AND THE NATIONAL HUMANITIES MEDAL
12:55 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very
much. Thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome. I want to welcome all
of our honorees here -- Bill Ivey and all the people from the National
Endowment for the Humanities; Bill Ferris and all the people from the National
Endowment for the Arts; the people from Library and Museum Services; members of
Congress. I have seen Senator Wellstone and Congressman Houghton,
Representative Morella and Nadler. There may be others here.
I want to thank the people of
our shared homeland, the Irish Band and the Step Dancers, for doing such a
wonderful job today. I thought they were great. (Applause.) If George Mitchell
doesn’t get us over the final hump in the last steps of the Irish peace
process, I may just send them back until everybody is smiling so much they can’t
think of anything other than ending the conflict. (Laughter.)
I’d also like to thank the
wonderful strings from the Marine Corps for doing such a great job for us here
today. (Applause.)
In one of his final speeches,
President Kennedy said he looked forward to an America which rewards
achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business; an America which
commands respect throughout the world not only for its strength, but for its
civilization. Today we recognize an extraordinary group of Americans who have
strengthened our civilization and whose achievements have enriched our lives --
through the songs they sing, the stories they tell, the books they write, the
art they shape, the gifts they share.
Eighteen women and men, one
educational institution, all having defined in their own unique ways a part of
who we are as a people and what we’re about as a nation as we enter a new
century in a new millennium.
First I present the National
Medal of the Arts winners.
Irene Diamond, one of America’s leading
patrons of the arts, has dedicated her life to discovery. As an early Hollywood
talent scout, she discovered Burt Lancaster and Robert Redford. For that alone,
some people think she should get this award. (Laughter and applause.)
As one of the movie industry’s
first female story editors, she discovered the script that became “Casablanca.”
I believe when the film industry issued its list of 100 greatest films, “Casablanca”
only ranked second, Irene, but some of us voted for it number one. (Laughter.)
As the President of the Aaron
Diamond Foundation, she helped fuel the path-breaking research that led to the
discovery of protease inhibitors, which are now helping people with HIV lead
longer and healthier lives. As a generous supporter of the arts, she has given
more than $70 million to help more Americans discover the magic of theater,
dance and song.
It has been said that discovery
consists of seeing what everyone has seen, and thinking what no one has
thought. We are all far richer for the vision, the insight, and the discoveries
of this most precious Diamond. (Applause.)
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: The Reverend C.L.
Franklin, then pastor of Detroit’s New Bethel Baptist Church, was a
powerfully emotional preacher. But one Sunday in 1954, it was the heavenly
voice of a 12-year-old that brought the congregation to its feet. The voice
belonged to his
own daughter, Aretha, the woman now idolized throughout the world as the
Queen of Soul.
No matter where she has
traveled, she has never left behind the sound of those Sundays in church. You
could hear it ranging over four full octaves when she sang Dr. King to Heaven,
and in electrifying performances at our Inaugural celebrations. You can hear it
in every one of her nearly 50 albums, and I am so grateful that she has allowed
me to hear it time after time here at the White House.
Aretha’s voice once was
designated a natural resource of the State of Michigan. (Laughter.) She will
probably never know how many people whose lives she has enriched, whose hearts
she has lifted, how many people she gave a spring in the step that would not
have been there, and brought sunshine to a rainy day and tenderness to a
hardened heart.
Today, we honor her for all she
has given with the magnificent talent God gave her.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Michael Graves is
a rare individual who finds equal wonder in things both large and small. As one
of our century’s most important designers and architects, he has said he gets
as much pleasure planning a large building as he does designing a spatula.
(Laughter.)
So it’s little wonder that Michael Graves’
work can be found from our shopping malls to our National Mall. From an
award-winning office building to a tea kettle; to the creative scaffolding
around the Washington Monument -- which, I might say, has enriched the lives of
every person in Washington, D.C. -- (applause) -- and made those often stuck in
what is now America’s most crowded traffic patterned city have their time pass
a little better, Michael Graves has created art that surrounds our lives.
He calls himself a great
practitioner, but in some ways his challenge is more daunting than that of a
physician. As Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “After all, the doctor can bury his
mistake,” -- (laughter) -- “but the architect can only advise his client to
plant vines.” (Laughter.) The only thing that grows and covers Michael Graves’
work is our admiration, appreciation and respect.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: When it comes to
training in the performing arts, the Juilliard School stands alone. Juilliard
has cultivated the genius of artists of world renown. We hear it in the
flawless voice of Leontyne Price; in the virtuoso violin of Itzhak Perlman; the
narrative jazz of Wynton Marsalis; the uninhibited humor of Robin Williams.
But Juilliard does more than
develop the skills of gifted artists. It instills in every student the
obligation to share that talent with others -- through performances in
hospitals, nursing homes, hundreds of free shows every year at the Lincoln
Center.
