Biden to honor Springsteen, Kaling and more with first batch of arts and humanities medals

Washington — Bruce Springsteen has a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a coveted Kennedy Center Honor. He has won multiple Grammys and Golden Globes, plus an Academy Award and a special Tony Award.

Springsteen will add to his collection of accolades on Tuesday when President Biden honors “the Boss” with the 2021 National Medal of Arts. It’s the nation’s highest award for advancing the arts in America.

Springsteen, who has sold around 140 million albums, is among a dozen individuals and groups that Mr. Biden has chosen to honor with arts medals during a White House ceremony on Tuesday. Other recipients include actress and comedian Mindy Kaling and singer Gladys Knight. First lady Jill Biden will also participate in the ceremony.

At the same event, Mr. Biden will award 2021 National Humanities Medals to a group including authors Amy Tan, Colson Whitehead and Ann Patchett. The medal honors individuals or groups for work that deepens understanding of the humanities.

The arts medals are the first of their kind to be awarded by Mr. Biden. The president surprised Sir Elton John with a National Humanities Medal during a White House musical event last September.

Below are the recipients of the 2021 National Medal of Arts include:

• Judith Francisca Baca
• Fred Eychaner
• Jose Feliciano
• Mindy Kaling 
• Gladys Knight
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus
• Antonio Martorell-Cardona
• Joan Shigekawa
• Bruce Springsteen
• Vera Wang
• The Billie Holiday Theatre
• The International Association of Blacks in Dance

Recipients of the 2021 National Humanities Medal include:

• Richard Blanco
• Johnnetta Betsch Cole
• Walter Isaacson
• Earl Lewis
• Henrietta Mann
• Ann Patchett
• Bryan Stevenson
• Amy Tan
• Tara Westover
• Colson Whitehead
• Native America Calling