CULTURE CLUB

The National Arts Awards Honors Creative Thinkers Spurring Social Change

On Oct. 17, Americans for the Arts presented the annual National Arts Awards at Guastavino’s in New York to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month. The first ceremony to take place since 2019, the evening honored the contributions of artists, activists, and collectives whose work advances social justice initiatives in the United States. This year’s honorees include poet Joy Harjo, actor and singer Darren Criss, artist collective For Freedoms, philanthropist Robert F. Smith, and the Gordon Parks Foundation. The awards were unveiled in a ceremony helmed by newly appointed chairperson Sarah Arison before musical accompaniment—an arrangement of Criss’s music and Harjo’s poetry among an immersive visual environment designed by artist José Parlá—wrapped up the evening. Photos by Neil Rasmus and Deonté Lee/BFA.
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Eric Gottesman, Wyatt Gallery, Hank Willis Thomas
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Anya Ayoung-Chee, Rujeko Hockley
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Darren Criss, Jon Batiste, José Parlá
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Robert Smith, Joy Harjo, Nolen Bivens
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Jon Batiste, Darren Criss, Jess Williams
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Derrick Adams, Alton Murray, Nolen Bivens
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Devon Yesberger, Jake Goldbas, Darren Criss, Sarah Arison, Wyatt Gallery
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Hank Willis Thomas, Rujeko Hockley, LaToya Ruby Frazier
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Hank Willis Thomas, Wyatt Gallery, Michelle Woo, Eric Gottesman
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José Parlá, Claudia Hilda
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Michi Jigarjian, Sarah Arison
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Wyatt Gallery, Anya Ayoung-Chee, Rujeko Hockley, Hank Willis Thomas, Claudia Hilda, José Parlá, Eric Gottesman, Michelle Woo

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