Announcements
Statement on Racial Inequality
Statement from the Academy President
Billie Tsien on recommittment to the arts in times of vulnerability.
2020 Architecture Award Winners
The American Academy of Arts and Letters announces the recipients of the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize and four Arts and Letters Awards.
Peter Eisenman, David W. Blight, Richard Powers, and Bill Henderson Receive Highest Honors
Peter Eisenman, David W. Blight, Richard Powers, and Bill Henderson receive top awards in Architecture, History, Literature, and Service to the Arts.
Academy Spring Events Cancelled
The Academy has cancelled all spring events in the interest of public health.
2020 Art Award Winners
Twenty-four artists receive awards and purchase prizes totaling $295,000.
2020 Literature Award Winners
Leslie Marmon Silko wins the second biennial $100,000 Christopher Lightfoot Walker Award for a significant literary contribution, and eighteen writers receive literature prizes.
Two Musicals Win 2020 Richard Rodgers Awards
In the Green and The Loophole have won the 2020 Richard Rodgers Awards for Musical Theater.
Postponed: An Afternoon of Music and Art
Due to the public health risk posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Academy is postponing An Afternoon of Music and Art, originally scheduled for Sunday, March 22, 2020, to a future date.
2020 Music Award Winners
Seventeen recipients receive this year’s awards in music, which total $235,000.
2020 Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts
In the interest of public health the Academy is closing its galleries for the remainder of its originally scheduled run for the Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts.
Academy Receives Medal from Archives of American Art
On October 22, 2019, the Academy received the Archives Medal from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art.
Randy Cohen to interview Academy member, composer, and performer Meredith Monk
On Friday, December 13, 2019, at 7 p.m. Randy Cohen of Person Place Thing will interview Meredith Monk in the Academy Library. The event is free and open to the public but reservations are required.
David Del Tredici Delivers 2019 Blashfield Address
The 2019 Blashfield Address, entitled “The Gift of Gayness: A Tell-All,” was delivered by David Del Tredici on May 22nd, 2019, at the Academy’s annual Ceremonial.
Randy Cohen to interview Academy member and cartoonist Art Spiegelman
On Tuesday, June 11, 2019, at 7 p.m. Randy Cohen will interview Art Spiegelman in the Academy Library. The event is free and open to the public but reservations are required.
Lee Bontecou, Thelma Golden, and Toni Morrison receive highest honors
Lee Bontecou and Toni Morrison will receive Gold Medals in Sculpture and Fiction, respectively. Thelma Golden will receive the 2019 Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts.
Billie Tsien Elected President
Architect Billie Tsien was elected president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Ms. Tsien, who was inducted into the Academy in 2007, will serve a three-year term from January 2018 to January 2021.