WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama honored 21 individuals and organizations on Thursday for works that he says have helped Americans connect and understand each other a little better through the arts and humanities.
The honorees included actress Sally Field, author Stephen King and chef Alice Waters. And to paraphrase one of Field’s most famous lines, when she accepted her second Oscar for best actress, the president told the group: “We like you. We really like you.”
Field, of Los Angeles, received the 2014 National Medal of Arts for showing dignity, empathy and fearlessness in performances that have touched audiences worldwide, as well as for showing those same qualities in her off-screen advocacy for women, LGBT rights and public health.
King, of Bangor, Maine, also received an arts medal for combining storytelling with analysis of human nature. His works include “Christine,” ”Cujo” and “The Shining.”
Waters, chef-owner of the organic restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, received a National Humanities Medal for her work as a champion of a holistic approach to eating and health.