'President Barack Obama to Honor Brooklyn Academy of Music with National Medal of Arts

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle announced yesterday that the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is the first institution to receive the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government. The National Medal of Arts is reserved for those who are "deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States."