Heather Walter (left) with writing students (l-r) Rachelle Rice, Dakota Montgomery and Chandler Freeman-Orr.
Lifetime Contribution to the Arts Award Winner, Bob Alexander
Written by Dakota Montgomery
Bob Alexander with author Dakota Montgomery.
“I don’t know what all the fuss is about.” Bob Alexander is characteristically modest when asked about being awarded the Lifetime Contribution to the Arts Award as part of the Mayor`s Spotlight on the Arts. “I am honoured by (the award) and I am thrilled. I am slightly uncomfortable because usually when you talk about achievement people would expect a whole list of photographs and exhibitions.”
Making images was not Bob’s first priority. Since 1963, when he began teaching photography at N.A.I.T. in Edmonton with summer courses at the Banff Centre, Bob’s passion was teaching. By 1971, when he moved to Canmore with his wife Joan to design the Visual Communications program for the Banff Centre, his main focus was the work of his students. The result is an impressive legacy through the many photographers, filmmakers and other artists that he has inspired.
Having his mother’s passion for the arts, Bob’s earliest artistic pursuit was playing a monstrous instrument known as the marimbaphone. Hiding behind its sheer size allowed Bob to watch all that was going on around him. Seeing people involved in the arts and hearing their stories led him to two conclusions. One was that he himself was not comfortable being on display, and the other was that it was far more interesting to watch the people who were “doing something.” With this penchant for observation it is not surprising that he finally chose photography as a career.
Summer photo shoot with early Banff Centre photography students.
Bob can pinpoint the beginning of his interest in photography to a single field along the shores of Ghost Lake. As a young boy, walking through the field was one of the most revealing experiences of his life as it taught him to appreciate colour, light and texture—all of which became important in his career as a photographer, and led to him bringing the lessons of the field to others.
“Students were my work.” In a single statement, Bob sums up the philosophy of an entire career. Throughout his time at both NAIT and the Banff Centre, Bob was adamant about keeping his teaching first. While he loved working with students, it was always the grading that was the most difficult. A beautiful photograph was one thing, but more important was a photograph that truly reflected the interests of the photographer.
Teaching the technical part of taking a photo was easy. Students often found it far more difficult to succeed at his “free choice” assignments. Yet in the end, those sessions—where students learned not to be afraid to make mistakes, and critiqued each other’s work—were always the most productive. “It took a long time to figure out that free choice meant who they were and what they were seeing.” Bob chuckles as he recounts the frustration of his long-ago students and the rewards of finally going beyond the stereotypical image of the mountains reflected in the Vermilion Lakes with a red canoe in the foreground.
A reunion of graduates from the Banff Centre’s Visual Communications course, 2008. (Bob standing third from left.)
Although he retired as the Manager of Visual Arts at the Banff Centre in 1980, Bob keeps in touch with many of his students, and he remains a sounding board for their ideas. A recent reunion saw many former students getting together and sharing ideas back and forth as if no time had passed. And that is the mark of a good teacher.
Few people can claim to have been as inspirational as Bob Alexander. Of course when you point this out to him, his response is anything but pretentious. “If I’ve had an achievement, maybe I helped others to grow and develop”.
Still, Bob takes no credit for the success of others. But those many students who claim Bob as an inspiration are indeed a testament to his lifetime achievement in the arts.
The Town of Canmore is inviting the community to come to the Canmore Miners’ Union Hall on September 30 beginning at 5:30 pm to celebrate several local artists who will be “spotlighted” during the Mayor’s Spotlight on the Arts celebration. The event will focus on the diversity and variety of artistic talent in Canmore. Tickets for the event are available for $15 through the arts and culture department at Canmore Civic Centre. Get them in person or reserve by phone at 403.678.1878. The event will be a wine and appetizer evening, with a “spotlight” on three local artists, acknowledgement of lifetime contribution to the arts, recognition for a significant community builder, an internationally recognized keynote speaker, and an emerging artist’s bursary being awarded.About the Author: Dakota Montgomery graduated from Canmore Collegiate two years ago. Currently an aviation student at Mount Royal University in Calgary, she simply writes for the enjoyment of it. For her, one of the most fascinating things about participating in this project was to see the different forms that art and artists can take, and to learn how important the passing on of knowledge is to the arts. 
