McDermott Award Recipient
![](https://arts.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/2004-McDermott-Larsen-350x262.jpg)
Libby Larsen
Composer and articulate advocate for the music and musicians of our time![Santiago Calatrava. Credit Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times.](https://arts.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Santiago-Calatrava_Credit-Suzanne-DeChillo-and-The-New-York-Times-350x262.jpg)
Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava is well known for his neofuturist style and his wild feats of engineering. The Milwaukee Art Museum, his first building in the United States, is famous for its shading “wings” that open and close in response to the position of the sun.
![Underwater photograph of a person diving into the water](https://arts.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Viola_Five-Angels-for-the-Millennium-2001-350x262.jpg)
Bill Viola
Instrumental in establishing video as a vital medium of contemporary art![Gustavo Dudamel conducts.](https://arts.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Dudamel_Conducts_CreditUnknown-350x262.jpg)
Gustavo Dudamel
Acclaimed worldwide as one of the most exciting and compelling conductors of our time, Gustavo Dudamel’s infectious energy and exceptional artistry have made him one of the most sought-after conductors by orchestras and opera companies around the world.
![A theater performance with a dragon sculpture.](https://arts.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Rheingold-Scene-6561a-350x262.jpg)
Robert Lepage
Versatile in every form of theater craft, Robert Lepage is equally talented as a director, playwright, actor and filmmaker![An elevated hallway with side walls made of pink and purple tinted glass](https://arts.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Eliasson-Yourrainbowpanorama-2011-CreditStudioOlafurEliasson-350x262.jpg)
Olafur Eliasson
Renowned for the multi-faceted practice of his studio in Berlin, Olafur Eliasson creates ambitious public art projects, large-scale installations, architectural pavilions, major art exhibitions, spatial experiments, sensory experiences, and a distinctive art and social business enterprise — Little Sun, a solar powered lamp that is “a work of art that works in life.”
![A woman performs while holding parts of a rotary phone.](https://arts.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/AI_fig4_2013-350x262.jpg)
Pamela Z
Transforming elegant physical gestures into complex aural and visual landscapes![Thomas Heatherwick. Credit: Elena Heatherwick.](https://arts.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ThomasHeatherwick_CREDIT_ElenaHeatherwick-350x262.jpg)