In honoring the artist in
society, Juilliard opens the doors of art to the world. We honor it today for
all it has done, and all it will do, in taking the best and making them even
better.
I’d like to ask Dr. Joe Polisi,
the President of the Juilliard School, to come forward, and I’d like to
ask the Colonel to read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Norman Lear has
held up a mirror to American society and changed the way we look at it. From
Archie Bunker’s living room in Queens to Fred Sanford’s junkyard in Watts, he
has employed the power of humor in the service of human understanding. His
departure from traditional, two-dimensional television characters was risky. It
showed the enormous respect he has for the judgment, the sense and the heart of
the American people.
He gave us something real. He
tackled issues head on. Archie Bunker, after all, was the best argument against
his own bigotry. By laying it out unvarnished, Norman Lear took it apart and,
in the process, made us laugh out loud.His commitment to promoting
understanding and tolerance extends far beyond the screen. As founder of People
for the American Way and The Business Enterprise Trust, he continues his work
to deepen freedom, defend liberties and reward social responsibility.
The first time I ever met
Norman Lear was in early 1981, shortly after the presidential election of 1980,
in which I became the youngest former governor in American history. (Laughter.)
Norman Lear invited me to come talk about a project with him in New York, and
he took me to a play on Broadway that he produced. We went to opening night. It
closed three days later. (Laughter.) We are here today because the intervening
years have been kinder to both of us. (Laughter and applause.) I’m not sure
Archie Bunker would approve, but Meathead would be proud and so are we.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: When she was
seven, Rosetta
LeNoire broke both her legs -- actually, doctors broke them for her. She
was born with rickets; it was the only way the bones could grow in place. Her
godfather, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, said that dancing could strengthen her
legs and took her on the road.
She moved on to success --
Broadway, film and, of course, television, where we remember her as Mother
Winslow on “Family Matters” and Nell Carter’s mother on “Give Me A Break.” But
with all her talent and drive through the years, discrimination was never far
behind. So Rosetta did more than dream of a theater with no color bar, she
actually built one.
For more than 30 years, the
AMAS Musical Theater in New York City has been a place where performers are
judged by the caliber of their skills, not the color of their skin. As a
courageous child, Rosetta learned that sometimes you have to break things to
put them in the right place. Today, America thanks her for breaking barriers to
set our nation right.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: In 1967, Harvey
Lichtenstein was given an impossible task -- to breathe life into the
Brooklyn Academy of Music, a neighborhood relic, on the verge of being razed
for tennis courts. Not only did he save the academy, he turned it into one of
the most important avant garde institutions in the entire world.
In his 32 years as a charismatic impresario, visionary and father of the Brooklyn
Academy of Music, he sparked the stunning careers of Twyla Tharp, Philip
Glass, Mark Morris, so many others Manhattan had overlooked. He launched the
wonderful new Next Wave festival and the BAM Opera. He proved that art
challenges can also be wildly popular.
He truly changed the way we
think. Although he just made his curtain call at the Brooklyn Academy, we know
he will continue to be New York’s stellar steward of the arts.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Lydia Mendoza’s
unique musical career spans most of the entire course of the 20th century. She
recorded her first song in a San Antonio hotel room in 1928. More than 70 years
and 1,000 songs later, her legacy is as wide and deep as the Rio Grande valley.
Lydia learned much from the
oral tradition of Mexican music that her mother and grandmother shared with
her. In turn, she shared it with the world, becoming the first rural American
woman performer to garner a large following throughout Latin America.
With the artistry of her voice
and the gift of her songs, she bridged the gap between generations and
cultures. Lydia Mendoza is a true American pioneer and she paved the way for a
whole new generation of Latino performers, who today are making all Americans
sing.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: In late 1949, in
the coffee houses of San Francisco, a young, classically-trained singer named Odetta fell
in love with folk music and found her true voice. Soon she began recording
unforgettably soulful albums and touring the world’s great stages. In the words
of one early admirer, “She has such a strong voice and presence that I am left with
the irreverent, but irresistible feeling that if she had been the captain of
the Titanic, the ship would not have sunk.” (Laughter.)
For 50 years now Odetta has
used her commanding power and amazing grace not just to entertain, but to
inspire. She has sung for freedom with Dr. King, lifted the pride of millions
of children, shaped the careers of young performers like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan
and Tracey Chapman. She is the reigning queen of American folk music, reminding
us all that songs have the power to change the heart and change the world.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: It started out
as just another odd job for this aspiring artist -- researching the artistic
possibilities of plaster used to cast broken bones. “I had my wife cover me
head to foot in the stuff,” he said. “Once it dried, I broke out of it,
breaking the mold in the process. Then I put it back together. It was white,
spectral, full of elusive potential -- just what I had been after.”
