I’m Already Preparing for National Novel Writing Month
NaNoWriMo 2015. This November. Are you planning ahead?
NaNoWriMo 2015. This November. Are you planning ahead?
InFocus 2015 was a huge success that saw over 250 people visit the exhibition at Harcourt House this past February during Exposure Photography Festival. Planning is already underway for InFocus 2016 and over the next ten months new exciting details and opportunities will be revealed! Click here to view the InFocus info page which will be updated regularly. Stay tuned for the call for submissions.
WHAT: A celebration of the best images and image-makers from across the province of Alberta.
WHEN: February 1 – 29, 2016
WHERE: DC3 Art Projects commercial gallery in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
WHY: “Photography is the medium of our times.” – Exposure Photography Festival
HOW: We will be opening the submissions for InFocus 2016 soon! Please check back here often for updates and submission details. Also, subscribe to the AMC blog to receive notifications. For now, prepare your best work! We look forward to your submissions. Email Alexis Marie info@alexismariechute.com with your address to be added to our mailing list.
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Over the next few months I will be sharing guest blog posts by the 2015 InFocus Alumni. They will write about their work and inspiration as photographers and their experience in InFocus. I’m eager to read their stories!
Hedy Bach
Gerry Dotto
Curtis Trent
Candace Makowichuk
Robert Pohl
Al Dixon
Martin Snider
Hedy Bach
Company Name: Hedy Bach consulting
Website: http://sloppybuddhist.com/
Email Address: hefbach@gmail.com / hbach@ualberta.ca
Phone: 780-819-7762
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/hedy.bach
Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/hefbach
Tumblr Page: http://hedybach.tumblr.com/
Gerry Dotto
Website: gerrydotto.com
Email: gerry@gerrydotto.com
Al Dixon
Company Name: Al Dixon Photography
Website: www.aldixonphotography.com
Email Address: info@aldixonphotography.com
Phone: (780) 915 3674
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/AlDixonPhotography
Twitter Handle: @Al_D_Photo
Christopher Shaw
www.christophershawphotography.com
christophershawphotography@gmail.com
Name: Candace Makowichuk
Company Name: Sunprint Studio
Website: www.candacemakowichuk.com
email: cmakowichuk@telus.net
Facebook page:Photography by Candace Makowichuk
twitter: sunprintstudio
Brady Simpson
780-655-2284
Akemi Matsubuchi
company: Akemi Matsubuchi Photography
website: www.matsubuchi.ca (website still under construction)
email: akemiphotog@gmail.com
phone: 780 619-9783
twitter: akemimats
Martin Snider
Company Name: Glovebox Photography
Website: www.gloveboxphotography.com
Email Address: mjrsnider11@gmail.com
Phone: 780-803-4240
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/gloveboxphotography
Instagram @m.j.r.snider
Kevin Tuong
Company Name: KTB Photography
Website: www.ktbphotography.ca (Commercial) & www.kevintuong.com (Personal)
Email Address: kevin@ktbphotography.ca
Phone: 780-952-1608
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.tuong.3
Twitter Handle: @KevinTuong
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KevinTuong/posts
Bri Vos
Company Name: Detour Photography
Website: www.detourphotography.ca
Email Address: bri@detourphotography.ca
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/detourphotography
Twitter Handle: @detourphoto
Instagram – @detourphoto
Eric Petersen
Website: https://500px.com/theruggedone
Email Address: eric@prosperityengine.ca
Phone: 780-266-0003
Twitter Handle: @ericpet
Chan Rin
Company Name: Vivid Ribbon Photography & Design
Website: www.vividribbon.ca
Email: chan.rin@vividribbon.ca
Phone: 780-266-5162
Facebook: www.facebook.com/vividribbon
Twitter: @vivid_ribbon
Instagram: @vividribbon
Karue Wachira
Company Name: Karue Wachira Photography
Website: www.karuewachiraphotography.com
Email Address: karuewachira@gmail.com
Phone: 306 830 0380
Facebook Page: Karue Wachira Photography
Twitter Handle: @Qarue
I am very pleased to announce that I have been asked to write a column for Edmonton Woman Magazine. My first article for them will be published in their May/June issue.
