ACTA Staff
The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) announces its 2025 Apprenticeship Program cohort, investing $100,000 to support 20 mentor-apprentice pairs in advancing California’s diverse cultural traditions.
Marking the program’s 25th year, ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program continues its longstanding commitment to ensuring the continuity of cultural practices across the state by contracting exemplary mentor artists to pass on their knowledge to skilled apprentices.
Across its history, ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program has supported California’s cultural traditions by awarding 472 contracts to outstanding traditional artists and culture bearers. Each mentor artist, selected for their expertise in traditional arts, receives a $5,000 contract to cover fees, supplies, and travel expenses, allowing them to engage in intensive, hands-on mentorship with their apprentices. Throughout the program, participants collaborate closely with ACTA staff to develop and document their apprenticeships, culminating in a public event where they have the opportunity to showcase their work to a public audience within their community.
This year’s Apprenticeship Program brings forward a wide range of cultural traditions practiced across California, including enduring Native American folklife traditions within the Hupa, Yurok, Karuk, and Western Mono communities. It also features apprenticeships rooted in cultural practices with origins in Zimbabwe, Japan, Haiti, Iran, Guatemala, China, Tahiti, and beyond that now form part of California’s cultural landscape. Spanning from Humboldt to San Diego counties, these apprenticeships demonstrate the ongoing vitality of intergenerational learning and its role in strengthening relationships across families and communities.
ACTA is pleased to announce the 20 statewide artist pairs contracted in the 2025 Apprenticeship Program:
Salani Matshoba (right) and Michell Marufu (left) holding a Nhare Mbira, the sacred Shona instrument of Zimbabwe. Photo: Kelly Orphan
Salani Matshoba + Michell Marufu
El Sobrante, Contra Costa Co. + El Sobrante, Contra Costa Co.
Mbira music of the Shona people of Zimbabwe
Salani Matshoba will mentor Michell Marufu in nhare, also known as mbira dzavadzimu—the spiritual instrument of the Zezuru tribe of Zimbabwe, deepening her technical skill and cultural understanding to support ancestral ceremony, healing, and the living transmission of mbira traditions within the diaspora.
Nydia Algazzali Gonzalez (left) and Belén Islas (right) both playing a traditional Mexican harp. Photos courtesy of the artists
Nydia Algazzali Gonzalez + Belén Islas
Albany, Alameda Co. + San Pablo, Contra Costa Co.
Mexican Folk Harp
Nydia Gonzalez, former apprentice of Artemio Posada of the inaugural Apprenticeship Program in 2000, returns to the apprenticeship program as a mentor to Belén Islas in Mexican folk harp traditions, focusing on son jarocho and mariachi repertoire to transmit essential bass and melodic patterns used in community fandangos and regional performance practices.
Tiffany Tom (left) and Ilima Martinez (right) at the San Diego Pacific Islander Festival in 2025. Photo courtesy of the artists
Ilima Martinez + Tiffany Tom
Carlsbad, San Diego Co. + Oceanside, San Diego Co.
Hula Kahiko (Ancient Native Hawaiian Dance)
Kumu Ilima Martinez will mentor Tiffany Tom in Hula Kahiko, guiding her development as an alakaʻi (emerging hula leader) through training in choreography, mele (chant or poem) interpretation, hālau (hula school) protocols, and teaching practices to support the continuity of Hawaiian cultural knowledge and leadership.
Awi Gustafson (Pit River) (left) and Radley Davis (Illmawi/Pit River) (right) at Tule River Casino. Photo: Willie Carrillo
Radley Davis + Awi Gustafson
Bella Vista, Shasta Co. + Anderson, Shasta Co.
Traditional Sinew-Backed Recurved Yew Wood Bow Building
Radley Davis (Illmawi/Pit River) will instruct Awi Gustafson (Pit River) in traditional Pit River sinew-backed recurve bow building, transmitting ancestral knowledge of wood harvesting, sinew preparation, and traditional finishing techniques to help safeguard this cultural practice for future generations.
Portraits of Yoshiko Wada (left) and Tanya Lieberman (right). Photos courtesy of the artists.
Yoshiko Wada + Tanya Lieberman
Berkeley, Alameda Co. + Davis, Yolo Co.
Shibori (Japanese shaped-resist indigo dyeing)
Yoshiko Wada will mentor Tanya Lieberman in the traditional Japanese art of shibori, focusing on advanced resist-dyeing techniques, the use of rare sukumo indigo (traditional Japanese preparation of indigo leaves), and cultural knowledge to prepare the apprentice to create, exhibit, and teach shibori to future generations, including within the Japanese American community.
