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Yesterday's health care summit wasn't the only thing scheduled along Pennsylvania Avenue. In a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, President Obama presented longtime Charleston Mayor Joe Riley with the National Medal of Arts for his service to cultivate the creative community in Charleston.
The Post and Courier has more:
In casual remarks as the president closed the ceremony, Obama singled out and cited the mayor, among a handful of the other recipients, as "my great friend Joe Riley and the extraordinary work he's done in Charleston."
Riley was recognized for cultivating historic and cultural resources to reinvigorate the city, and for his role creating the national Mayors' Institute on City Design to enhance the use of urban spaces. He was one of 12 people or organizations to receive the medal for 2009, alongside eight people who received the National Humanities Medal.
The lifetime honor is given for contributions to the creation, growth and support of arts or humanities in the United States; recipients are selected from hundreds of nominees each year.
Past recipients of the award include American icons like Clint Eastwood, Bob Dylan, and Rita Moreno, just to name a few.
Congratulations, Mayor Riley! It's a recognition truly deserved.
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