WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art will salute the distinguished careers of artists Mark di Suvero and Sheila Hicks and collectors Don and Mera Rubell Thursday, Oct. 28. These honorees will receive the Archives of American Art Medal at the organization’s annual benefit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City. On the same evening, the Archives’ Lawrence A. Fleischman Award for Scholarly Excellence in the Field of American Art History will be presented to William H. Gerdts. Each year, the Archives of American Art Medalhonors leaders in the field of American art. Past award recipients include John Baldessari, Eli Broad, Chuck Close, Paula Cooper, André Emmerich, Agnes Gund, Ellsworth Kelly, Ellen Phelan and Joel Shapiro. The Lawrence A. Fleischman Award for Scholarly Excellence in the Field of American Art History was established in 1998 as a tribute to Archives co-founder Lawrence