Julie Dick-Tex (Western Mono) (left) and Mandy Macias (Western Mono/Mtn. Maidu/Ohlone) (right) share their process for making acorn mush. Photo: Marlena Sloss
Julie Dick-Tex + Mandy Macias
Fresno, Fresno Co. + Fresno, Fresno Co.
Traditional KoiKoi Belt (Hand Beaded Yarn Belt)
Julie Dick-Tex (Western Mono) and daughter Mandy Macias (Western Mono/Mtn. Maidu/Ohlone), an artist pair during the 2016 Apprenticeship Program, return to study Western Mono KoiKoi belt weaving, ensuring dance regalia and ceremonial practice is accurately documented and passed on through intergenerational learning. Mandy was a mentor in the 2012 Apprentice Program in Western Mono tumpline weaving, and later an apprentice to her father, Marvin Marine (Maidu/Ohlone), in Maidu songs and handgame tradition in 2021.
Hesam Abedini (left) Photo: Matt Gush. Shaida Masoumi (left) Photo courtesy of the artist.
Hesam Abedini + Shaida Masoumi
San Diego, San Diego Co. + Carlsbad, San Diego Co.
Classical Persian Music
Hesam Abedini will train Shaida in avaz (classical Persian vocal music), focusing on the radif (a system of organized repertoire) and the pish-radif (musical prelude) system developed by maestro Hossein Omoumi, an approach that blends analytical study with oral transmission rooted in Persian poetry and improvisation.
José Carlos González (left) and Erre Maqueos (right) in their first class. Photo courtesy of the artist.
José “Pepe” Carlos González + Erre Maqueos
Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co. + Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co.
Bolero Music on the Requinto
José “Pepe” Carlos González, a mentor in the 2020 Apprenticeship Program, returns to teach Erre Maqueos traditional requinto guitar, transmitting endangered bolero techniques and repertoire from Oaxacan and classic bolero traditions, to prepare the apprentice for performance and cultural preservation within the Los Angeles community.
Wai Ming Lee (left) and Ko Si Hing (right) at Lee’s Taoist merit promotion ceremony in 2025. Photo: Lotus Tao Culture Association.
Ko Si Hing + Wai Ming Lee
San Francisco, San Francisco Co. + San Francisco, San Francisco Co.
Indigenous Cantonese Lung Moon Taoism Ritual Arts
Ko Si Hing will guide Wai Ming Lee in Lung Moon (Dragon Gate) Taoism rituals, focusing on the Sa Jing (purification) ceremony and the preservation of ancestral honoring rituals that combine percussion, chanting, movement, and spiritual practice.
Harold Muñiz (left) and Dominic Garcia (right) Photo: Beatriz Muñiz
Harold Muñiz + Dominic Garcia
Sacramento, Sacramento Co. + Sacramento, Sacramento Co.
Batá drum-making
Harold Muñiz returns to the Apprenticeship Program to instruct Dominic Garcia in the traditional fabrication of Batá drums, transmitting the Yoruba–Lucumí drum-making knowledge that traveled from Nigeria to Cuba and remains central to ceremonial and musical practices across the African diaspora.
Kelan Chen (left) and Ziping Chen (right). Photo: Zabrina Deng
Ziping Chen + Kelan Chen
San Francisco, San Francisco Co. + San Francisco, San Francisco Co.
Cantonese Opera
Ziping Chen will mentor his grandson, Kelan Chen, in Chinese percussion for Cantonese opera, with a focus on rhythm, tonal, and expressive roles.
Alta Laure Fleurentin (left) dancing at Cuba Caribe in 2024. Photo: Alexa Treviño. Laëitica Jacques (right) dancing at the 13th Annual Taste of Africa Festival. Photo: Lesly Jacques
Alta Laure Fleurentin + Laëiticia Jacques
Oakland, Alameda Co. + Oakland, Alameda Co.
Haitian Folkloric dance
Alta Laure Fleurentin will work with her daughter, Laëiticia Jacques, in Haitian folkloric dance, passing down a lineage rooted in African, Taíno, and European influences that have shaped this powerful cultural tradition since the 1500s.
Raaga Mehesh (left) and Viji Prakash (right) joined in prayer before a performance. Photo courtesy of the artists
Viji Prakash + Raaga Mahesh
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles Co. + Irvine, Orange Co.
Bharatanatyam (Classical Indian dance)
Viji Prakash, a mentor in the 2008 Apprenticeship Program, returns to train Raaga Mahesh in bharatanatyam (classical Indian dance), focusing on jathi recitation (spoken rhythmic utterances), nattuvangam (the use of small cymbals), and practical techniques needed to support dancers and build strong, rhythmically grounded choreographic work.
