On October 30, 2008 the Archives saluted the careers of artists Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan, and art dealers Joan T. Washburn and Virginia M. Zabriskie with the Archives of American Art Medal. Since 1988, twenty distinguished members of the American arts community have received this award including Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Gund, André Emmerich, Chuck Close, Paula Cooper and John Baldessari.

In addition, this year’s Lawrence A. Fleischman Award for Scholarly Excellence in the Field of American Art History was presented to Neil Harris, Preston & Sterling Morton Professor Emeritus of History and of Art History, University of Chicago.