Vicki Van Chau, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society (AMAAS), shares her passion for media arts and her vision for the future of the organization. With a mission to advocate, educate, and celebrate media arts across Alberta, AMAAS plays a pivotal role in supporting media artists and organizations by fostering connections and championing sustainable funding.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society (AMAAS) is a provincial art service organization that exists to advocate, educate, and celebrate the media arts in Alberta. AMAAS serves media artists and organizations through advocacy, development opportunities and connecting media artists and media art organizations across the province. We believe media arts are foundational to Alberta’s identity, culture, and society, and that our stories and perspectives are valuable to the public in Alberta, Canada and the world.
What problem does it aim to solve?
AMAAS aims to build a sustainable and vibrant future for media arts in Alberta. We advocate for media artists and organizations to receive sustainable funding and support, and believe that Alberta media artists are stronger as a unified community.
When did you start/join it?
I officially started my position as Executive Director on January 1, 2024, but I’ve been a member of AMAAS and worked with the org on numerous occasions and capacities since 2008.
What made you want to get involved?
After graduating from ACAD (now known as AUArts), I got hired at EMMEDIA, a local artist-run media art centre, and was introduced to AMAAS. As a media artist myself, I found being a member of AMAAS was fundamental to building my network and was connected to artist-run centres all over the province, especially in Calgary. It was amazing to be part of such an inclusive community and to work with like-minded artists under a unified voice like AMAAS. A lot of my professional development was through the programs and services offered by AMAAS and its members, and made me believe I could thrive as an artist in Calgary.
What was the situation like when you started?
My predecessor Sharon Stevens was a champion for the media arts community, and I aspire to continue the amazing work that she accomplished during her almost 10 years at the helm. With the help of the Board of Directors, she started the Sponsorship & Bursary Programs, as well as the One2One Grant Mentorship Program. AMAAS has been recognized as the community connector for media arts in Alberta.
How has it changed since?
I am the first person of colour to be hired as the Executive Director through an extensive Succession Planning Project that Sharon and the Board embarked on, which was centred around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility. I hope to continue this work and will be the main focus at the next media arts conference in 2025.
What more needs to be done?
The media arts in Alberta are advanced through the generation of awareness, strengthening of connections, and continuous advocacy. We need to constantly advocate the importance of arts in our society, and to work towards a sustainable ecosystem for artists and arts organizations to thrive in Alberta.
How can our readers help?
Become a member of AMAAS, it’s completely free for individuals! Help advocate for the media arts to your municipal, provincial and federal government. Support our media arts organizations by going to their events or donating, as all of our members are non-profit and/or charitable organizations. Be part of the media arts community!
Do you have any events coming up?
We are gearing up for our media arts conference happening June 2025 in Red Deer! The conference provides professional development and organizational capacity-building opportunities, as well as excellent artistic content for media artists and media arts organizations. The conference has a wide and positive reputation for providing opportunities for shared learning and networking, resource exchange and other forms of collaboration. Sign up for our e-newsletter on amaas.ca to keep up with all our upcoming events!
Where can we follow you?
Website | Instagram | Facebook
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
EMMEDIA Gallery & Production Society, Quickdraw Animation Society, and Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers have all made a significant impact on my career as an artist and cultural worker! They are all local charities that support the media arts community in Calgary, and are the reason I love the Calgary arts community so much!