Tylon Teaitu Buendia (left) and Zachary Isaac (right) prepare to perform. Photo courtesy of the artists.
Tylon Teaitu Buendia + Zachary Issac
Antioch, Contra Costa Co. + San Francisco, San Francisco Co.
Tahitian Rohi Pehe (Traditional Tahitian Drumming)
Tylon Buendia will mentor Zachary Issac in rohi pehe (the traditional drumming art form of Tahiti), focusing on the preservation of ancestral rhythms, techniques, and cultural values central to Tahitian ceremonial and dance traditions.
Lilian Martin Aguilar (left) and Yéraldy Ordoñez Martin (right) stand in front of a huipil woven by Lilian. Photo: Debby Kajiyama
Lilian Martin Aguilar + Yéraldy Ordoñez Martin
Oakland, Alameda Co. + Oakland, Alameda Co.
Maya Mam Backstrap Weaving
Lilian Martin Aguilar will teach her daughter, Yéraldy Ordoñez Martin, traditional Maya Mam backstrap loom weaving, focusing on assembling the loom and weaving a traditional huipil (traditional embroidered blouse) to carry forward this indigenous Guatemalan textile tradition.
Guy De Chalus (left) and Mohamed Kouyate (right) at a lesson in Berkeley. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Mohamed Kouyate + Guy De Chalus
Berkeley, Alameda Co. + Oakland, Alameda Co.
Balafon Music of Guinea, West Africa
Mohamed Kouyate will mentor Guy De Chalus to deepen the practice in Mandeng balafon (gourd-resonated xylophone) traditions, focusing on village-style performance and the musical suite of Sundiata Keita, a tribute to the founder of the Mali empire, as both accompanist and lead musician
Lisa Morehead-Hillman (Karuk/Yurok/Shasta) (left) sharing basket cap-making progress. Photo courtesy of the artist. Maggie Peters (Yurok/Karuk) (right) weaving a no’os (baby basket). Photo courtesy of the artist
Lisa Morehead-Hillman + Maggie Peters
Orleans, Humboldt Co. + Willow Creek, Humboldt Co.
Northern California Indigenous Basketry
Lisa Morehead-Hillman (Karuk/Yurok/Shasta) will guide Maggie Peters (Yurok/Karuk), a former mentor of traditional baby basket weaving, in the endangered art of ceremonial cap basket weaving for the Yurok, Karuk, and Hupa tribes, focusing on advanced techniques, traditional materials, and cultural protocols to ensure the continued transmission of this sacred practice.
Dr. Rohan Krishnamurthy (left) is seated with a mridangam held in the traditional stance. Photo courtesy of the artist. Varun Pattabhiraman (right) playing the mridangam at a Bay Area venue. Photo: Vijay
Dr. Rohan Krishnamurthy + Varun Pattabhiraman
Oakland, Alameda Co. + San Francisco, San Francisco Co.
South Indian Carnatic Drumming
Dr. Rohan Krishnamurthy returns to the program to teach Varun Pattabhiraman in South Indian Carnatic percussion, focusing on advanced mridangam technique and repertoire within the Pudukottai lineage, alongside training in accompaniment for concert performance, Bharatanatyam dance, and auxiliary instruments including the ghatam (clay pot), khanjira (frame drum), and morsing (jaw harp).
Eduardo Martínez Arvilla (left). Photo: Vaughn Johnson. Tamara Martínez Borre (right). Photo courtesy of the artist
Eduardo Martínez Arvilla + Tamara Martínez Borre
Santa Clarita, Los Angeles Co. + Santa Clarita, Los Angeles Co.
Afro-Colombian Drumming
Eduardo Martínez Arvilla will mentor his daughter, Tamara Martínez Borre, in the traditional percussion rhythms of Colombia’s Caribbean coast, such as cumbia, bullerengue, and mapalé through oral tradition and artisanal instruments to sustain cultural continuity, healing, and community connection.
Themba Mashama (left) and Brian Shields (right) at a celebration of life. Photo courtesy of the artists
Themba Mashama + Brian Shields
Berkeley, Alameda Co. + Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino Co.
Capoeira Angola Roda Ritual
Mestre Themba Mashama will mentor Brian Shields in Capoeira Angola, training him to uphold and lead the ceremonial capoeira roda (circle) through music, movement, and the sacred protocols needed to ensure the preservation and community transmission of the spiritual practice within this Afro-Brazilian martial art form.
Congratulations to our exceptional 25th Apprenticeship Program cohort!
The Apprenticeship Program of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) is generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, with additional support from the Kresge Foundation.
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