Filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, and Ken Burns, along with musicians Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah are included among the 20 individuals set to receive the National Medals of Arts. President Joe Biden is scheduled to present these honors at a ceremony at the White House on Monday. In addition, 19 recipients will be awarded National Humanities Medals, which include notable figures like playwright Aaron Sorkin and historian Jon Meacham.

Among the awarded medals, three will be given posthumously. The late singer Selena Quintanilla and renowned artist Ruth Asawa will receive the arts medals, while culinary icon Anthony Bourdain will posthumously receive a humanities medal. The National Endowment for the Arts oversees the awarding of arts medals, while the National Endowment for the Humanities is responsible for the humanities medals.

Other honorees in the arts category will include actors Idina Menzel and Eva Longoria, producer Bruce Cohen, and musicians Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez and Herbert I. Ohta. Additionally, photographers Randy A. Batista and Clyde Butcher, along with artists Carrie Mae Weems, Alex Katz, and Mark Bradford, are also among those recognized. This year’s awards will also honor leaders in the arts such as Jo Carole Lauder and Bruce Sagan, as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

The National Medals of Arts are presented to individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to the growth, support, and advancement of the arts in the United States. Meanwhile, other recipients of the humanities medals include former U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo, actor and literacy advocate LeVar Burton, cartoonist Roz Chast, and philanthropists Wallis Annenberg and Darren Walker. The mission behind the humanities medals is to acknowledge efforts that have enhanced public understanding of the human experience, enriched engagement with history or literature, and expanded access to cultural resources for Americans.

Awardees in the humanities category span a wide spectrum of cultural institutions such as the Mellon Foundation and Appalshop, as well as educators like Robin Harris, Robert Martin, and Ruth J. Simmons, with scholars including Pauline Yu, Nicolás Kanellos, and Robin Wall Kimmerer. The diverse group of honorees also includes writer Juan Felipe Herrera, filmmaker Dawn Porter, and anthropologist Rosita Worl.