Every year, the National Council on the Arts, the advisory committee for the NEA, picks a number of recipients for the National Medal Of Arts, the highest honor that the US government grants to artist and arts patrons. Every year, the president hands out those medals in a gala ceremony. Last year’s honorees included Bruce Springsteen. On Monday, for his last ceremony in office, Joe Biden handed out the honor to 39 recipients, including pioneering rap figures Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah, as well as the late Tejano star Selena Quintanilla.