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ACTA

@caltradarts

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Since 1997, the Alliance for California Traditional Arts supports cultural traditions so they thrive now and into the future. 🤲🏽🌱
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Three days. One Valley. Endless traditions. 🌄✨ Thank you for gathering with us, Central Valley! The Great Valley Gathering was an incredible celebration of the music, dance, storytelling, craft, and foodways that shape California's Central Valley. Our event brought together Indigenous, immigrant, occupational, and sacred traditions, carried by the artists and culture bearers who keep them alive. To every artist, culture bearer, volunteer, partner, and neighbor who showed up: you made this gathering what it was. 💛 Swipe for moments from the weekend. 1. Great Valley Cypher Participants. Photo: Juan Velvez 2. Participants of the West African Drumming Workshop, led by @donte_and_shar. Photo: Juan Velvez 3. Luis Jovel teaches a festivalgoer about custom bootmaking. Photo: Manny Chavez 4. Bounseung Synanonh leads Lao music ensemble Sieng Khaen Lao. Photo: Juan Velvez 5. @los_fresnanitos lead festivalgoers in a fandaguito. Photo: Manny Chavez 6. Los Originarios del Plan and Los Morales at their workshop, “Playing Regional Mexican Musics.” Photo: Juan Velvez 7. @adamperez22’ photo installation. Photo: Juan Velvez 8. Jennifer Bates (Northern Sierra Mewuk) beside her portrait, “Jennifer Bates (Northern Sierra Mewuk), Oakland Big Time, 1996” by Dugan Aguilar (Mountain Maidu/Pit River/Walker River Paiute), which was displayed by our Native Ways and Practicing Native Ways areas of the gathering. Photo: Juan Velvez 9. Our Danza de los Diablos, which involved multiple Diablos groups and invited festivalgoers to join in the dance and closing procession. Photo: Juan Velvez 10. For our closing, festivalgoers join in a Rabbit Dance, led by father-daughter pair Marvin Marine (Mountain Maidu) and Mandy Macias (Western Mono/Mtn. Maidu/Ohlone). Produced by @caltradarts. Learn more about the Alliance for California Traditional Arts at actaonline.org. #GreatValleyGathering #ElGranConvivioDelValle #ACTA by @caltradarts
We loved seeing our Taproot Fellows at this year's @tucsonmeetyourself festival! Manuel Delgado of @delgadoguitars introduced us to his family, some of whom have been attending the festival for decades. We got to meet his two daughters, the fourth generation of Delgados to carry on the family's Old World Luthier tradition. Closing out Friday night was Gertie Lopez (Tohono O’odham), leading Gertie N. The T. O. Boys (@gertientheboyz) , a band that performs old-time traditional Tohono O’odham music or “waila,” a blend of Norteño, cumbia, and polka sounds. Her show was an incredible closing act for Day 1 of the festival, and we were lucky enough to get "Queen of Waila" buttons after we said hello! The Taproot Fellowship offers support and recognition for accomplished traditional artists and culture bearers across the United States and Territories. This national fellowship awards $50,000 to artists and an additional $10,000 for Fellows to invest in a community-focused project. With Fellows in 24 states, D.C., and 3 Territories, we never know who we’ll run into next. Moments like these are why we do this work: celebrating artists who carry their traditions forward 🌿 by @caltradarts
🦋 TOMORROW! 🦋 Join us for our Todos Somos Artivistas Workshop, “Planting Seeds: Building Altar Elements for Land Justice and Social Housing.” Last week, our workshop facilitators, @caltradarts fellow artists, and our @shg1970 and Eastside LEADS Youth Artivist Interns, came together to demo our workshop on foil embossing and paper flower making, bringing together our multi-generational artists. 🌱🫂 ⭐️ All creations made at our workshop will be displayed at our community Day of the Dead altar honoring our land and human ancestors who encourage us to continue our fight to achieve social housing and create equitable communities. ⭐️ 📆 Tuesday, October 27th | 4:30 – 6:30 PM 📍Legacy LA | 1350 N. San Pablo, Los Angeles, CA 90033 ✨No registration required! Free! For all ages! Food provided! Raffles! Facilitated by 2026 Eastside LEADS x Self Help Graphics Youth Artivists Maya Garcia-Luis, Keiko Utsumi, and Tony Valentino, with ACTA artists Rosanna Esparza Ahrens, Ofelia Esparza, Luz Marlene Cordero, Mayra Simons, Juana Mena, and Federico Zúñiga. by @caltradarts
