DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg will receive a National Medal of Arts for 2013 from the White House and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Other recipients of the 2013 National Medal of Arts include: visual artist James Turrell, musician Linda Ronstadt, documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, choreographer Bill T. Jones, author Maxine Hong Kingston and writer Julia Alvarez.
Awarded by the President, the National Medal of Arts is presented to “individuals or groups 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.” The medals will be presented on July 28 at the White House, with first lady Michelle Obama attending.
Katzenberg, director and CEO of DreamWorks Animation, is being honored for “lighting up our screens and opening our hearts through animation and cinema. Mr. Katzenberg has embraced new technology to develop the art of storytelling and transform the way we experience film,” read an official statement.
Katzenberg will be the first movie executive, who is not also a filmmaker, to receive the award. Star Wars writer and director George Lucas received the honour last year.