On April 13, the White House announced that President Biden has picked Lady Gaga to co-chair the Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

Gaga will fulfill the role together with Oscar winner and Hollywood producer Bruce Cohen. The other people on the committee are Kerry Washington, Jon Batiste, George Clooney, Jennifer Garner, Troy Kotsur, Shonda Rhimes and Marta Kauffman.

The purpose and function of the committee is to advise the President on cultural policy. It was first formed in 1982 by the Regan administration and later done away with by Donald Trump. However President Biden decided to revive when he came into office.

Lady Gaga: Official Duties

The White House statement on Lady Gaga reads as follows;

“Stefani Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist. She has sold over 170 million records, and has won 13 Grammy Awards, making her one of the best-selling most awarded female musicians in history.

“Lady Gaga is known for her philanthropy and staunch support of LGBTQI+ rights and mental health. She has traveled with President Biden to support the It’s On Us campaign to combat campus sexual assault, has worked tirelessly over the years to advocate for equality, and has been an outspoken champion of mental health awareness.”

Incidentally Lady Gaga also sang at the President’s inauguration in 2021.

Lady Gaga tweeted a thank you to the President and the committee.

Bruce Cohen

Bruce Cohen rose to fame in American Beauty where he won an Academy Award for Best Picture. His other films Milk and Silver Linings Playbook were also nominated. He produced both the feature film and Broadway musical versions of Big Fish.

The White House’s Twitter account yesterday said: “Welcome newly appointed members of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, led by @BruceCohen83 and @ladygaga! We look forward to partnering to positively impact the arts, libraries, museums and humanities work across the country.”

The White House also announced the following; “Private committee members include prominent artists, scholars and philanthropists who have demonstrated a serious commitment to the arts and humanities.

“Public members represent the heads of key federal agencies with a role in culture, including the Chairs of the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, the Librarian of Congress, the Secretary of the Smithsonian, and the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services among others.

“PCAH advises the President and the heads of US cultural agencies on policy, philanthropic and private sector engagement, and other efforts to enhance federal support for the arts, humanities, and museum and library services.

“The PCAH will also engage the nation’s artists, humanities scholars and cultural heritage practitioners to promote excellence in the arts, humanities and museum and library services and demonstrate their relevance to the country’s health, economy, equity and civic life.

“Over the past 40 years, PCAH has catalysed federal programs and played a vital role in the advancement of arts and humanities, education, cultural diplomacy, and the creative economy.”

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