And we're back! Check out some upcoming funding opportunities for California traditional artists & culture bearers, from @smc_artsandculture @doanfoundation @culture_la @theatrebayareasf @asianculturalcouncil @1stpeoplesfund @neaarts @cci_arts 📸 Devendra Sharma’s Sāngīt-Nautanki Opera Ensemble. Photo courtesy of the artist by @caltradarts
The very first Great Valley Gathering, part of this year's "Of the People: Smithsonian Festival of Festivals" initiative, celebrated California’s living cultural heritage. 🌳 This inaugural gathering was produced by the Fresno-headquartered Alliance for California Traditional Arts (@caltradarts) and planned as a space of, by and for the Central Valley—offering a dedicated venue to celebrate local communities while welcoming visitors from across the state. While the Central Valley is essential to the nation as an agricultural powerhouse, it remains far less recognized as a vibrant, vital epicenter of the state's living cultural heritage. The event brought together eight @NEAarts Heritage Fellows and other local artists who exemplify the creativity and deep-rooted artistic traditions nurtured within and connected to the Valley. We still have more festivals to collaborate with in the Festival of Festivals—see where we're headed next at the link in bio. Photos by Sonya Pencheva, #RinzlerArchives #2026Folklife #OfThePeople2026 by @caltradarts
@varunrpraman @caltradarts #mridangam 🪘recital last week was a true musical homage to our guru Sri. Guruvayur Dorai 🙏🏾❤️ Landing on the same day as our guru’s funeral puja in Chennai, Varun’s recital was the culmination of a year long Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) grant to study advanced mridangam compositions, techniques, and improvisation of Dorai Sir and our Pudukottai lineage. His recital was a continuation of our lineage & #carnaticmusic to the next generation. Varun is one of the most dedicated & passionate students I’ve taught. He took a whole year off from his work to dive deep into his mridangam (and drum set) studies. We explored musical masterpieces handed down over 6+ generations. His recital included an extended mridangam/khanjira/konnakol drum solo, concert pieces, and w/ bharatanatyam dance. Huge thanks to his amazing collaborators @musicalsindhu 🎙️@karnatik_kitta 🎻@nitnaras 💃🏽 for supporting him in this milestone, and for so many months before. His recital w/ our community of Bay Area professional Indian artists is a testament to Dorai Sir’s legacy, bridging generations of traditional knowledge to the contemporary world, and helping it take root in new spaces and communities. 📸 @hari.n.iyer #indianclassicalmusic #percussion #rohanrhythmpercussionstudio by @caltradarts
🌱🏘️ What can environmental justice and social housing themes teach us about our collective fight for more equitable communities? Join the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (@caltradarts) and our Eastside LEADS X Self Help Graphics and Art 2026 Youth Artivists for our community art workshop on foil embossing and paper flower making rooted in Día de los Muertos altar traditions. We will reflect on themes of environmental justice, social housing, memory, and community care through the making of our foil embossed creations and cempasúchil paper flowers. 💐 Participant artwork will be displayed in our community altar honoring human, land, and natural ancestors at Self Help Graphics & Art’s (@shg1970) 53rd Annual Dia de Los Muertos Celebration. This community altar will reflect on the environmental disasters that have impacted our communities, such as the Lineage Fire in Boyle Heights, and the importance of caring for the land we call home. 🦋🫂 📆 Tuesday, October 27th | 4:30 – 6:30 PM 📍Legacy LA | 1350 N. San Pablo, Los Angeles, CA 90033 ✨No registration required! Free! For all ages! Food provided! Raffles! Facilitated by 2026 Eastside LEADS x Self Help Graphics Youth Artivists Maya Garcia-Luis, Keiko Utsumi, and Tony Valentino, with ACTA artists Rosanna Esparza Ahrens, Ofelia Esparza, Luz Marlene Cordero, Mayra Simons, Juana Mena, and Federico Zúñiga. 