Oh boy, this is going to be fun!
I will be writing about all kinds of topics from sex (ooh la la), marriage, parenting, careers, feminine identity, and exercise. If you have a topic you want unearthed, or at least picked at and prodded with curiosity, comment here or pop me an email at info@alexismariechute.com.
The uncensored quality of my column will stem from the honest approach I take in my writing. There will be no sugar coating the facts. No extreme polite, politically correct nonsense. Yes, I am a Canadian so my manners will remain intact. Still, I ardently believe we all are hungry for the meat of life, those things that really matter – delivered with all the garnishing of course. That is what my column will be: a tasty, hardy mental treat. Now that’s a mouthful! (And I’m getting hungry…)
I will post here when my articles are live (in print and online). Stay tuned!
Check out Edmonton Woman Magazine by clicking here.
Last night the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts honoured local individuals and organizations that play a key role in Edmonton’s creative community.
Mayor’s Award for Innovative Support by a Business for the Arts
Recognizing a local business that has invested in an arts organization, event, project or individual artist in the greater Edmonton area in a creative and original manner.
• WINNER: Happy Harbor Comics, nominated by Jeff Martin
• Print Machine, nominated by Common Ground Arts Society
Mayor’s Award for Sustained Support of the Arts
Recognizing a business or an individual that has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to investing in Edmonton’s arts and culture industry through a specific arts organization, event, individual artist, or widespread investment in the arts.
• ATB Financial, nominated by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
• WINNER: Audreys Books, nominated by LitFest and the Alberta Book Fair Society
• Pardee Badyal, nominated by Marlaina Eldey
John Poole Award for Promotion of the Arts
Recognizing an individual, arts organization, media organization or business that has promoted the arts in a distinctly creative or exceptional manner.
• WINNER: Alexis Marie Chute, nominated by Wes Lafortune
• What It Is Podcast, nominated by Maggie Baird
ATB Financial Ambassador of the Arts Award
Recognizing a mid-career individual or organization successful on a national or international level, that enlightens audiences and promotes Edmonton’s rich cultural, performance or visual arts scene in an extraordinary way.
• Catalyst Theatre, nominated by Janine Andrews
• Chris Craddock, nominated by Trevor Schmidt
• WINNER: Rapid Fire Theatre, nominated by the Rapid Fire Theatre Board of Directors
• Tammy-Jo Mortensen, nominated by Jennifer Annesley
Youth Artist Award
Recognizing the importance of art and design to a youth’s education, and encouraging the development and education of young artists.
• Collective Conscience, nominated by Eagle Vision Music and Design Studio
• WINNER: Keiran MacDonald, nominated by Victoria School of the Arts
DIALOG Award for Excellence in Artistic Direction
Recognizing the outstanding achievement of an artistic leader in a specific arts discipline, actively leading and working in the greater Edmonton arts and culture sector.
• WINNER: Amy Shostak, nominated by Christopher Samuel
• Byron Trevor Martin, nominated by Brianne Jang
• John Hudson, nominated by Heidi Collins-McCann
• Steve Pirot, nominated by The Nextfest Arts Company
• Gabriela Jessome, nominated by Sara Hernandez Madden and Trevor Madden
Mile Zero Dance Progressive Artist Award
Recognizing the achievements of Edmonton-based artists who actively work in the arts and engage with the community in challenging and exciting ways.
• Amy Shostak, nominated by Christopher Samuel
• Kelsie Acton, nominated by Brooke Leifso
• Chaka Zinyemba, nominated by Tinashe Mtshiya
• WINNER: Paul Freeman, nominated by the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts
• Jeannie Vandekerkhove, nominated by Daniela Masellis
Northlands Award for an Emerging Artist
Recognizing Edmonton’s valued, upcoming professionals – artists who, in the early stages of their careers, demonstrate exceptional talent and accomplishments, as well as a unique artistic expression and commitment to the arts in the Edmonton region.
