The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations announced Friday that it would honor Eva Longoria, a renowned actress, activist, and philanthropist of Mexican-American heritage, as the 2015 Harvard University Artist of the Year. The award ceremony will take place at the foundation’s 30th annual Cultural Rhythms Festival on Feb. 21.

“Eva Longoria stood out to us as a fitting recipient of this award because she has used her celebrity status as a means of creating positive change in the world,” Cultural Rhythms Festival co-director Cary A. Williams ’16 wrote in an email.

The Artist of the Year medal, the foundation's most prestigious award, recognizes artists who are heavily involved in humanitarian and philanthropic issues.

Famous for her acting and film roles, Longoria has appeared in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “General Hospital,” and “The Young and the Restless.” Her role in the TV series “Desperate Housewives” earned her a Choice TV Female Breakout Performance at the Teen Choice Awards.

“We wanted one who not only has great star power but also someone who has used their immense celebrity platform to help the communities around them and someone who represents a background that is underrepresented in the arts world,” said Irfan Mahmud ’16, a Cultural Rhythms Festival co-director and an inactive Crimson news editor.

In addition to her acting career, Longoria is involved in several philanthropic causes. She founded the Eva Longoria Foundation, which helps equip Latina women with education and entrepreneurial skills. In 2006, she founded Eva’s Heroes, a charity dedicated to aiding developmentally disabled teenagers and young adults.

She also has supported the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and has served as a spokesperson for Padres Contra el Cancer, a non-profit organization that works to aid cancer-stricken Latino children and their families. In 2009, The Hollywood Reporter honored Longoria as Philanthropist of the Year for her service to the community and, in particular, her commitment to Latino issues.

“From empowering and educating young girls in Latin America to founding a charity for developmentally disabled children to hosting numerous benefits for cancer research, Eva Longoria has a longstanding commitment to make this world a better place,” Mahmud said.

Previous winners of the Artist of the Year award include Queen Latifah, Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Salma Hayek, Andy Garcia, and Shakira.

“That’s the essence of Cultural Rhythms,” Williams said. “It is a celebration of art from around the world, and we hope that it is also a forum for promoting intercultural awareness and understanding.”

—Staff writer Carolina I. Portela-Blanco can be reached at carolina.portelablanco@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @cportelablanco.