George Segal’s art may be
inanimate, but more than a few of us have had to look twice just to be sure. (Laughter.)
His silent creations speak volumes about the human condition and give life to
the spaces where they are displayed. His sculptures at the Franklin Roosevelt
Memorial of the Depression bread line and the fireside chat transport us back
to the that time and place.
Through all of his work, George
Segal has brought elegance to the everyday and mystery to the commonplace.
Decades after his first experiments with plaster, he continues to break the
mold.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: George
Balanchine once told audiences not to analyze ballet. “Words cannot describe
it,” he said, “you cannot explain a flower.” So it’s impossible to explain the
radiance and grace of Maria Tallchief.
She leapt from Oklahoma’s Osage
Indian territory to the center stages of the world. Her partnership with
Balanchine transformed the ballet world for the ages. She was his inspiration
for the title role in “The Firebird.” She was the first sugarplum fairy.
A reviewer once said that hers
will always be the story of ballet conquering America -- but also, I would add,
the story of America conquering ballet.
Maria Tallchief took what had been
a European art form, and made it America’s own. How fitting that a Native
American woman would do that. With magic, mystery and style, she soared above
all.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: And now, ladies
and gentlemen, for the National Humanities Medals.
Patricia Battin is saving history.
The high acidic content of paper threatens to destroy millions of old books,
but she has led the national campaign to raise awareness about this challenge
and preserve the genius of the past.
As the first President of the Commission on
Preservation and Access, she has helped to spur America’s libraries and
archives to transfer information from so-called “brittle books” to microfilm
and optical disks. As a result, more than 770,000 books have already been
preserved. She’s also one of our nation’s leading authorities on changing
learning patterns of the digital age. From 19th century books to 21st century
technology, Patricia Battin is strengthening our storehouse of knowledge for
the future.
Thank you for saving the
knowledge of the past for the children of tomorrow.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: When it comes to
the struggle for peace, justice and freedom, Taylor Branch literally has written
the book. With vivid prose and clear-eyed detail, his two volumes on the Martin
Luther King years recount a man and a movement that changed America for good.
As Taylor has said, “It is really the story of ordinary people who took risks
to enlarge freedom. And we have a much better country for it.”
Those aren’t just Taylor Branch’s
words; they also reflect his life. Growing up in segregated Atlanta, Taylor
Branch saw discrimination everywhere he looked. But through it all, he also saw
something else -- an America where we heal our racial wounds, celebrate our
differences, and move forward together.
We grew up in the same sort of South,
affected by the limits, the longing and the language of race, in all of its
myriad manifestations. I met Taylor Branch 30 years ago this month. I knew then
he was a remarkable young man. And I must tell you, I am very proud of the
gifts he has given America in the years since.
In an early sermon, Dr. King said, “After
one has discovered what he is made for, he should seek to do it so well that no
one could do it better.” Anyone who has read the work of Taylor Branch knows,
no one does it better.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: More than two
decades ago, Jacquelyn Dowd Hall explained to an elderly woman why she
wanted to tape her memories. After listening closely to all of Professor Hall’s
words, the senior citizen looked up and said, “I understand. You don’t have to
be famous for your life to be history.” That became the motto of the Southern
Oral History Program directed by Jacquelyn Dowd Hall, and the rest is truly
history.
The program, centered at the
University of North Carolina, rings with the voices of mill workers who have
lost their jobs, civil rights leaders marching for freedom, ordinary folks
building their communities. And I might add, there is a young person from
Arkansas by the name of Clinton whose voice is on one of those tapes who was on
the verge of something really big -- losing his first election. (Laughter.)
Anyone who grew up in the South
knows that no book can capture the color and the vibrancy you hear in the
everyday conversations on Main Street, in general stores, on the front porches
and the back yards. So all of us, whether we are from the South or not, can say
thank you, Jacquelyn Dowd Hall, for capturing that unique and wonderful voice,
for recording history through the lives of ordinary people, and, in so doing,
for making history.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: He was born in
Anoka, Minnesota, but we know him as the man from Lake Wobegon. A town with a
name derived, he tells us, from the Native American phrase meaning, “we sat in
the rain all day waiting for you.” (Laughter.) A place, he confesses, settled
by pioneers who had stopped a little short, having misread their map, but
refused to admit it. (Laughter.) Well, Garrison Keillor has never stopped
short. Just ask the governor of Minnesota. (Laughter.)
Millions of listeners plan their weekends
around his “Prairie Home Companion.” It’s always blaring on the radio in
the White House. No one wants to miss a minute of his homespun humor, homegrown
music and stories of hometown America. And he never leaves it behind.
Today when I shook hands with
Garrison he said, well, I understand that you had a cancellation and had to put
me in at the last minute. (Laughter.) I didn’t have the heart to tell him how
sorry I was that Rush Limbaugh couldn’t make it today. (Laughter and applause.)
