Barbara Kingsolver (photo by Steven L. Hopp
Twenty-nine new members and four honorary members will be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters during its virtual award ceremony in May. Barbara Kingsolver, who lives in Meadowview, Virginia, is newly chosen for the academy.
Membership in the academy is limited to 300 architects, visual artists, composers and writers who are elected for life and pay no dues. The new members were elected by vote of the existing membership. The honor of election is considered the highest form of recognition of artistic merit in the United States.
In November, the members of the academy voted to increase regular membership from 250, where it had stood since 1908, to 300. The board of directors is committed to creating a more inclusive membership that represents America and believes that expanding the academy’s membership will allow it to achieve that goal. The increase also reflects the growth in population over the past century. The expansion will be realized incrementally over the next five years.
For more information, visit www.artsandletters.org.
