Staff Bios
Richard Campbell, Executive Artistic Director
Richard has worked in Calgary for more than 20 years, using interactive theatre techniques to promote personal growth, community development, and social change. Previously, Richard worked as a program manager and community development worker for Hull Services’ Patch project and the Alexandra Community Health Centre. He has worked with many community groups and organizations in Calgary, facilitating creative processes that explored diversity, social exclusion, and organizational change.
Richard was the Executive Artistic Director of All Nations Theatre from 2008-2010 and is very proud to have been part of the group that brought All Nations Theatre and Urban Youth Worx together to form Antyx.
Richard is an avid Saskatchewan Roughriders fan and enjoys spending time relaxing at the family campsite in Radium. He also thinks he is an excellent Tarot Card Reader!
Contact Richard here.
Amber Alexander, Community Engagement Coordinator
Amber hails from British Columbia, but now calls Calgary home. Having partnered with dozens of organizations, schools, and professional artists across the world, her passion is to help educate, encourage, and inspire through the arts. Using various artistic methods, she is able to assist in providing a safe atmosphere for positive and constructive growth amongst children, youth, and adults while exploring delicate and complex social-based issues. She has acted as a facilitator for the creation of numerous original multi-disciplinary performance pieces, which explored topics including; bullying, peer pressure, abusive relationships, suicide, homophobia and racism.
Amber: "Art has the ability to bypass the barriers (political, social, cultural, and religious) that exist in our world and in turn is able to create opportunities for growth in the lives of the people involved. This can be achieved through mentorships, continuing opportunities, and a commitment to bringing quality training to the youth of our communities - regardless of their socio-economical situation, background or experience. The arts can be used as a constructive tool in shedding light on the hidden corners of society where people often cannot see, as well as unlock undiscovered talents, dreams, and goals of everyone involved."
Contact Amber here.
Vincent T Joachim, Community Arts Facilitator
Vincent is a professional artist specializing in photography, multimedia and video. He graduated from SAIT in 1999 with a Journalism Arts Diploma and graduated from AMTC in 2001 with a Multimedia Diploma.
His work has been published and showcased in 7 galleries, Time magazine, and numerous programs and books for the City of Calgary. He has teamed up with many non-profit organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, Red Cross, and the Tallman Foundation to empower youth. His most notable mentorship projects have been the “Hope Art” program that involved 18 schools in the greater Forest Lawn area in Calgary and his “Trinity Art” program in the country of Trinidad and Tobago.
One of Vincent’s life goals, (currently at 88 goals), is to travel to every continent in the world and take pictures (5 to go!) He also wants to enter the Guinness book of world records for a photo project he plans to reveal in the near future.
Vincent: “My passion is working with youth and using art as a medium to empower them. I love to see youth build self-confidence and have a voice through art creation. My artistic style is a fusion of photojournalism and multimedia with my faith reflecting in my work.”
Alia Shahab, Youth Media Arts Facilitator
Alia is a Calgary based artist working in a variety of mediums such as digital media, painting, and sculpture. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media Art and Digital Technology from the Alberta College of Art and Design.
Through her art practice, Alia is an explorer curiously wandering the imaginations labyrinth, following intriguing paths to adventure, play, and growth. She is a community minded Artist who loves to create interactive physical spaces that promote play and exploration of the self. Alia has also traveled, studied and created Art in many cities around the world.
Alia is passionate and eager to share with youth, the same sense of empowerment that art has brought over her own life. She works closely with Calgary’s youth to coordinate and facilitate dynamic and creative youth driven projects around the city.
Alia: “Art is an extremely powerful tool that encourages exploration and empowers people to drive change. It can reveal alternate realities and encourage people to take ownership of their lives. With this creative sense of empowerment, people are enabled to paint a vibrant and colorful picture for themselves, their communities, and for the world.”