Stories + News

A portrait of Malcolm Margolin in Eureka, CA, 2018. Photo: S. Saraswat-Sullivan/ACTA. Our dear friend and ACTA co-founder, Malcolm Margolin, has passed. Malcolm, a tireless advocate for Native California culture and history, founded the celebrated Berkeley-based Heyday books in 1974, where he authored The Ohlone…

ACTA, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, JCOD, and mural workshop participants pose with certificates awarded by LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. Photo Credit: Monica Almeida. On August 21, 2025, ACTA proudly unveiled REDEEMED at the Antelope Valley D.O.O.R.S Community Reentry…

Caption A core part of ACTA’s mission is to create spaces where culture bearers, artists, and grassroots cultural organizations can be in dialogue about the traditional arts field, share resources, and learn from each other. Listening directly to the artists and practitioners we work with is a…

Building a national community of traditional artists rooted in culture, justice, and care

Haejin Bang drums in the Art Council Garden. Photo courtesy of the artist. This summer, in honor of LGBTQ Pride and Disability Pride Months, we’re proud to feature Haejin Bang (they/he) — Director of Cultural Arts & Base Building at the Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust (BVCLT) in Koreatown,…

Alma Cielo, Ofelia Esparza, and Rosanna Esparza-Ahrens clap at the Akwaaba Food Forest in June 2025. Photo: Calethia DeConto/ACTA. On Sunday, June 8, ACTA gathered with artists, neighbors, and culture bearers at Akwaaba Food Forest in Pasadena for Healing Through…

Gabriel Gonzalez with fellow ACTA Art Breaks In teaching artists open the Justice + Art Jam in Los Angeles in May 2025. Photo: S. Gray/ACTA. On May 24, ACTA proudly joined a dynamic lineup of nonprofits and cultural workers at Freewaves’ Justice + Art Jam…

We’re proud to highlight three pairs in our 2024 Apprenticeship Program, which concluded last month. Each of these three pairs is dedicated to preserving and passing on the art of basketweaving in Native California communities. These mentors not only serve as master weavers but also function as…

In the heart of Big Bar, in rural Trinity County in Northern California, the Nor Rel Muk Wintu Nation continues to deepen its connection to ancestral lands and traditions through the Wintu Educational and Cultural Council. Established by the tribe in 1961, the Council became a nonprofit in…

The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) is thrilled to announce the second year of the Taproot Fellowship, a project of ACTA’s Taproot Artists & Community Trust created to uplift culture bearers whose work is more vital than ever in confronting the social…