Honors and solid financial rewards were distributed to achievers in the arts at the 56th annual award and induction ceremony of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Architect Kevin Roche, academy president, and other presenters including historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and writer John Updike conferred awards worth more than $700,000.Historian Peter Gay and architect Philip Johnson received the Gold Medal, the academy's highest honor. Awards for architecture, art, literature, music and theater were given to some 50 other people.
Maya Lin, who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., won an award in architecture; New Yorker jazz critic Whitney Balliett was among those honored in literature.
Ten new members were inducted into the academy, including artist Vija Celmins, poet Kenneth Koch, art critic John Russell and writers Oliver Sacks and Elie Wie-sel.
New foreign honorary members include Bei Dao - described by Roche as China's leading poet, he now lives in this country and teaches at the University of California-Davis; and Irish playwright Brian Friel.
The American Academy of Arts and Letters was established in 1898 "to foster, assist and sustain an interest in literature, music and the fine arts."
In addition to financial awards, its activities include organizing exhibitions of art and manuscripts, readings and performances of new musicals, and the purchase and distribution of paintings to museums nationwide.