Last night the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts honoured local individuals and organizations that play a key role in Edmonton’s creative community.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners in all categories!

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

My selfie onstage with Mayor Don Iveson

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.  

Celebrating with hubby Aaron Chute

PRESS RELEASE: Mayor Don Iveson awards Alexis Marie Chute the John Poole Award for Promotion of the Arts

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