Bryn Mawr College

Acclaimed Musician, Artist, and Writer Patti Smith Awarded the 2013 Hepburn Medal

Bryn Mawr College is proud to honor acclaimed musician, writer and visual artist Patti Smith with the 2013 Hepburn Medal. She was a trailblazer in the male-dominated world of rock and roll, and conveys enormous passion and continues to transform herself throughout her artistic journey. Smith accepted the medal in a ceremony at Goodhart Hall on Feb. 7, 2013.

Smith has produced a body of work whose influence branches out through generations, across disciplines, and around the world. She is a poet, writer, singer, songwriter, photographer and fine artist. Blazing onto the music scene in the mid-70s, Smith forged a reputation as one of the decade's first visionary artists—merging poetry and rock in vital new ways. Her 1975 debut album, Horses, is routinely ranked as one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2007, she was inducted into the Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame. Her accomplishments also include the 2010 National Book Award in NonFiction for her memoir Just Kids.

Photo credit: Patti Smith, 2007 (c) Edward Mapplethorpe