President Joe Biden recently announced the new members of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
The eclectic group includes a New Orleans native.
Musician Jon Batiste is in that number.
Lady Gaga and Bruce Cohen will be committee co-chairs.
The White House describes Batiste as "one of history’s most brilliant, prolific, and accomplished musicians."
His own bio says, "Jon was born in New Orleans into the legendary Batiste family, and later studied at the world-renowned Juilliard School in New York City."
Batiste's popularity reached new heights in 2015 when he was named the bandleader and musical director of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS.
In 2020, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for the Disney/Pixar film “Soul.”
Batiste has won five Grammy Awards and has 14 Grammy nominations.
Here is a look at the rest of the committee:
Constance M. Carroll, Member
George Clooney, Member
Philip J. Deloria, Member
M. Angélica Garcia, Member
Jennifer Garner, Member
Nora Halpern, Member
Steve Israel, Member
Marta Kauffman, Member
Ricky Kirshner, Member
Troy Kotsur, Member
Katie McGrath, Member
Laura Penn, Member
Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, Member
Arnold Rampersad, Member
Shonda Rhimes, Member
Kimberly Richter Shirley, Member
Horacio Sierra, Member
Anna Deavere Smith, Member
Joe Walsh, Member
Kerry Washington, Member
Pauline Yu, Member
President Ronald Reagan founded the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in 1982 by Executive Order to advise the President on cultural policy.
The First Lady has historically served as Honorary Chair.
The White House news release says, "Private committee members include prominent artists, scholars, and philanthropists who have demonstrated a serious commitment to the arts and humanities. Public members represent the heads of key federal agencies with a role in culture, including the Chairs of the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, the Librarian of Congress, the Secretary of the Smithsonian, and the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, among others. PCAH advises the President and the heads of U.S. cultural agencies on policy, philanthropic and private sector engagement, and other efforts to enhance federal support for the arts, humanities, and museum and library services. The PCAH will also engage the nation’s artists, humanities scholars, and cultural heritage practitioners to promote excellence in the arts, humanities, and museum and library services and demonstrate their relevance to the country’s health, economy, equity, and civic life. Over the past 40 years, PCAH has catalyzed federal programs and played a vital role in the advancement of arts and humanities education, cultural diplomacy, and the creative economy."
