Meryl Streep, James Taylor Among Honorees of White House's National Humanities and Arts Medals

6:26 PM PST 3/1/2011 by David Ciminelli

On Wednesday, President Obama will bestow the medals upon 20 American luminaries chosen to receive the U.S. government's highest honor given to artists.

Oscar winner Meryl Streep, music producer Quincy Jones, singer-songwriter James Taylor, To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee and National Book Award winner Joyce Carol Oates are among this year's 20 recipients of the White House's 2010 National Humanities Medal and National Medal of Arts, it was announced Tuesday.