The National Arts Awards Honors Creative Thinkers Spurring Social Change

On Oct. 17, Americans for the Arts presented the annual National Arts Awards at Guastavino’s in New York to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month. The first ceremony to take place since 2019, the evening honored the contributions of artists, activists, and collectives whose work advances social justice initiatives in the United States. This year’s honorees include poet Joy Harjo, actor and singer Darren Criss, artist collective For Freedoms, philanthropist Robert F. Smith, and the Gordon Parks Foundation. The awards were unveiled in a ceremony helmed by newly appointed chairperson Sarah Arison before musical accompaniment—an arrangement of Criss’s music and Harjo’s poetry among an immersive visual environment designed by artist José Parlá—wrapped up the evening. Photos by Neil Rasmus and Deonté Lee/BFA.