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Hot off the Photographic Presses: The InFocus Edmonton Call for Submissions!

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On October 1st we launched the Call for Submissions for InFocus Edmonton, or InFocus YEG for short. The submission deadline is November 30, but with Thanksgiving and Halloween in between, the time will slip away quickly. Rummage through your negatives or digital files to find your best images and submit them here!

InFocus YEG strives to exhibit the amazing local talent of Edmonton and area at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre during the month of February 2015 as a part of Exposure Photography Festival. This is the first year that Exposure is province wide and the first time ever Edmonton is included in the creative festivities.

InFocus is an amazing opportunity to exhibit your work in a professional space with province-wide recognition. Plus, we are going to have a rockin’ reception party with a chance to celebrate the photographers that make our city and area distinct.

As a special incentive to enter early, the photograph for the magazine-style Exposure Photography Festival catalogue will be chosen from the images submitted before October 24, 2014! This is a huge opportunity to have your work seen across the province – and likely the country! Don’t wait to submit!

To learn more about InFocus YEG and how to enter your photos, click here.

Unfulfilled Precognition Exhibition in Calgary

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Last night was the opening reception of my exhibition called Unfulfilled Precognition at the EPCOR CENTRE of the Performing Arts in Calgary. My fine art photographs are hung in a window gallery alongside two other artists; Tia Halliday and Natalie McDonald.

Unfulfilled Precognition copyright Alexis Marie Chute 002

Unfulfilled Precognition is a series of photographs I took around the birth and death of my second child. The images were created with the Holga camera and expired film, two deliberately selected tools to convey the helplessness and wonderment of that time. I’ve titled this work Unfulfilled Precognition because, as a mother, from the second I discovered I was pregnant I had visions of the life of my child; I imagined what he would look like and saw him growing up, playing and going to school. When that future became permanently out of reach, those visions were somehow suspended in my mind like memories. I had believed in that future so wholeheartedly. Thus, the photographs reflect this vacant and ghostly yet sensitive psychology.

Unfulfilled Precognition copyright Alexis Marie Chute 003

To view Unfulfilled Precognition, click here.

Unfulfilled Precognition will be exhibited at the EPCOR CENTRE in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from July 11 to September 28, 2014. The opening reception takes place Thursday, July 17, 2014.

EPCOR CENTRE

205 8th Avenue S.E.
Calgary Alberta, T2G 0K9
Phone: 403.294.7455
Fax: 403.294.7457
info@epcorcentre.org

Walk-up Hours 
Monday – Saturday:  10am – 6pm
Sunday and Holidays: Closed

Click here to see the visual arts page of the EPCOR Centre.

Unfulfilled Precognition copyright Alexis Marie Chute 005

If you visit the show, please drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Also, if you are going to miss this showing of Unfulfilled Precognition, it will be exhibited next at the Kiwanis Gallery in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada from October 21 – November 23, 2014. Click here to see all 2014 exhibition dates.  

 

Art & Photography Updates

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February has been a busy month! Here are some exciting new updates:

Art

Photography

  • As the month wraps up so too does my exhibition of “The Quiet Rebuild” portraits at Art Central in Calgary as a part of Exposure Photography Festival. I gave two artist talks, “The Stories Behind the Portraits” and “Healing Through Creative Arts.” I was also featured on CBC radio in Calgary two weekends in a row talking about my work and a week ago I photographed ten new volunteer models for the project. (If you are interested in participating, please email me info@alexismariechute.com)

 

Photo by Chris Tait

Photo by Chris Tait

Photo by Chris Tait

Photo by Chris Tait

  • I am a finalist in the VISTEK Emerging Photographer Showcase. There are two days left for the online voting so if you like my work please lend me your support before February 27th at midnight! Click here to vote.

 

The Quiet Rebuild Opening Tonight at Exposure Photography Festival

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I had such a blast hanging my art in the pop up gallery in Art Central last weekend. Usually my hubby does the math but I was the sole installer and defied my right-brain preference and crunched numbers and measured like a grade-A student.

 

Before the art...

Before the art…

Today is an exciting day. This afternoon I’ll be on CBC Calgary talking about my fine art portraits in The Quiet Rebuild exhibition. Then tonight is the opening reception at Art Central.

Here are the details of the opening:

“The Quiet Rebuild” Exhibition

February 1-28, 2014 – Fridays, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. & Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Opening Reception: Friday, February 7, 2013, 6 – 9 p.m.

