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Eugene McDermott Award

The Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts is among the country's most esteemed arts awards. Established to honor Eugene McDermott, founder of Texas Instruments and long-time friend and benefactor to MIT, the award was created by the Council for the Arts at MIT in 1974, and further endowed by Eugene's wife, Margaret. Since its inception, the Council has bestowed the award upon 31 individuals producing creative work in the performing, visual and media arts, as well as authors, art historians and patrons of the arts.

Over the years the award has grown in stature and significance, paralleling a period of exceptional growth and achievement in the arts at MIT. Award recipients are chosen by a committee of Council Members, Arts Faculty and guests. The Committee seeks nominees whose work represents the very highest level of achievement in their fields, and whose presence would represent a significant enhancement to the creative life of the MIT community. A significant cash prize is bestowed with the award, which is considered an investment in the individual's future creative work, rather than a prize for a particular project or lifetime of achievement. Awardees participate in a short campus residency, working within various departments and interrelated disciplines with students, faculty, and staff.

Award Recipients

2006

Suzan-Lori Parks, playwright/novelist
(Press Release | Tech Talk article)

2005

Santiago Calatrava, engineer/architect
(Press Release | Tech Talk story | Tech Talk photo caption)

2004

Libby Larsen, composer
(Press Release | Tech Talk story)

2003

Vinie Burrows, activist/actress/writer
(Press Release | 'Rose McClendon' Tech Talk Story)

2001

Isaac Julien, filmmaker
(Press Release | Tech Talk Story)

2000

CORE Ensemble
(Tech Talk Story)

1999

Diller + Scofidio, interdisciplinary art
(Tech Talk Story)

1998

Junot Diaz, author
(Tech Talk Story | Tech Talk Story)

1997

Toni Dove, video artist
(Tech Talk Story)

1996

Kenny Leon, theater director
(Tech Talk Story)

1995

Jeff Wall, photographer
(Tech Talk Story)

1994

Tan Dun, composer
(Tech Talk story)

1993

Thomas Hanrahan & Victoria Meyers, architects
(Tech Talk Story)

1992

Richard Preston, author

1991

Rebecca Purdum, artist

1990

Agnes Denes, artist

1989

Ida Ely Rubin

1988

Yulla Lipchitz

1987

Award not presented

1986

Richard Leacock

1985

Harold E. Edgerton

1984

Ieoh Ming Pei

1983

Albert R. Gurney, Jr.

1982

Roy Lamson

1981

Henry Moore

1980

Luis A. Ferre

1979

Jerome B. Wiesner

1978

Catherine N. Stratton

1977

James R. Killian, Jr.

1976

Paul Tishman

1975

Klaus Liepmann

1974

Gyorgy Kepes

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