[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
[November 15, 2007]
[Pages 1472-1473]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Presenting the National Medal of Arts and National Humanities 
Medal
November 15, 2007

    The President. Thank you all. Good morning. Laura and I welcome you to the East Room for a joyous event, 
the presentation of two sets of important awards: the National Medals of 
the Arts and the National Humanities Medals. These medals recognize 
great contributions to art, music, theater, writing, history, and 
general scholarship.
    We congratulate the medalists. We welcome your families. We thank 
your loved ones for supporting you. And on behalf of a grateful nation, 
we honor your great talent and accomplishments.
    Obviously, I'm pleased to be here with my wife. [Laughter] I am proud to be here with Mrs. Lynne 
Cheney as well. I thank the Members of the 
United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives for 
joining us as we honor our fellow citizens. I'm so pleased to welcome 
Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment of 
the Arts, and Dr. Bruce Cole, Chairman of the 
National Endowment of the Humanities. Thank you all for coming, and 
thank you for your leadership. I'm proud that a fellow Texan, 
Adair Margo--is the Chairman of the President's 
Committee on the Arts and Humanities--has joined us.
    Our honorees represent the great strength and diversity of the American culture. The 
winners of the arts include a Native American poet, an orchestra conductor, a 
composer of choral music, a pioneer of 
electric musical instruments, and a man whose last name is synonymous with fine 
American craftsmanship. Our honorees have created some of the emblematic 
images of our time, supported museums and theaters, and helped nurture 
young talent.
    The winners of the humanities have also made great and lasting contributions 
to our society. They include scholars and historians and a 
philanthropist. These men and women have shaped our understanding of the 
past, chronicled stories of tyranny overcome by liberty, and helped 
preserve our cultural treasures for future generations.
    Your accomplishments will remind us that freedom of thought and 
freedom of expression are two pillars of our democracy. These freedoms 
have helped our Nation build some of the finest centers of learning in 
the world. They've helped inspire new movements in art and literature, 
and they've helped fill our libraries and museums and theaters with 
great works for all our citizens to enjoy.
    America is committed to supporting the arts and humanities. For more 
than four decades, the National Endowment of the Arts and the National 
Endowment for the Humanities has helped enrich our culture and deepened 
our appreciation for the ideals that bind us together as Americans. Some 
interesting programs that are run out of these important institutions, 
like ``We the People'' and ``American Masterpieces,'' that expose a new 
generation of Americans to American history and literature and art.

[[Page 1473]]

And Laura and I strongly support these programs.
    It is now my privilege to present the National Medals of Art and the 
National Humanities Medals. Once again, I congratulate our honorees, 
because in your work, we see the creativity of the American spirit and 
the values that have made our Nation great.
    And so now I ask the military aide to read the 
citations.

[At this point, Lt. Cmdr. Dan Walsh, USCG, Coast Guard Aide to the 
President, read the citations, and the President presented the medals.]

    The President. My wife.

Note: The President spoke at 10:03 a.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Lynne V. Cheney, wife of Vice 
President Dick Cheney. The transcript released by the Office of the 
Press Secretary also included the remarks of the First Lady.