Algiers Music & Artists Studio Foundation
The AMAS Foundation is a Louisiana 501c3 corporation. It is a labor of love born out of a heartfelt desire to preserve and celebrate the rich history and culture of New Orleans.
AMAS empowers the underserved communities of the West Bank by fostering a vibrant and inclusive hub for music, arts, education, and personal development. By offering a welcoming space for artistic expression, skill development, and community engagement, AMAS helps bridge the gap between the rich cultural heritage of New Orleans and its future. With your support, we will ensure that every individual, regardless of background, has the tools to thrive.
We aim to create a thriving community center that fosters music, arts, education, and personal development. Our mission is to provide a safe, inclusive, and diverse space where artistic adults, people of color, musicians and artists can develop their skills, access resources, and engage with the community.
We will offer classes in music, art, reading and writing, basic manners and etiquette, business development, nonprofit development, home maintenance and repair, natural disaster preparedness, self-defense, yoga, and more.
We will actively involve participants in community service projects and events, collaborating with local businesses, schools, and organizations to broaden opportunities and instill a sense of social responsibility.
The AMAS Foundation aims to achieve measurable outcomes that benefit the community, including:
● Increased access to educational and artistic resources
● Enhanced community engagement and social responsibility
● Improved mental and physical health through wellness initiatives
● Greater opportunities for skill development and personal growth
Leadership
Karl “Kala” Roy
Chairman and Founder of AMASF
Kala has a 25-year history of success in the construction, real estate development and entertainment industries. He has worked across much of the Western United States, building and renovating homes in Maui, Hawaii; Los Angeles and Phoenix. He also operated one of the most popular nightclubs in Kihei, Maui for a number of years during the early 2000’s.
After spending significant time in New Orleans in 2012, he returned often, enamored by the area’s people and culture. In 2021, he donated his time and resources to contribute to rebuilding the community, post-Hurricane Ida. It was love at first sight for him when he visited the Old Algiers community, and he then decided to make it his home. Seeing an opportunity to establish strong community roots, he bought and began renovation on a historic building at 935-941 Teche Street.
Located along the central corridor of Old Algiers in the heart of its Cultural District, Kala has purposely configured the building to meet the needs of the community. After an extensive rehabilitation, the building is now the headquarters for the Algiers Music & Artist Studio, (AMAS). When site rehabilitation is completed, AMAS will operate a community center that will initially feature an entertainment venue and a social club and later, a café, barbershop and wellness center.
But the driving force behind this project is the operation of the AMAS Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit corporation. Through AMASF, Kala seeks to create a thriving community center that fosters music, arts, education, and personal development. His mission is to provide a safe, inclusive, and diverse space where artistic adults, people of color, musicians, and artists can develop their skills, access resources, and engage with the community.
Under Kala’s management, AMASF will help contribute to the development of a vibrant, successful community by building self-esteem and teaching real-world skills to the next generation of leaders on the West Bank of New Orleans.
Board of Directors
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Chairman of the Finance Committee
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