Kennedy Center Honors

The Kennedy Center Honors are annual awards recognizing lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents them in Washington, D.C.

Meryl Streep: American actor known for roles in film, television, and theater. Her 2011 honor recognized a career spanning major screen and stage roles.
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: A national performing arts center in Washington, D.C., that presents performances and arts programs. The institution presents the Honors and hosts their annual ceremony.
George Stevens Jr.: American filmmaker and arts administrator who founded the Kennedy Center Honors. He developed the Honors as a way to recognize lifetime artistic achievement.
Lifetime achievement award: An award recognizing the cumulative accomplishments of a person or group over a career. The Kennedy Center Honors are a prominent performing-arts example of this award form.
Aretha Franklin: American singer widely known as the Queen of Soul. Her 1994 honor recognized her influence on American music and performance.
Kennedy Center Honors selection process: The process through which the Kennedy Center chooses recipients of its annual lifetime-achievement honors. Its choices determine which careers receive national recognition each year.
John F. Kennedy: The 35th president of the United States, assassinated in 1963. The performing arts center bearing his name established the setting for the awards.
Cultural canon: A body of works and artists treated as especially influential within a culture. Honorees become part of an officially celebrated account of American cultural achievement.
Martha Graham: American modern dancer and choreographer who developed a distinctive movement technique. Her 1979 honor recognized her foundational impact on modern dance.
Kennedy Center Honors ceremony: An annual televised event featuring tributes and performances for Kennedy Center Honors recipients. The ceremony turns each recipient’s career into a series of artistic tributes.

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