• Giselle Denis, nominated by Glori Meldrum
• Jake Hastey, nominated by Richelle Thoreson
• KazMega, nominated by Roya Yazdanmehr
• WINNER: Ahmed Knowmadic, nominated by Muna Saleh
• Nuela Charles, nominated by Andrew Miller
• Cayley Thomas, nominated by the International Day of Personal with Disabilities Planning Committee for Edmonton
Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize
Recognizing written work which deals with some aspect of the city of Edmonton: history, geography, current affairs, its arts or its people or is written by an Edmonton author.
• WINNER: Rudy Wiebe, Come Back, Penguin Random House Canada
• Tim Bowling, Circa Nineteen Hundred and Grief, Gaspereau Press
• Greg Bechtel, Boundary Problems, Freehand Books
ATCO Gas Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement
Recognizing an individual who, over a minimum of 25 years, has made an outstanding contribution to the arts in Edmonton.
• After careful deliberation, the awards jury for the ATCO Gas Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement is honouring just one individual, a true Edmonton gem, a musical legend who has celebrated a wildly successful career here at home and around the world. Tommy Banks wins the 2015 ATCO Gas Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement!
Syncrude Award For Excellence in Arts Management
Recognizing individuals or organizations who have demonstrated innovation, leadership and vision in the management of a professional arts organization.
• Daniel Cournoyer, nominated by the Film and Visual Arts Society of Alberta
• Jesse Szymanski, nominated by Ron E. Scott
• Jill Roszell, nominated by Rose Ginther
• WINNER: Karen Brown-Fournell, nominated by Christine DeWitt
• Paul Matwychuk, nominated by NeWest Press
TELUS Courage to Innovate Award
Recognizing an individual or organization that has displayed the courage to take artistic risks and embrace innovation in artistic expression, resulting in a unique and distinctive project.
• WINNER: Amber Borotsik, nominated by Ben Sures
• Ariane Mahryke Lemire, nominated by Chris Martin
• Chaka Zinyemba, nominated by Nonsikelelo Mathe
• The Cultural Association Folklorical Ballet Mexico Lindo of Alberta, nominated by Sara Hernandez Madden and Trevor Madden
If any of the winners would like high resolution images of the above, please email me info@alexismariechute.com
The artwork on the screen is by Jason Carter.
It was wonderful to receive the John Poole Promotion of the Arts Award. I do a lot of volunteering and advocacy work, but in particular I was nominated by Exposure Photography Festival for my role during the festival in Edmonton by promoting and exhibiting Edmonton and area photographers.
I want to give a BIG THANK YOU to Pace Edmonton, Mayor Iveson, John Poole, the selection jury, Wes Lafortune, all the 2015 InFocus Photographers, my AMAZING husband and creative partner Aaron Chute, my kids (Hannah, Zachary & Eden), and my parents, family and friends.
“Behind every great woman there is a team of people holding her up.” – Alexis Marie Chute
To them, I offer my sincerest gratitude, today and always.
Last night’s spirited Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts event at the Winspear recognized many talented artists and organizations for their contribution to our city. Alexis Marie Chute, up-and-coming artist, writer, photographer and arts advocate, was awarded the John Poole Promotion for the Arts award. The award recognizes the promotion of the arts in a distinctly creative or exceptional manner.
“The jury selected Alexis Marie Chute for this award because of the scope and depth of her work to promote Edmonton arts and artists to a wide audience here in our city and beyond,” said Mayor Don Iveson to the audience as he handed Chute her award, a Bronze sculpture by Edmonton artist Catherine Burgess.
Alexis Marie Chute was nominated by Wes Lafortune, the director of Exposure Photography Festival. It was just this February 2015 which saw the festival expand its territory to all of Alberta (previously only in Calgary, Banff and Canore). With this news, Chute conceived of an event called InFocus Edmonton, a group photography exhibition of Edmonton and area photographers. The exhibit shone the spotlight on local image-makers within the city. Chute curated the more than 200 submissions, creating an exhibit that celebrated thirty local photographers. She looked for the strongest visual images and the collection of individuals that were selected included well known photographers, professionals, amateurs, and students.
