The Biden Administration is reviving the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, naming 24 people to the group, including stage favorites playwright and performer Anna Deavere Smith; actors Kerry Washington, Jennifer Garner, and Troy Kotsur; and producers Bruce Cohen, Ricky Kirshner, and Shonda Rhimes. The panel's membership comprises artists from the worlds of theatre, film, the visual arts, and literature.
Cohen will co-chair the committee with Grammy winner Lady Gaga, with the group also counting Jon Batiste, Constance M. Carroll, George Clooney, Philip J. Deloria, M. Angélica Garcia, Nora Halpern, Steve Israel, Marta Kauffman, Katie McGrath, Laura Penn, Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, Arnold Rampersad, Kimberly Richter Shirley, Horacio Sierra, Joe Walsh, and Pauline Yu as members.
The group disbanded in 2017 when all of its then-17 members (including Tony winner George C. Wolfe) resigned in protest of then-President Trump's "support of hate groups and terrorists."
Founded in 1982, the committee advises the President and heads of U.S. cultural agencies on policy, philanthropic and private sector engagement, and more to increase and improve federal support for the arts, humanities, and museum and library services. The group also works to promote excellence in the arts and demonstrate their relevance to the country.
