ACTA Staff
The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) announces its 2026 Apprenticeship Program cohort, investing $105,000 to support 21 mentor-apprentice pairs in advancing California’s diverse cultural traditions.
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 493 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.
The 2026 Apprenticeship Program cohort brings forward a wide range of cultural traditions practiced across California, including Native American folklife traditions within the North Fork Mono, Tongva, and Pit River communities. It also features apprenticeships rooted in cultural practices with origins in the Philippines, Cuba, India, Guinea, Cambodia, China, Mexico, Afghanistan, and Guatemala, along with practices transmitted within the Hmong, Kongolese, Tamil, Yiddish, and African American communities. Spanning from Shasta 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 21 statewide artist pairs contracted in the 2026 Apprenticeship Program:
Lázaro Arvizu Jr. (left) and Summer Wilson hold up their California flutes. Photo: Morning Star Duran
Lázaro Arvizu Jr. (Tongva) + Summer Wilson (Tongva)
Pico Rivera, Los Angeles Co. + Downey, Los Angeles Co.
California Flute Crafting and Playing
Lázaro Arvizu Jr. will mentor Summer Wilson in crafting and playing the California flute, an end-blown elderberry flute traditionally practiced by Native communities across California.
Andrés Ehecatl Aguilar (left) and Enrique Gonzalez in Danza Chichimeca-Azteca regalía. Photo: Pedro Anaya
Andrés Ehecatl Aguilar + Enrique Gonzalez
Chula Vista, San Diego Co. + San Diego, San Diego Co.
Danza Chichimeca-Azteca traditional regalía/traje making
Andrés Ehecatl Aguilar will teach Enrique Gonzalez the making of traditional regalia for Danza Chichimeca-Azteca, utilizing techniques such as recortaje, painting, beading, and sequined motifs.
Conrad J. Benedicto (right) and Jinji Sayson playing kulintang in the Swiss Alps. Photo courtesy of the artist
Conrad J. Benedicto + Jinji Sayson
San Francisco, San Francisco Co. + San Jose, Santa Clara Co.
Maguindanaoan Kulintang Music from the Kalanduyan Line
Returning mentor-apprentice pair Conrad J. Benedicto and Jinji Sayson will continue their study of Maguindanaon kulintang music, a centuries-old ensemble tradition from the southern Philippines.
Left: David Bragger with a gourd banjo in Tiki Parlour. Photo courtesy of the artist
Right: Hannah Mayree playing a banjo. Photo: Sachyn Mital
David Bragger + Hannah Mayree
Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co. + Ukiah, Mendocino Co.
Old Time Banjo and Fiddle in the Traditional African American Style
David Bragger will guide Hannah Mayree in African American old-time banjo and fiddle traditions, teaching clawhammer and two-finger banjo techniques, rhythmic fiddle bowing, traditional tunings, and folk repertoire.
Charya Burt (left) dances with Moragaut Souet-Samounn at a Traditional Arts Roundtable event in Healdsburg. Photo: Bryan and Vita Hewitt/ACTA
Charya Burt + Moragaut Souet-Samounn
Windsor, Sonoma Co. + Oakland, Alameda Co.
Classical Cambodian Dance
Charya Burt is returning to the program to mentor Moragaut Souet-Samounn in classical Cambodian dance, a court tradition central to Cambodian cultural identity.
Left: Beverly Cantrell Banuelos holding baskets made for her grandchildren. Photo: Lew George
Right: Miya Banuelos with basket materials. Photo: Katrina Cantrell
Beverly Cantrell Banuelos (Pit River) + Miya Banuelos (Pit River)
Redding, Shasta Co. + Redding, Shasta Co.
Pit River Cradle Board Making
Beverley Cantrell Banuelos returns to the program to teach her daughter, Miya Banuelos, the traditional art of Pit River cradle board making.
Cookie Segelstein (left) and Sharon Mitchell holding up their violas. Photo: Joshua Horowitz
Cookie Segelstein + Sharon Mitchell
Berkeley, Alameda Co. + Berkeley, Alameda Co.
Klezmer Music
Cookie Segelstein will mentor Sharon Mitchell in klezmer music on viola, rooted in the Czech, Ukrainian, Hungarian, and Polish traditions within the broader context of Yiddish cultural life.
Left: Xiu Ben Chen conducting the Cantonese opera ensemble on erhu, a Chinese two-stringed bowed instrument. Photo: Jing Ying Cantonese Opera Institute
Right: Esther Tang in traditional Cantonese opera costume. Photo: Esther Tang
Xiu Ben Chen + Esther Tang
San Francisco, San Francisco Co. + San Francisco, San Francisco Co.
Cantonese Opera Vocal Tradition
Xiu Ben Chen will guide Esther Tang in advanced Cantonese opera vocal performance of southern China.
Left: Jamie Cadenas in their weaving studio. Photo: Hazel Pinon
Right: Jana-Mae Rubio at the National Museum of Anthropology in Manila, Philippines. Photo courtesy of the artist
Jamie Pesquiza Cardenas + Jana-Mae Rubio
Sacramento, Sacramento Co. + Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co.
Philippine Weaving
Jamie Pesquiza Cardenas will teach Jana-Mae Rubio floor-loom weaving techniques traditionally used in Philippine piña weaving, which is a fiber made from the leaves of the pineapple plant.
Ajamu Smith (left) and Richard Panta hold their batá drums. Photo courtesy of the artists
Ajamu Smith + Richi Panta
Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co. + Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co.