The reach of InFocus was significant. InFocus was celebrated across the province and Edmontonians respond very positively to the event, seen through their prolific promotion of the exhibit on Facebook, Twitter, event pages and blogs. InFocus become a community exhibition that many took tremendous pride in. In this way it set itself apart from other arts events because of this feeling of collaboration that Alexis Marie fostered.
Over 250 people visited InFocus at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre over its two-day run and Chute filled the gallery space with live music by local performer Mohsin Zaman. Chute was intentional in making InFocus an accessible event for all Edmontonians. It was free to visit the gallery, curator talk and reception. It was also important to the mission of InFocus that photographers gain all monies generated from their sales. No commissions were taken and Chute believes this encouraged and stimulated both purchasers in financial support for artists and also rewarded the creative vision and skill of the featured photographers.
At InFocus, Chute announced that it would become an annual exhibition in Edmonton. DC3 Art Projects, a new commercial gallery in Edmonton, had already signed up to showcase InFocus in 2016 for the entire run of Exposure during the month of February.
Alexis Marie Chute has received many distinctions for her creative work and, outside of InFocus, she volunteers on the board of the Canadian Author’s Association and mentors artists, writers, musicians and other individuals in creative fields within our city. PhotoLife Magazine named her an “Emerging Canadian Photographer,” she was the 2012/2013 Artist in Residence at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre, and Avenue Magazine named her a Top 40 Under 40. Chute is a tireless supporter of the arts in our city and shares her passion with her more than 17 thousand followers on Twitter and on her blog www.AlexisMarieArt.com.
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To book an interview contact: Alexis Marie Chute 780-499-4311 or
info@alexismariechute.com and visit www.AlexisMarieChute.com for more information
Why spin your wheels in frustration, never getting anywhere in your artistic practice? Instead, receive truly helpful insight that will propel you forward faster than you could have ever imagined. Artists. Writes. Authors. Musicians. Dancers. Filmmakers. Directors. Actors. Sculptors. Curators. Gallerists. I can help you with your creative business. I am the mentor you have been looking for.
I have mentored people for over a decade. I have taught them how to market themselves, how to write about their creative work, how to price their services, how to pitch their work, how to get out of the creative rut and into the groove, and how to be exceptional at their craft, business and as human beings. What a brilliant collaboration!
I grew up in a family of business people. While I am an artist through and through, I am able to see the full picture. In mentorship sessions, I (1) LISTEN, (2) BRAINSTORM with you, (3) ADVISE on how to move forward in your passions with style and purpose.
The value of this mentorship is $50/hour and we will talk by phone or skype. Email me to learn more and get started. Let’s book your first session! info@alexismariechute.com
Here is a testimonial by up-and-coming musician Evan Crawford:
“Alexis Marie gave me direction, and taught me ways of achieving my goals I didn’t know existed. She taught me how to connect with people through words and construct a more powerful self-image that people would be intrigued with. I learned how to turn my weakness into strength and how to use my strength in the right way. Before Alexis Marie’s mentoring I was running in circles, now I’m finally on the right track.
My mentoring sessions with Alexis Marie changed my view on how I was doing things. I learned that I wasn’t doing anything wrong, but there is so many more things I could be doing right. I no longer sit around and wait to be discovered, I go out into the world and make people discover me.”
Listen & follow Evan’s music on Reverbnation and visit Evan on Facebook.
I look forward to chatting with you!
Writing conferences are amazing. First, you get out of your lonely writing spot and meet other like-minded individuals. Second, it is a focused time to feed your creative soul. I am presenting two workshops at the Words in 3D Conference but I also registered for some sessions to fuel the hungry writer in me.
Here is the info about the conference:
Three conferences in one: Writing/Editing/Publishing
May 22-24, 2015
Chateau Lacombe Hotel
Edmonton, Alberta
Click here to visit the conference website, review the schedule and register.
Here are my sessions:
Saturday, May 23
11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Covering the basics of good photography, including exposure, composition, and technical requirements for different publications, Alexis Marie Chute shares what writers need to know about taking great photos for their projects. This session includes a group brainstorm for attendees’ current projects and recommendations from Alexis Marie on making your photography a stronger statement to support your words.
