Musicians, writers, designers and … a big donor?
Megadonor Jeffrey Katzenberg made Sunlight’s list of Stealthy Wealthy. (Sketch by Lindsay Young/Sunlight Foundation)
The list of National Medal of Arts awardees receiving their honors from President Barack Obama Monday afternoon at a White House ceremony reminds us of the old Sesame Street song: “One of these things is not like the other.”
Among the 11 recipients of this year’s National Medal of Arts, given to honor “outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States,” are acclaimed writers Julia Alvarez and Maxine Hong Kingston, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, singer Linda Ronstadt, composer John Kander, filmmaker Albert Maysles and dance innovator Bill T. Jones.
And then there is Jeffrey Katzenberg. The DreamWorks CEO, whose cultural contributions include Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Chicken Run. But, as Sunlight has documented, he has other qualifications that may resonate at the White House.
- Political fundraisers hosted by Katzenberg
- Political contributions by Jeffrey Katzenberg.
- Did Katzenberg’s support for Obama fast-track movie deal with China?
- Major Obama donors with interests in China
Who says politics is not an art?