🌱🏘️ ¿Qué nos pueden enseñar la justicia ambiental y la vivienda social sobre nuestra lucha colectiva por lograr comunidades más equitativas? Únete a la Alianza para las Artes Tradicionales de California (@caltradarts) y al grupo 2026 de «jóvenes artivistas» (Youth Artivists) de Eastside LEADS y Self Help Graphics and Art, en un taller de arte comunitario centrado en el repujado en lámina metálica y la elaboración de flores de papel, inspirados en las tradiciones de los altares del Día de los Muertos. Reflexionaremos sobre temas como la justicia ambiental, la vivienda social, la memoria y el cuidado comunitario mientras creamos piezas de lámina repujada y flores de papel tipo cempasúchil. 💐 Las obras creadas por los participantes formarán parte de un altar comunitario dedicado a honrar a nuestros a by @caltradarts
Thank you to our Great Valley Gathering sponsors, whose generous support helped make this inaugural event possible! Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage @smithsonianfolklife The Kresge Foundation @thekresgefoundation James B. McClatchy Foundation @jbmcclatchy City of Fresno's Measure P Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Fresno Unified School District @fresnounified California Arts Council @calartscouncil Radio Bilingüe @radiobilingue Price Paige & Company @pricepaigeandco Supervisor Luis Chavez @supervisorluischavez County of Fresno @fresnocounty_ca City of Fresno @cityoffresno Downtown Fresno Partnership @downtownfresno Paz Dermatology @pazdermatology Councilmember Miguel Arias miguelariasd3 Vallarta Supermarkets @vallarta.supermarkets Trader Joe's @traderjoes #greatvalleygathering #elgranconviviodelvalle by @caltradarts
Thank you to our Community Partners for helping make the Great Valley Gathering happen! Arte Américas @arteamericas Association of Lao-American Professionals and Students (ALPS) California Humanities @california_humanities California Arts Council @calartscouncil Community Center for the Arts & Technology @ccatfresno Chinatown Fresno Foundation @chinatownfresno Fresno Immigrant and Refugee Ministries @firmunity Fresno City & County Historical Society @fresnohistory The Fresno Center @thefresnocenter Fresno Folklore Society @fresnofolkloresociety Laotian American Community of Fresno @lacfresno Mexican Heritage Center Radio Bilingüe @radiobilingue Taste of Freedom Project @tasteoffreedom_2025 United Khmer Cultural Preservation @ukcp.fresno #greatvalleygathering #elgranconviviodelvalle by @caltradarts
A great weekend sharing Punjabi culture at the Great Valley Gathering! Two of our teams had the opportunity to take the stage and showcase Bhangra. We also hosted a Bhangra workshop, inviting community members to join us, learn some moves, and experience Bhangra firsthand 🕺🏽 A huge thank you to ACTA (Alliance for California Traditional Arts) for hosting the Great Valley Gathering and creating a space for so many cultures and living traditions from across the Central Valley to come together and be celebrated. @caltradarts Proud of all of our dancers for representing GHG and Punjabi culture with pride ❤️ 📸 Special shoutout to our very own GHG student, Simarta Kaur, for capturing these amazing moments! #GHGBhangra #Bhangra #GreatValleyGathering by @caltradarts
Still time to make it to the Great Valley Gathering at Courthouse Park! ✨ by @caltradarts
🚨 MI GENTE TOMORROW IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! 🚨 @caltradarts @adamperez22 If you haven’t made it to the Great Valley Gathering in Downtown Fresno, tomorrow—Sunday, October 4—is your last chance! 🙌🏽 This FREE celebration at Courthouse Park brings together the music, food, stories, traditions and people that make our Central Valley so special. ❤️🌾 One of the exhibits that really caught my attention is by Adam Perez, a Central Valley-born photographer and filmmaker who uses his art to highlight the faces and stories of our farmworkers and cultural bearers. 📸🌾 Come see the portraits, meet the artists, eat some amazing food and celebrate the incredible diversity of our Valley! 📍 Courthouse Park | Downtown Fresno 📅 Sunday, October 4 ⏰ 11 AM–6 PM 🎟️ FREE! Don’t miss it—this is the LAST DAY! 👏🏽 #GreatValleyGathering #Fresno #DowntownFresno #CentralValley #FresnoEvents by @caltradarts

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