Saturday, May 23, 2015 – 11:30
Saturday, May 23
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.
Alexis Marie Chute offers tools and techniques for writing your personal story: removing sentimentality, finding alternatives to strict chronological structure, and building authenticity. Featuring memory recall exercises, this presentation is a must-see for anyone writing personal narratives.
Saturday, May 23, 2015 – 16:00
“At Blue Pencil Café, conference participants get the opportunity for one-on-one mentoring sessions with experienced writers or editors. Bring a writing sample to review, ask your questions, get advice — the Blue Pencil mentors are here as a resource for you!”
Each session will be 20 minutes long.
Some mentors require writing samples in advance (I do please!).
If you are interested in meeting me at the Blue Pencil Café, here is some info about me so we can go into our time together well acquainted:
BFA, MFA Candidate, Artist & Writer
Alexis Marie Chute is an award winning artist, photographer and writer. She is an Avenue Magazine “Top 40 Under 40” and was named an “Emerging Canadian Photographer” by Photo Life Magazine. She was the 2012/2013 Artist in Residence at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre and her artwork is represented by Method Art Gallery in Scottsdale Arizona and by the AR&S Gallery at the Art Gallery of Alberta. Her writing has been published in the Three Minus One anthology and with the Women’s Art Museum Society of Canada, along with other credits including Today’s Parent, The Times Colonist and Flurt magazine. Her first book, a memoir about motherhood and loss, is forthcoming.
I look forward to seeing you at Words in 3D!
I love the taglines for this year’s Art on the Block fundraiser for the Art Gallery of Alberta:
AND
The idea is to bid a lot and often and compete with other art lovers for prized artwork. All the proceeds go towards funding the educational programs and exhibitions at the gallery.
Art is part of who I am, the AR&S Gallery at the AGA represent my work and I am happy to support them right back! That’s why I donated one of my paintings for the event. Check it out:
Make sure to mark your calendars and purchase tickets to Art on the Block. It will be a silent auction and fundraising gala like no other.
Friday, May 8, 7-10pm
2 Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton
Tickets: $135 (A portion of the price is eligible for a charitable tax receipt via the CRA)
7pm – Reception and the start of the silent auction
9pm – First block closes
10pm – Final block closes
10:30pm – Auction item pick-up begins
The event includes music, cocktails, and gourmet bites from Zinc restaurant.
Check out all the artists that have donated artwork to the fundraiser on the Art on the Block website. This is a great way to plan your bids and get excited for the event. I look forward to seeing you there!
Curating InFocus photography exhibition was an awesome experience in and of itself, and so to be shortlisted for it in the John Poole Award for Promotion of the Arts is icing on the cake. The award is one of many given out at the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts Awards hosted by the Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton.
John Poole Award for Promotion of the Arts:
Recognizing an individual, arts organization, media organization or business that has promoted the arts in a distinctly creative or exceptional manner.
It is my pleasure to support the arts community in Edmonton. It is my community, my peer image-makers, artists, musicians, dancers, sculptors and other fellow creative individuals and organizations. I believe we will all flourish when we support and build each other up.
The inaugural InFocus exhibition, held during Exposure Photography Festival 2015, was a huge success! More than 200 people visited the show during its two-day run. Thirty photographers from Edmonton and area were promoted and their work championed for its artistic and technical skill. Most of the photographers were able to attend the opening and they shared their love of photography with all those who came to experience the show. The energy that surrounded the entire exhibition was tremendously positive, supportive and collaborative. Truly, we have much to be proud of.
I must acknowledge the tireless vision and execution assistance of my partner in InFocus: Aaron Chute. Without him, InFocus would not have been as technologically savvy or the artwork hung as precisely. Aaron, THANK YOU!
To those that nominated me for the John Poole Award for Promotion of the Arts, specifically Exposure Photography Festival manager Wes Lafortune and others, I wish to express my deep and heartfelt gratitude.
Attend the 28th Annual Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts, click here for tickets.
Exciting news with InFocus: Next year the exhibition will be held all month long in February at DC3 Art Projects. I’ll post more about InFocus 2016 and its call for submissions soon.