The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Club came together Wednesday to celebrate four artists who impacted the community — some in the infancy of their young careers, others honored for their lifetimes of service — during the 24th annual Mayors Awards in the Arts.

“Tonight isn’t about art,” Jennifer Drake, chair of the city’s arts commission, told the crowd at the elegant evening affair, “but about the people who create the art: the artists, their supporters and their mentors who make these great works for all of us to enjoy possible.”

The yearly event commemorates artists who have affected the various artistic disciplines, from music to theater to sculpture to canvas work. The event also celebrates residents who positively impact Coeur d’Alene’s art community through support and awareness. Past winners include Teresa McHugh, Marylou Dion and the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra. This year’s recipients now go into the annals of the town’s cultural history.

“From music to visual arts, painting, sculpture and design,” Drake announced Wednesday night, “Alexis Cummins’ dedication to beautifying [Lake City High School] through art is unparalleled. She has won awards for her paintings at the Northwest Spring Fest art competition as well as trophies for the school as part of the LCHS stock performance group.”

Drake added that Cummins’ most impressive artistic accomplishment might be her senior project: a pair of murals at the south end of the high school, laboring more than 100 hours over the course of her last year before graduation. Cummins, who received this year’s award for Student Excellence in the Arts, thanked her Lake City art teacher, Cynthia Chapman, for her support.

“She helped me a lot through high school,” the now-North Idaho College student admitted.

Joe Jacoby — Professor of Theatre at North Idaho College, acclaimed local theatre director and 2019’s recipient of the Mayor’s Arts in Education Award — said teaching art is seldom an isolated incident but rather the collaboration of many community supporters.

“[I have] a creative team that solves problems and inspires me to work harder to try to solve problems, too,” Jacoby told the crowd, “and serve our students tirelessly and support them in so many ways, and so I get the benefit of that. When someone tells me, ‘Wow, we really liked that show, and you did a good job,’ I have tell them, ‘I have a lot of people smarter than I am and better than I am who make me look really, really good.”

Jacoby added that he feels lucky to have dedicated students come to North Idaho College every year.

Callie Cabe took home the prized Excellence in the Arts award. The local acting icon estimates she’s performed in over 100 plays over her still-young lifetime, at least 50 of which she took the stage in Coeur d’Alene. She has also worked behind the scenes, including taking the helm as director of “The Addams Family,” which runs from Oct. 18 through Oct. 27 at the Kroc Center.

“I just want to continue performing as long as I can,” an excited Cabe told the audience, “direct when it feels right and always strive to create beautiful art, touching and entertaining, for our community and as long as I live here. Thank you so much.”

The most bittersweet and emotional moments came when the Mayor’s Support of the Arts Award was given posthumously to Deanna Goodlander. The proud Commodore, the 1992 recipient of the Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year award and the longtime Council Member was a driving force behind the City’s Arts Commission. She passed away Aug. 13. Drake, a friend and colleague, choked up as she commemorated Goodlander’s life.

“Her encouragement — her frank and insightful comments—were all inspirational,” Drake recalled. “She was a community leader, a passionate advocate, a fierce ally and an unwavering friend.”

Her brother, Coeur d’Alene resident Terry Lee, tearfully accepted the award on her behalf.

Mayor Steve Widmyer said the annual ceremony is more than a celebration of four award winners, but also of the culture that is driving Coeur d’Alene forward.

“[These are] well-earned honors for individuals that have enhanced art in Coeur d’Alene,” Widmyer said. “We have a growing and thriving arts community, and our citizens appreciate what the arts to do enhance our quality of life.”

Jacoby agreed. “How wonderful we live in a town that actually celebrates artists and art educators and students,” he told the crowd. “Those contributions make the difference between a community that works and a community that becomes vital and truly vibrant.”