Art Central, 100 – 7th Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada 

 

Art happily installed!

Art happily installed!

Also, I am putting out a call to Calgarians and people from surrounding areas to participate in the continuation of The Quiet Rebuild, my award winning portrait series. If you are interested in being a volunteer model this month, contact me by email: info@alexismariechute.com

I will be continuing these portraits in many cities, so if you are interested, even if not from Calgary, please get in touch.

 

Expose Yourself to Great Photography

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Exposure Photography Festival kicks off February 1st in Calgary, Banff and Canmore Alberta. With over 45 unique exhibitions and nearly 20 special events taking place over the month, Exposure is definitely the place to be for photographers, photo enthusiasts and anyone who appreciates visual artistry.

I am excited to be a part of the festivities by presenting my portraits from “The Quiet Rebuild.” Please join me! Here are the details of my exhibition and the two Artist Talks I will be giving in the gallery.

{Oh, and please vote for me in the VISTEK Emerging Photographer Competition! Click here to vote!}

“The Quiet Rebuild” Exhibition

February 1-28, 2014 – Friday, February 7, 2013, 6 – 10 p.m.

Art Central, 100 – 7th Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Fridays, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. & Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

OR by appointment, 780-499-4311

Exhibition description:
Award winning photographer Alexis Marie Chute has created a series of provocative images of individuals in their time of healing following hardship. The portraits are symbolic of the regrowth of a forest after wildfire. As new growth finds its way through ash and ember, so too must individuals rebuild their lives after personal devastation. Alexis Marie compassionately exposes private struggle with skill and artistry in these large black and white photographs.

Preview the show by clicking here. 

 

The Stories Behind the Portraits - Artist Talk - Alexis Marie Chute - Digital Invitation

 

 

The Stories behind the Portraits of The Quiet Rebuild

Art Central, 100 – 7th Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Saturday, February 15, 2013, 11 a.m.

Join Alexis Marie Chute as she shares the harrowing yet inspiring stories of her volunteer models. From infidelity, heart attack and loss, her portraits tell tales of resiliency to overcome any obstacle. Alexis Marie will also reveal her own experience which was the impetus behind it all.

 

Art and Healing - Artist Talk - Alexis Marie Chute - Digital Invitation

 

 

Healing through Creative Arts

Art Central, 100 – 7th Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Saturday, February 22, 2014, 11 a.m.

After the death of her son, Alexis Marie Chute realized that photography, art and writing were powerful tools to express grief. Join Alexis Marie as she discusses creative personal expression and ways that photography can be used to find healing and self-fulfillment. Examples of photographic image making will be presented.

Please Vote Alexis Marie Chute for Emerging Photographer

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The VISTEK Emerging Photographer Showcase has announced its Top Ten Finalists as a part of Exposure Photography Festival and I am honored to be included. Online voting will determine the 2014 Emerging Photographer. Gotta love the old popularity contest, right? I’m not a fan, but the rules are set – and I would very much appreciate your vote!

Voting is now open and will close at midnight on February 27th. You can vote by clicking here.

The photograph that are in the running come from a series called, “The Quiet Rebuild,” and feature images of volunteer models who have endured a tragedy in their lives and are models of resiliency and hope. The impetus behind the photos was the death of my son Zachary in 2010. His momentary life and lingering death have redefined for me every aspect of living. I am a new person and in many ways he has taught me much about myself and how to live this one life I’ve been gifted.

You can read more about “The Quiet Rebuild” in these blog posts:

“The Quiet Rebuild” at Exposure Photography Festival
First Place at Method Art Gallery
Why Alexis Marie is an Avenue Magazine Top 40 Under 40 in Edmonton
Fabulous Media Coverage for The Quiet Rebuild
Fall Harcourt House Artist in Residence Update

An Artful Start to 2014

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2013 was a great year. I started my MFA in Creative Writing at Lesley University and wrapped up my yearlong artist residency at Harcourt House Gallery and Artist Run Centre. People opened up about their struggles and healing in my portrait series, “The Quiet Rebuild,” and one of those images won first place in a photography competition at Method Art Gallery in Scottsdale Arizona.

My Harcourt art studio is already full of sunshine thanks to my daughter.

My Harcourt art studio is already full of sunshine thanks to my daughter.

