The Conseil québécois des arts médiatiques or CQAM was founded on June 19th 1998. Recognized by the Quebec Council for Arts and Letters (CALQ) as the dedicated media arts national service organisation in Quebec since 2003, CQAM is the only media arts advocacy organisation in Quebec welcoming professional independent artists*, cultural workers, emerging artists and artist-run centres devoted to media arts as members.

« Media arts » denotes the genre of independent artistic practices linked to information and communications technologies, in which research and experimentation are driven by formal innovation. The media arts comprise two main fields: the cinematic and digital arts, both of which may take the form of screenings, installations and/or performances.

* An independent artist maintains complete artistic and editorial control over their work through all stages of production, including the final version and receives the majority of all fees and royalties derived from the broadcast, presentation or sale of their work.