National Medal of Arts received by Cab Calloway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A National Medal of Arts received by Cab Calloway in 1993. The gold medal is suspended on an eggplant purple ribbon inside a double glass paneled display case. The case is tall and rectangular in shape with a plain, rectangular beveled base. It is constructed from wood with brushed gold leafing. The top portion of the shadowbox features molded, beveled edges with a dark brown accent line at the outer edge and a light brown mat holding the medal and ribbon in place. The front and back of the shadow box are covered with clear glass. Suspended inside is the medal. The front of the medal features four stylized human figures depicted in dance poses. Stamped text printed below reads [NATIONAL MEDAL / OF / ARTS]. Molded text on the back of the metal printed around the top edge reads [UNITED STATES OF AMERICA]. Stamped at the back center is the name [CAB CALLOWAY]. The medal is soldered to a half moon-shaped bezel. The accompanying ribbon wraps around the top, flat edge of the bezel. The case has two gold tone hinges at the top. The base of the shadow box is plain wood with a rectangular cut out at the center where the glass paneled shadowbox has been inserted and secured to the base with four small screws.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1993
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Issued by: United States Congress, American, founded 1789
• Received by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Subject of: National Endowment for the Arts, American, founded 1965
• Type: medals
• Medium: metal and ribbon with wood , glass and paint
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 21 1/4 × 10 1/2 × 5 3/8 in. (54 × 26.7 × 13.6 cm)
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Band (Music)
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Professional organizations
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: A2015.273.1.16
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Cabella Calloway Langsam
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.