Daytona artist to receive Presidential award. Here's how it came about.

ORMOND BEACH ― The artist known as Perego founded The Art Army in Daytona Beach in 1996 with the goal of uniting artists. Today, the loose-knit network has grown to thousands of artists in 110 cities around the world.

On Tuesday night, the artist who goes by only his last name will recognized by none other than President Joe Biden.

Presenting the President's Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement Award on Biden's behalf will be Dr. Khalilah Camacho-Ali, a humanitarian/author/actress once married to the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

Biden will not be present at the ceremony which will be at The Grind Gastropub & Kona Tiki Bar in Ormond Beach. However, Perego has been put on a list to eventually be invited to meet Biden at the White House, Camacho-Ali confirmed.

Perego still can't believe it.

"This doesn't feel like real life," he said, adding that he didn't apply for the award. "I'm expecting to wake up any minute and this was all just a dream. We were representing the underground artists and now this is a very above-ground thing. We're legit!"

What time is the event and where will it be?

The celebration begins at 6 p.m. with a reception at three neighboring restaurants: The Grind/Kona Tiki Bar (49 W. Granada Blvd.), Rose Villa Southern Table & Bar (43 W. Granada), and 31 Supper Club (31 W. Granada).

The award presentation will take place at 9 p.m. on the outdoor stage at Kona Tiki Bar.

The event will include live music, the creation of a community mural in which attendees will be encouraged to participate, and a book signing by Camacho-Ali for her autobiography "Undefeated."

Who is Perego?

Perego is best known locally for his colorful murals and wildly entertaining performances where he creates paintings before a live audience while dancing to rock music.

He also played an instrumental role in the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitor Bureau's successful pitch to host back-to-back annual conventions for Shriners International in 2017 and 2018. Perego created a mural depicting local tourism landmarks along with the Shriners logo.

Born Christopher Michael Perego in Albany, New York, Perego, now 56, moved to Daytona Beach in 1991. He has created murals and paintings for a number of businesses in the area including restaurants, Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Harley-Davidson at Destination Daytona, the beachside parking garage for the Ocean Center and Daytona Lagoon waterpark in Daytona Beach, and the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand.

Perego changed his name legally to simply his last name in the mid-'90s. "It's my original family name," he said, adding that he grew up with a different last name when his mom remarried shortly after he was born.

"I didn't know about my real last name until I was 15," he recalled. "As an artist, I started signing my art as Perego and eventually decided to change my name legally."

How the award came about

Perego met Camacho-Ali a few years ago when he was commissioned to create a painting of her and the late boxing legend and their four children. Camacho-Ali was married to Muhammad Ali from 1967 to 1977.

Camacho-Ali received a President's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. When she met Biden, she said the President invited her to nominate others for the award.

"Even though I'm a conservative, President Biden said, 'If you feel anybody deserves what you have, let me know,'" she said.

Award selection confirmed

Camacho-Ali submitted a list of nominations that included Perego to the S.M.I.L.E. Foundation in Houston, Texas, one of the certifying organizations involved in issuing President's Lifetime Achievement Awards on the White House's behalf. "I nominated him for his work in the community," she said.

Amy Marquis, a spokeswoman for an Atlanta, Georgia-based organization called Points of Light that serves as the administrator of the President's Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement Awards program, confirmed Perego's selection to receive the honor.

Congratulatory letter from the President

Perego will receive an award medal as well as a certificate and congratulatory letter both signed by Biden.

"I congratulate you on taking it upon yourself to contribute to the public good, and I'm proud to present you with the President's Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of your 4,000 hours of service to this great nation," states the letter signed by Biden. "On behalf of the American people, I extend my heartfelt appreciation to you for your volunteer leadership, and I encourage you to continue to answer the call to serve. The country is counting on you."

Perego: Politics has nothing to do with it

Perego said he makes a point of not aligning himself to any political party. "We don't go political," he said, adding, "The king comes and goes, but art is forever."

He said he was given a choice of where to receive the award. He immediately chose The Grind/Kona Tiki Bar, along with 31 Supper Club and Rose Villa, all of which he has created art for, commissioned by the restaurants' owner, Bill Jones.

Perego frequently travels throughout the country to paint murals and paintings, but keeps the Daytona Beach area as a home base.

"It's awesome to come back to this city to get this award," he said. "I could've done it at the White House, but I chose to do it in Daytona Beach because I want to share it with all my Art Army people because that's who it's about."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona artist to receive Presidential award. Here's how it happened.