On November 9, 2006 - Interlochen Center for the Arts was presented with the National Medal of Arts by President Bush in a White House ceremony. I was honored to accept this award on behalf of the entire Interlochen community.

The National Medal of Arts is our nation’s highest honor in the arts. It was established by Congress in 1984 and is given by the President of the United States to honor individuals and organizations that have encouraged the arts and inspired others. This award has been presented to some of the most admired artists of our era - but to only a small handful of organizations. We are pleased to be in such excellent company as The Juilliard School, National Public Radio and the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation.

This award is a testament to both our extraordinary history and to the dynamic initiatives that are keeping us on the forefront of arts education, presentation and broadcasting in this country and abroad.

If you are new to Interlochen, I think you will soon discover what our 90,000 alumni and hundreds of thousands of other supporters already know: art lives at Interlochen like no other place in the world. With programs for artists of all ages and skill levels and those who simply love art, Interlochen community invites you to take part.

If you are already a member of our community, I would like to thank and congratulate you. Your involvement and interest have contributed to the vitality of arts at Interlochen. If you are like most alumni, you have carried your enthusiasm and passion for the arts away from our campus and into the rest of the world.

From the very beginning, Interlochen has offered unparalleled opportunities in the arts. Founder Joe Maddy was a visionary leader who advocated tirelessly for the role of music and the arts as integral to every education - and he continually sought ways to engage more people by expanding the Arts Camp, pioneering the high school Academy, adding Public Radio and initiating the Arts Festival.

Today we carry on the finest traditions of artistic excellence while undertaking new and dynamic initiatives that will keep Interlochen on the forefront of the arts for many years to come:

• We continue to expand our adult arts education programs, which offer a wide range of enrichment opportunities for artists of all ages and skill levels.
• One month ago, we opened the doors to the Aaron and Helen L. DeRoy Center for Film Studies, the only facility in the country dedicated to teaching high school students the art of film.
• In a few months, we will break ground on the new Herbert and Barbara Dow Center Visual Arts, which will be one of the finest facilities for high school visual artists in the country.

We are drawn together by the common conviction that the arts and culture have the power to transform lives. The arts really do live and breathe at Interlochen like no place else in the world. Thank you for celebrating this special honor with us.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Kimpton