Coming up with creative ideas isn’t the hardest part of being an artist — the real challenge lies in bringing them to fruition. That’s what makes author, photographer and all-around creative force Alexis Marie Chute so inspiring. She generates ideas with AI speed but then commits to the slow, meticulous work of turning them into reality.
Her recent book, Memorable Murals: The Visual History of the Town of Stony Plain, Alberta (2023), is no exception. From start to finish, it’s a true DIY project — written, designed, partially photographed, and even published by a press she and her husband, Aaron Chute, founded.
It began as a labour of love. As curator for Stony Plain’s Red Brick Common Public Art Gallery, Chute often admired the town’s 50+ historic murals — so densely painted across town that blank walls are now a precious commodity. She also recognized the urgent need to share the stories behind them.
To do so, she delved into mural archives and, most importantly, consulted Gregory James Hanna (81 years old at the time of publication), the town’s historian and retired horse-and-wagon mural tour guide. A Stony Plain resident since the 1970s and an infectiously enthusiastic speaker, Hanna was a goldmine of colourful stories.
His anecdotes make the murals come alive. Take Strong Arm of the Law, painted by Doug Driediger in 1990. At first glance, viewers see only a man with a chain against the backdrop of a train station. It’s easy to overlook the sheriff’s star pinned to his lapel — but that detail is key. The man is Israel Umbach, born in 1867, the town’s sheriff and tax collector.
When the Canadian Northern Railway failed to pay its dues, he devised an ingenious plan. Umbach bought a heavy chain and, as the awestruck townspeople looked on, secured one of the train’s wheels firmly to the track. With the train immobilized, the company had no choice but to pay up.
Chute’s book is filled with such stories. Some may be preserved in archives, but many of the word-of-mouth tales she gathered risk fading with time. That’s what makes her work so vital. Stony Plain’s murals capture historic moments, but her book ensures their stories have a voice for generations to come. ■
Alexis Marie Chute, Memorable Murals: The Visual History of the Town of Stony Plain, Alberta (2023), is now in print
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