Browse feature stories highlighting the work of California’s traditional artists and communities and check out the latest news from ACTA.
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November 25, 2025
Canciones del San Joaquín, a New Limited-Edition Vinyl Album from ACTA
Celebrando nuestros compositores y cantores del valle Canciones del San Joaquín reúne diez canciones originales escritas por artistas que viven, trabajan y crean en el Valle Central de California. A través de géneros musicales como chilenas, mariachi, norteño, arpa grande,…
November 25, 2025
A Dream in Motion: Adrienne Benjamin’s Children’s Book Will Bring the Jingle Dress Story to a New Generation
ACTA Taproot Fellow and Anishinaabe culture bearer, Adrienne Benjamin, tells me about her Taproot community grant project by starting with a story: Darcie Big Bear (Left), Adrienne Benjamin, Taliya Benjamin, and Kim Big Bear at the Iskigamizigan Annual Pow Wow in Mille Lacs,…
November 24, 2025
Listening as Care: Las Damas del Valle
GIVE TODAY Join ACTA in listening, transforming, and learning as care Enter Las Damas del Valle. Las Damas del Valle—Sofia Plummer, Saira Aldaco, and Yadira Lucatero—are three young women from Porterville, Woodville, and Tulare…
October 30, 2025
Somos de donde son nuestros padres: Polifonías migrantes desde el Valle de San Joaquín
Click here to read this article in English. El pasado 19 de septiembre tuve el honor de participar en el V Congreso Internacional sobre Violencias en las Migraciones, organizado por la Secretaría de Desarrollo Institucional de la UNAM, la ENES Morelia UNAM, el Proyecto Interdisciplinario de Interacción…
October 30, 2025
We Are From Where Our Parents Are From: Migrant Polyphonies from California’s San Joaquin Valley
Visite esta página en Español aquí. On September 19, I had the honor of participating in the 5th International Conference on Violence in Migration, organized by the Secretaría de Desarrollo Institucional (Office for Institutional Development, UNAM), ENES Morelia UNAM, the Interdisciplinary Project for Social Interaction and…
October 29, 2025
Reflections from an Artist Gathering in Berkeley: Listening, Sharing, and Building Collective Agency
For nearly three decades, the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) has led the field in lifting up the artists, cultural practitioners, and communities that sustain California’s living traditions. Through its statewide network and programs, ACTA creates spaces where artists can exchange knowledge, build solidarity, and shape the…
September 28, 2025
Remembering Malcolm Margolin, 1940-2025
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…
August 20, 2025
Convening with Culture Bearers: Reflections from the Living Cultures and Apprenticeship Gathering in LA
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,…