With imagination and wit, but
also with a steel-trap mind and deep conviction, Garrison Keillor has brought
us together, and constantly reminds us how we’re all connected and how it ought
to keep us a little humble.
We all have a little Lake
Wobegon in us, and our homes will always have a place for Garrison Keillor, our
modern-day Mark Twain.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: While studying
to be a newspaperman in a small Texas town, Jim Lehrer worked nights at a bus
depot, calling out departures and arrivals over a microphone. You might say
that’s what he had to do for politicians after he assumed his position on
television. (Laughter.) He learned to speak clearly, be polite, stick to the
facts -- traits that would become his signature style as one of the most
respected and beloved figures in American broadcast journalism.
When sound bites and
sensationalism began taking over TV news in the early 1970s, he teamed up with
broadcaster Robin MacNeil to start a nightly newscast that offered the
opposite: long, in-depth stories and interviews on the serious topics of the
day. A show where guests are treated as guests; viewers are treated as
intelligent; viewpoints are treated with respect.
Novelist; playwright;
journalist; moderator of presidential debates; asker of hard and probing
questions -- (laughter) -- in a deceptively civilized way -- (laughter) -- Jim
Lehrer is a modern man of letters who has left us a gift of professionalism and
civility, of true learning and the enlargement of our citizenship by his work.
Colonel, read the citation
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: John Rawls is
perhaps the greatest political philosopher of the 20th century. In 1971, when
Hillary and I were in law school, we were among the millions moved by a
remarkable books he wrote, “A Theory of Justice,” that placed our rights to
liberty and justice upon a strong and brilliant new foundation of reason.
Almost singlehandedly, John Rawls revived
the disciplines of political and ethical philosophy with his argument that a
society in which the most fortunate helped the least fortunate is not only a
moral society, but a logical one. Just as impressively, he has helped a whole
generation of learned Americans revive their faith in democracy itself.
Ladies and gentlemen, Margaret
Rawls will accept the medal on behalf of her husband.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Any time we look
at all that Steven
Spielberg has managed to create on film, we know that that is what God
put him here to do. Like Orson Wells, he was a true cinematic prodigy. He shot
his first movies at the age of 12. By the ripe old age of 35, he was already
one of our most gifted story tellers, with “Close Encounters,” “Raiders of the
Lost Ark” and “E.T.”
But when his insatiable moral
and imaginative hunger drove him to create such resident masterpieces as “Schindler’s
List,” one of the most important movies of the 20th century, and the
remarkable, “Saving Private Ryan,” we saw that he was an astonishing historian,
as well.
On top of his creative mastery,
Steven has devoted enormous time and resources to preserving Holocaust
testimonies, supporting righteous causes, unleashing the power of entertainment
and technology to help seriously ill children to heal.
Steven Spielberg could have
gotten the National Medal of the Arts, but I think he would want most to be
remembered for his contributions to humanity. I also want to thank him for all
the many times that he and Kate and their wonderful children have enriched our
lives, and all the things he tells me that keep me thinking.
Today I was talking to Steven
and he said, how are you, and I said, I’m doing pretty good for an older guy.
He said, yes, but did you see that article that says that our children,
certainly our grandchildren, will live to be 150? And I got to thinking that --
Hillary talked Steven into making the movie that we will show at the American
Millennial Celebration on the Mall on New Year’s Eve, as we see the turning of
the millennium. And Steven has agreed to create this 18-minute movie of the
century -- 100 years in 18 minutes, so we’ll feel like we’re 150. (Laughter.)
He always finds a way to make it work.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Long before “Fences,”
before “Seven Guitars,” before “Two Trains Running,” before his two Pulitzers, August Wilson wrote
an essay. He was in high school, and his teacher refused to believe that a
black student could have produced something that good. Disgusted by the low
expectations of his teacher, August Wilson took refuge in the library. This is
what he said: “I found books by black writers, and realized I could do that. I
could have a book, on a shelf.”
From the dimly lit library
stacks to the bright lights of the stage, he has chronicled the African
American experience throughout the 20th century -- decade by decade -- with
epic plays of dreams and doubts, humor and heartbreak, mystery and music.
Years ago, August Wilson asked
a friend and fellow writer, how do you make your characters talk? His friend
replied, “You don’t; you listen to them.” America is richer for the listening
voice, and the landmark drama of August Wilson.
Colonel, read the citation.
(The citation is read.)
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Ladies and
gentlemen, we thank you for sharing in this celebration and being a part of
this last Arts
and Humanities Awards Ceremony of the 20th century. On behalf of our
nation, I thank our honorees for all they have done for us, and I thank you all
for supporting their work, for helping to shape our society, lift our spirits,
expand our boundaries and share our gifts with the world.
Thank you and goodbye. Thank
you. (Applause.)
END 1:42 P.M. EDT
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