As great as 2013 was, 2014 is already off to a wonderful start.

 

 

  • You can now find me either in my home art studio where I will be painting, or in my new studio at Harcourt House where I will be continuing with my wood sculpture explorations.

 

 

 

  • Opening in February is my solo show, “The Quiet Rebuild” the portraits. This exhibit is a part of Exposure Photography Festival and will be held in Calgary Alberta. I will also be hosting a number of artist talks and presentations during the month. (“The Quiet Rebuild” will also be shown at the Glenrose Hospital gallery later in the year.)

 

  • Also coming up in 2014 are two solo exhibitions of “Unfulfilled Precognition” which features the documentary-style art images that I took leading up to and following my son Zachary’s death in 2010.

 

I share my home studio with a very messy little artist indeed!

I share my home studio with a very messy little artist indeed!

I want to take this opportunity to thank the many people in my life who have supported me along the way. Thank you Aaron for always encouraging my dreams, having a positive attitude and making my passions your passions. Thank you Mom for always having a listening ear and taking such great care of my kids while I work. Thank you Candace for hanging out with me throughout undergrad while I painted and for modeling for me and generally being the best best-friend a girl could ask for. Thank you Dad, Bob, Randy and Gloria, Kaila, Kim Kelly, Robert Sinclair, Paul Freeman, Derek Brooks, Sharon Moore Foster… There are too many people to name. Hugs and love all around.

 

Photo copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Photo copyright Alexis Marie Chute

 

Cheers to 2014!  

Alexis Marie Blog shortlisted for the Canadian Weblog Awards in Two Categories

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The Shortlist has been announced for the Canadian Weblog Awards. I was kindly notified by a twitter connection of my blog’s inclusion. Out of 34 categories my blog has made the top five in both:

Art, Crafting and Photography

Writing and Literature

Thank you to those that nominated my blog and thank you to those that read every post. It means the world to me. The first, second and third place winners will be announced in two days, on December 7th, 2013. No matter the outcome, I am honoured to be included on this list of some truly amazing blogs and dedicated bloggers.

When I started blogging I had no idea the enjoyment I would derive from online journaling, sharing stories and updates on my work. It has been a pleasure.

Group Exhibition at Method Art Gallery in Arizona

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I’m proud to announce that I received a confirmation this morning that I will be a part of a group exhibition called “The Ultimate Composition” which opens December 3, 2013 in Scottsdale Arizona.

Check out the photographs in the show. I have one piece in the show and a second with honorable mention.

Visit Exhibitions to see all upcoming showings of my work.

Why Alexis Marie is an Avenue Magazine Top 40 Under 40 in Edmonton

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– MEDIA RELEASE
 –

Artist and Writer honored to be included amongst Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in Edmonton

Any time a person finds themselves on a list of ‘top anything’, it’s usually a good thing. But when that recognition comes from the place and people that fuel and nurture the work itself, that acknowledgment is all that much sweeter. So Alexis Marie Chute’s inclusion in Avenue magazine’s 2013 “Top 40 Under 40” sits high amongst the honors she has received for her work as an artist, writer, and volunteer.

Alexis Marie Chute Portrait - Top 40 Press ReleaseChute hasn’t been told who nominated her, but it’s difficult to see how she wouldn’t be recognized as one of Edmonton’s best and brightest. Chute has been a high profile artist in the city for many years, exhibiting in dozens of venues at home and abroad, teaching children about the importance of art in their lives, being named an “Emerging Canadian Photographer” by PhotoLife Magazine, and most recently acting as Harcourt House’s Artist-in-Residence. Chute’s solo exhibition, “The Quiet Rebuild,” can be viewed in the Harcourt House Gallery until November 29, 2013.

Through it all, Edmonton has been central to Chute’s personal and professional development. “The city has been so good to me, both directly and indirectly. I don’t think of Edmonton just as my home, but as my community—something that runs much deeper and is so much more important.”

Chute’s involvement in the Edmonton community also extends into the personal realm as she reaches out to bereaved families since the loss of her own son Zachary in 2010, just moments after his birth. Instead of retreating into her grief, Chute’s instinct was to encourage others who have experienced a similar loss. Apart from inspiring her own visual art, the experience saw her helping others use artistic expression as a way of coping with loss and becoming involved with recovery groups in the area along with speaking and teaching engagements.

“It’s my honor to give back to a place that has given me so much.”