Obama honours Mel Brooks, others in arts and humanities
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Thursday paid tribute to comedian Mel Brooks, chef Jose Andres, NPR interviewer Terry Gross and others at a White House ceremony celebrating “creators who give every piece of themselves to their craft.”
The three were among two dozen artists, writers, playwrights and performers awarded the 2015 National Medals of Arts and Humanities. Obama touted the group, which included author Sandra Cisneros, composer Philip Glass and singer Audra McDonald, as figures at the top of their fields and contributors to a national conversation.
“We believe that arts and the humanities are in many ways reflective of our national soul. They’re central to who we are as Americans — dreamers, storyteller, innovators and visionaries,” he said.
The annual event is typically a serious affair, held under the glittering chandeliers of the East Room. But it took a comic turn this year when Obama paid tribute to Brooks by quoting the director’s instructions to his writers on the boundary-pushing film “Blazing Saddles.”