Arts United Awards

Michael Banks, owner of Apple Orchard Knewz, has dedicated his work to uplifting community voices through film, radio, and podcasting. Through his radio show and podcast, Michael creates platforms where real stories are heard and meaningful conversations take place. He also offers mentorship at Alive Community Outreach Peacemakers and Amp Lab, guiding young emerging creatives in media, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

Chris Catalogna is a Fort Wayne-based artist and muralist. He graduated from Indiana University with a BFA in painting in 2021. Over the past 5 years, Chris has completed over 15 murals within the state of Indiana for clients, including Turnstone, Indy Arts Council, Black Canyon, and Summit City Climbing Co. He has also provided artist talks and lessons for interior designers, the students at Huntington University, and Junior Achievement.

Accessible Trail Maps were born out of a short conversation with a trail user with a color vision deficiency, which sparked a full review of how accessible not only Fort Wayne Trails’ print materials are, but the trail network as a whole. Through partnerships with WindSwell Foundation (formerly AWS), The League, CASS Housing, Citilink, and The Inclusion Institute, the Fort Wayne Trails Accessible Map was launched

Elaine Lyday Gerken is a Fort Wayne native and has been active in the local arts community since childhood. She has taught English Language Arts and Drama at Hicksville Schools since 2009 and directed eleven high school musicals and two middle school musicals, including Into the Woods, Les Misérables, and The Addams Family. Elaine has been volunteering with Fort Wayne Youtheatre since 2022, when her daughter, Avery, was cast in Frozen Jr.

The Fort Wayne Museum of Art and Bill Blass Legacy, Inc, presented “Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II” August 2 through October 26, 2025, in the Museum’s galleries at 311 E. Main Street. Through archival photography, sketches, and a full-scale replica, the exhibition told the story of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, a top-secret WWII unit—the first mobile, multimedia, tactical deception unit in US Army history. The unit waged war with inflatable tanks and vehicles, fake radio traffic, sound effects, and even phony generals, using imagination and illusion to trick the enemy while saving thousands of lives. Fort Wayne’s hometown hero, Bill Blass, was featured in the exhibition as an official member of the 603rd Camouflage Battalion.

Googly: a sensory theatre experience, was a collaboration between Kitchen Sink Theatre and Life Adult Day Academy (LADA), which embraced the diverse range of ways that humans can connect and communicate with each other. By using the senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, kinesthetic, and taste, audience participants experienced the magic of theatre in a way that best resonated with them. Performed up close with live, original music, the immersive and interactive journey explored the world of the legendary googly eyes. The aim of reaching community members with the most access barriers to experiencing live theatre, whether that be due to age, disability, sensory differences, or financial or transportation challenges, was achieved. Close to 350 audience participants got to experience the show, including 144 with disabilities, over the course of seven performances.

Emma Humbarger is a multidisciplinary artist whose creative journey began on stage before expanding into tech, production, and design. She currently works at Fort Wayne Youtheatre, where she supports young performers in their artistic growth, and serves as a graphic design intern in Ivy Tech Community College’s marketing office. Alongside her professional work, Emma is pursuing a degree in Visual Communications at Ivy Tech, integrating design, organization, and visual storytelling across her practice. She plans to continue her education in Art and Communications at Purdue University Fort Wayne to deepen her impact as both a creator and educator in the arts.

Jonathan Lowden has demonstrated his passion and dedication to the craft of acting, beginning in second grade with his involvement at Fort Wayne Youtheatre, to his current junior year of high school for a variety of organizations, including Arena Dinner Theatre, Fort Wayne Civic Theatre, and First Pres Theater, which primarily cast adult performers. When Jon was an 8th grader, he served as a designated student leader, playing a crucial role in planning after-school drama club meetings for the largest extracurricular club at Blackhawk Middle School.

Susan Keefer is a retired choral-general music educator whose teaching career spanned from 1973 to 2016 at Wabash Jr.-Sr. High School (Wabash City Schools). Over the years, Susan has served the Wabash community in a variety of roles through music. Mrs. Keefer founded the Wabash High School Symphonic Voices & Debonairs, served as interim music director for Wabash Christian Church during her time as the choir accompanist and organist, and was a part-time choral music director until 2021 at Southwood Jr. Sr High School (MSD of Wabash County) post-retirement. Susan is active in the Wabash Musicale Club, recently directing the chorus in rehearsals and performances, and performs in other community events, such as the Madrigal Dinner at Honeywell Center and the Jolly Trolley, within the community.

Kim McCutchan has combined her love of performing arts and volunteering over many years. She has served on the Steering Committee for the Taste of the Arts Festival for the past 13 years, predominantly working on the Performing Arts/Stages committee. She was a Board member for Gaslight Playhouse in Kendallville for four years and served as President for two years. She enjoys directing and choreographing whenever she has the opportunity. She has also been a local director for the past 20 years for the Miss Fort Wayne Scholarship Program as part of the Miss America Organization, and recently added the Miss Northeast titleholders to her pageant family as they vie for the titles of Miss Indiana and Miss Indiana’s Teen.

Monarch Creative Ink is a purpose-driven publishing company founded by Amanda McNamara, dedicated to transforming the way individuals understand and communicate their inner emotional world. At the heart of the brand is a signature line of mental health journals built on color psychology — a visually intuitive system that empowers clients to identify, track, and articulate emotions that are often too complex for words alone. Designed in close alignment with therapeutic practice, these journals serve as active communication bridges between individuals and their care providers, supporting deeper clinical conversations and more meaningful treatment outcomes.