COEUR d'ALENE — Coeur d'Alene is a unicorn, in the words of 2025 Excellence in the Arts Award recipient and performing artist Jenny Shotwell.

When she and her family discovered the Lake City in 2020, they were looking for a safe place for their kids to grow up as well as somewhere that supported the arts, where the arts were prominent and at the forefront of what the city saw as being important — a community that recognized art, produced it and followed through on those dreams.

They weren't sure they'd find that special place until they came to Coeur d'Alene.

"It's just there, and yet you have to find it," she said, "and we found it."

Shotwell was among those recognized Wednesday evening during the 29th annual Coeur d’Alene Arts Awards at the Hagadone Event Center.

Set against a technicolor sunset of blazing orange and pink clouds in a sky that faded into soft purples and dark blues, the City of Coeur d'Alene Arts Commission honored individuals and entities that embody the artistic spirit of Coeur d'Alene.

That artistic vision for the Lake City wasn't always seen and understood. It was at times a hard-fought battle to incorporate art into public spaces and infrastructure, such as McEuen Park and Riverstone. Former Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem was recognized for being at the forefront of those efforts.

"It is such a privilege to present the very first Sandi Bloem Arts Legacy Award," Coeur d'Alene City Councilmember Amy Evans, liaison to the arts commission, said as she presented the inaugural award named for its first recipient.

"This award honors a leader whose vision, dedication and advocacy have shaped the cultural heart of Coeur d'Alene, someone whose belief in the power of the arts has inspired lasting change in our community," Evans said. "It is only fitting that the inaugural award bears her name and that we present it to Sandi Bloem."

Evans said Bloem's commitment to integrating public art elevated the aesthetic and emotional value of those spaces, which turned them into lasting assets for the community. 

Bloem, who was Coeur d'Alene's first female mayor and longest-serving mayor at 12 years, received a standing ovation as she received her award.

"I remember our first get-together for the arts awards," Bloem said. "There were approximately 20 people there. We were all trying to find our way; we had no idea what we were doing."

She said then-commission liaison Steve Anthony said after the conclusion of the event that they still had a long way to go.

"Now I look out at this tonight and think, 'Yeah, we had a long way to go, but here we are,'" Bloem said.

She said she is proud that Coeur d'Alene became the first city in Idaho to provide a funding mechanism for the arts, but acknowledged how the public arts commission faces challenges every day. This includes funding and community disagreements.

"To the commissioners today, don't be afraid of those debates," she said, sharing some of the trials experienced as Coeur d'Alene worked toward transforming McEuen Park and building a Kroc Center.

"It's OK — opposition gets us to where we need to be," she said. "Just the same with the feathers on Northwest Boulevard. I can remember to this day very well how much we went through to put those feathers there. Today, they are the welcoming of everybody that comes into the city. I can't think why in the world people were opposed, but they were."

Recognition also went to Dan and Kathryn Pinkerton for their support of the arts, Shakespeare Coeur d'Alene was recognized with an Emerging Arts Award, longtime Lake City High School art teacher Cynthia Chapman was the recipient of the Arts in Education Award and 2025 Lake City High graduate Jerren Bailey was honored with the Student Excellence in the Arts Award.

The evening also featured several performances as well as the introduction of the Coeur d'Alene Arts Commission's Art Spotlight CDA grants, which were created to support theater, dance, opera and music programs at performing arts organizations. The program provides $15,000 per year in funding, with selected organizations receiving $5,000 in the first year. The inaugural recipients were Lake City Playhouse, which plans to launch youth programs; the Music Conservatory of Coeur d'Alene, which will establish a youth music scholarship fund to assist low-income families; and Coeur d'Alene Summer Theater, which will enhance its Musical Theatre Training Institute through a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club.

    Dan and Kathryn Pinkerton receive the Support of the Arts Award from Coeur d'Alene Arts Commissioner Lindsey Sichelstiel during the 29th annual Coeur d’Alene Arts Awards celebration Wednesday evening at the Hagadone Event Center.
  

    Duncan Menzies and Krystin Skidmore perform "A Little Priest" from "Sweeney Todd" Wednesday evening during the 29th annual Coeur d’Alene Arts Awards.
  

    Art Spotlight CDA program grant recipients line the stage as Tracey Benson, right, announces the awards. From left: Chuck Ethridge, Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre; Cynthia Newkirk, Music Conservatory of Coeur d'Alene; Brooke Wood and Simon Drake, Lake City Playhouse; and Benson.