Xochi Flores plays the jarana at the Library on Congress in Washington D.C. on September 11, 2014.  Photo: Quetzal Flores 

ACTA Highlights Soneros Californianos in the Nation's Capital

By Russell Rodríguez, Program Manager

Earlier this month, ACTA presented an ensemble of six soneros (practitioners of Son Jarocho, a music tradition from Veracruz, Mexco) in Washington D.C., as part of the annual Homegrown Music Series produced by the Libarary of Congress's American Folklife Center, in coordination with the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.  We invite you to experience their beautiful performance.

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Photo courtesy of Heather Klein

From Mariah Carey to the Zingeray: An Artist's Journey to Yiddish Song

By Heather Klein

Heather Klein of San Francisco is an active culture bearer of Yiddish music and language.  She received a contract from ACTA's Development Program earlier this year to attend the Sholom Aleichem Cultural Center in the Bronx, New York, to sing for its Yiddish cultural festival and to meet with other artists and scholars of Eastern European Jews who are the last of their generation.  We are pleased to share her first-person narrative.

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Ramon "Chunky" Sanchez, National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow, performed at ACTA's Roundtable Series on September 4, 2014. Photo: ACTA

Vibrant San Diego: ACTA's Roundtable Series

By Lily Kharrazi, Program Manager

This month, ACTA's Roundtable convened in San Diego - welcoming artists, organizations, community arts partners and activists to meet one another, share the art of NEA Heritage Fellow, Ramon "Chunky" Sanchez, celebrate and honor the work of longtime arts activist Josie Talamantez, share food, and discuss issues of common interest.  We invite you to learn more and view a video of Chunky's performance.

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Apprentice Alberto Lopez (left) with master artist Eduardo Martínez Arvilla during one of their lessons in Afro-Colombian drum rhythms.  Photo: Russell Rodríguez

Thank You! :: $10,865 Raised for ACTA's Apprenticeship Program

Thanks to the generosity of 50 individual donors, ACTA raised $10,865 for its Apprenticehsip Program, exceeding our goal of $8,000!  Thank you for helping ensure the continuation of cultural traditions in California!

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Creative Work Fund Invites Letters of Inquiry from Traditional Artists

The Creative Work Fund - which makes grants to artists creating new works in collaboration with nonprofit organizations - is inviting letters of inquiry from traditional artists living in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Deadline: October 17, 2014

What's for Dinner?: Bringing Racial Equity to the Table for Emerging Arts Administrators 
Workshop: October 18, 2014

ArtPlace America's National Grants Program 
Deadline: November 3, 2014 

Surdna Foundation's RFP for Artists Engaging in Social Change
The James Irvine's Exploring Engagement Fund