Afro-Cuban Batá Drumming
Returning ACTA mentor Ajamu Smith will mentor Richi Panta in the creation and playing of Batá drums in the tradition of ritual drumming from the Matanzas region of Cuba.
Farah Yasmeen Shaikh (right) and Aziza Noor Shaikh perform at Ballet Beyond Borders in Havana, Cuba in January 2025. Photo: Argel Ernesto Gonzalez
Farah Yasmeen Shaikh + Aziza Shikh
Menlo Park, San Mateo Co. + Menlo Park, San Mateo Co.
Kathak Dance
Returning ACTA mentor Farah Yasmeen Shaikh will guide her daughter, Aziza Noor Shaikh, in Kathak, a classical North Indian dance tradition.
Marcela Pablo Mendoza (left) with her daughter, Diana Pablo. Photo courtesy of the artists
Marcela Pablo Mendoza + Diana Pablo
Oakland, Alameda Co. + Oakland, Alameda Co.
Backstrap Weaving – Tchumj
Marcela Pablo Mendoza will teach her daughter, Diana Pablo, the traditional backstrap weaving of Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Guatemala, including how to weave a love-bird motif into a tchumj, or unfinished garment.
Eric Hollenbeck (left) and Nanette Corley display a poem written by Eric and printed on a 1909 pedal-powered letterpress printer by Nanette. Photo courtesy of the artists
Eric Hollenbeck + Nanette Corley
Eureka, Humboldt Co. + Eureka, Humboldt Co.
Victorian-era letterpress printing
Eric Hollenbeck will train Nanette Corley in the complete traditional workflow of Victorian-era letterpress printing.
Left: Alseny Soumah teaching at a dance class in the park. Photo: Alseny Soumah
Right: Marie Soumah performing in Rites of Passage, a youth dance program of Dimensions Dance Theater. Photo: Edward Miller Photography
Alseny Soumah + Marie Soumah
Oakland, Alameda Co. + Oakland, Alameda Co.
Traditional Guinean Dance
Alseny Soumah returns to the program to mentor his daughter, Marie Soumah, in traditional Guinean dance and the ceremonial, social, and historical context of each dance.
Left: Edrees Osman playing tabla. Photo courtesy of the artist
Right: Adeel Safi playing tabla. Photo courtesy of the artist
Edrees Osman + Adeel Safi
Sunnyvale, Santa Clara Co. + Hayward, Alameda Co.
Afghan Rhythm & Music
Edrees Osman will guide Adeel Safi in Afghan tabla (pair of hand drums), with a focus on the endangered Kharabati style from Kocheh Kharabat of Kabul, Afghanistan.
Left: Xochi Flores dancing at the 2025 FandangObon ecofest. Photo courtesy of the artist
Right: Alejandra singing at Son Del Sereno Collective’s 2023 Fandango De Flores. Photo: Lola Salgado
Xochi Flores + Alejandra Ocasio
Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co. + Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co.
Son Jarocho Zapateado
Xochi Flores returns to the program as a mentor to teach Alejandra Ocasio Son Jarocho zapateado, a traditional dance practice of southern Veracruz, Mexico.
Kiazi Malonga (left) and Matsoua Malonga. Photo courtesy of the artists
Kiazi Malonga + Matsoua Malonga
Oakland, Alameda Co. + East Palo Alto, San Mateo Co.
Kongolese Drum
Kiazi Malonga returns to the program to guide his nephew, Matsoua Malonga, in traditional Kongolese drumming, continuing the Malonga Casquelourd family’s cultural legacy.
Arjun Narayanan (right) and Ashvath Karthik practice playing the Mrundangam. Photo courtesy of the artists
Arjun Narayanan + Ashvath Karthik
Irvine, Orange Co. + La Palma, Orange Co.
South Asian Mrundangam
Mentor Arjun Narayanan will mentor apprentice Ashvath Karthik in advanced Carnatic mrudangam techniques, strengthening rhythmic precision, improvisation, tonal clarity, and accompaniment skills for vocal and instrumental performance.
Mary Cruz (right) and Mary Chepo gathering sticks at their culture burn. Photo courtesy of the artists
Mary Cruz (North Fork Mono) + Mary Chepo (North Fork Mono)
Hayward, Alameda Co. + North Fork, Madera Co.
North Fork Mono Basket Weaving – Shoe/Purse Basket
Mary Cruz will teach Mary Chepo how to create a traditional Mono shoe/purse basket in the tradition of Mono basket weaving.
Anuradha Suresh (left) and Akshaya Gopalakrishnan at the Cleveland Tyagaraja Festival 2025. Photo courtesy of the artists
Anuradha Suresh + Akshaya Gopalakrishnan
Fremont, Alameda Co. + Fremont, Alameda Co.
Kuttrala Kuravanji (Tamil Folk Music)
Anuradha Suresh returns to the program to guide Akshaya Gopalakrishnan in Kuttrala Kuravanji, a traditional Tamil music and dance-drama form that blends Carnatic music, folk melodies, poetry, storytelling, and devotional themes.
Left: Shoua Her. Photo courtesy of the artist
Right: Khew Her playing the qeej. Photo courtesy of the artist
Shoua Her + Khew Her
Merced, Merced Co. + Merced, Merced Co.
Qha Qeej (Hmong Instrument)
Shoua Her will mentor Khew Her in playing the qeej, a central instrument in Hmong cultural and ceremonial life.
Congratulations to our exceptional 26th Apprenticeship Program cohort!
The 2026 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, with additional support from the Kresge Foundation.
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