Before artsPlace became a home for creativity in Canmore, the building had a different purpose. And before Todd Nakamura became a leather carver, artist, and instructor, his family had been shaping the history of this town for generations.

Todd’s roots in the Bow Valley run deep— back to 1889, when his grandfather arrived in Canada at just 13 years old, working on the Canadian Pacific Railway before helping to establish one of Canmore’s first general stores.

“Granddad came to Canada alone,” Todd recalls. “He was an orphan, 13 years old, and he built a life here. I know 13-year-olds today who don’t even know how to tie their shoes.”

The store, CT Sing & Co., first served the old mining community of Georgetown. When the mines closed, the entire building was put on blocks and moved downriver—a powerful metaphor for the town’s evolving identity.

“My grandfather and his partners literally slid the store down from Georgetown to what is now Stonewaters,” Todd says. “That store moved with the town. That’s the kind of history people don’t always know.”

Todd, too, has played a role in shaping the creative life of Canmore. As a former leather carving instructor at artsPlace, he taught a skill deeply tied to Alberta’s ranching heritage.

“Leatherwork started as functional art—saddle making, tool belts, things that were built to last,” Todd explains. “People forget that horsemanship had a huge presence here. Canmore Ranch, Brewster’s Kananaskis Ranch, outfitters taking people into the backcountry—horses were an essential part of life in the Bow Valley.”

Todd himself started carving leather at 10 years old, taking the bus on Saturdays for lessons at a supply shop in downtown Calgary. As an adult, he’d sit proudly atop a saddle of his own making, reciting cowboy poetry to guests on the trail, weaving history, humor, and the rhythms of ranch life into every ride. Over time, his craft became a signature of his identity—particularly his elaborate, hand-tooled saddles that feature stylized wildflowers and wildlife native to the Rocky Mountains.

“If you look closely at my saddles, you’ll see wild roses, spring crocuses, elk, bison it’s my way of bringing the land into the work,” Todd says.

For years, Todd shared his craft through leather carving and tooling classes at artsPlace, passing on his knowledge to new generations and newcomers to the community. He sees it as part of preserving Alberta’s heritage, ensuring that traditional craftsmanship remains alive in a rapidly changing world.

It’s important people know the history of Canmore, he says. “A lot of people take this place for granted, but in order for us to make it like it is now, it took a lot of hard work. It wasn’t easy for the people who built this town.”

But for Todd, keeping traditions alive isn’t just about looking back—it’s about making space for new voices, new ideas, and new stories.

“We as Canadians have the freedom to express ourselves through our art,” Todd says. “There are places in the world where you’d be thrown in jail for that. It needs to be celebrated.”

At artsPlace, that celebration takes many forms. It’s a place where the past meets the present and the future; where newcomers can connect with the history of their new home while also sharing their own traditions. A place where community is built, not just remembered.

Todd sees that connection as essential.

“People need a place to get inspired,” he says. “To find their creative side. To share what they bring.”

Because in the end, home isn’t just where you’re from—it’s what you make, what you share, and who you build it with.