Amy Kitchener, Executive Director
(415) 346-8700
akitch@actaonline.org

Sherwood Chen, Associate Director
(415) 346-3800
sherwood@actaonline.org

Lily Kharrazi, Living Cultures Grants Program Manager
(415) 346-5200
lilyk@actaonline.org

Please note that the Alliance’s Fresno office contact information has not changed.

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Creating Compelling Work Samples – The Alliance’s Work Sample Laboratory

Sherwood Chen, Associate Director, Alliance for California Traditional Arts
Lily Kharrazi, LCGP Manager, Alliance for California Traditional Arts

The Alliance for California Traditional Arts launched its first ever Traditional Arts Roundtable Series in San Francisco last month. With support from the San Francisco Arts Commission Cultural Equity Program, this series is a free, participatory monthly gathering for folk, traditional, and tradition-based artists and arts advocates. Focusing on specific themes, these meetings offer opportunities to engage in discussion, networking, and technical assistance in order to develop localized, critical community amongst folk and traditional artists and their allies.

On February 10, 2008, the series opened with Work Sample Laboratory and Critiques, hosted by San Francisco independent media arts center Bay Area Video Coalition. Designed as a roundtable to discuss and the importance of work samples that are required for most grant applications for visual and performing artists, the session featured the viewpoints of three experienced professionals who have had a history of working with folk and traditional artists and who are seasoned in reviewing work samples themselves. The featured participants included Frances Phillips, Senior Program Officer of the Walter & Elise Haas Fund and Director of the Creative Work Fund; Kutay Derin Kugay, Program Director of Door Dog Music/San Francisco World Music Festival and host of KPFA’s weekly show Music of the World; and Rob Bailis, Director of ODC Theater.

Attended by a diverse range of attendees representing dance companies, cultural festival organizers, individual artists, and traditional arts nonprofits and cultural centers, a portion of the afternoon served as an open lab for participants to share examples of their own work samples, for discussion and feeback by other participants. Those who shared work samples included Gautam Tejas Ganeshan, Indian Carnatic musician and founder of the Sangati Center; videographer, photographer, and Guinean percussion student Rick Rocamora; Capoiera Institute of Berkeley; classical Cambodian dancer and filmmaker Prumsodun Ok; Japanese Cultural Fair of Santa Cruz; Voice of Roma; and Diamano Coura West African Dance Company.

Read more about the Alliance’s work sample laboratory, including recommendations for putting together work samples, on the Alliance’s website.

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Attention San Francisco Bay Area Folk, Traditional, and Tradition-Based Artists, Organizations, and Advocates!

The Alliance for California Traditional Arts launches its Traditional Arts Roundtable Series, a free, participatory monthly series of gatherings at various locations in San Francisco for folk, traditional, and tradition-based artists and arts advocates.

Sessions focus on specific themes and offer opportunities to engage in discussion, networking, and technical assistance in order to develop local, critical community amongst folk and traditional artists and their allies.

To receive announcements regarding the rest of this series, please contact us, call (415) 561-1562, or check for updates on our website. This pilot series is made possible with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission Cultural Equity Grants Program.

Join us for these upcoming sessions!

Ethnic and Mainstream Media Today

Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Time: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Location: ZeroDivide/Community Technology Foundation, 425 Bush Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94108

Description: With the “new” majority in California clearly not the classic mainstream, what resources are available in the media? How is this new America represented? How does media coverage help or hinder you and your work? This convening will invite media workers to discuss the changing and expanding field that is both of vital importance to artists who depend on publicity, as well as artists who wish to see coverage of ethnic America break the barrier of exotica. Space limited. Light dinner served. RSVP required.

Featured Participants:
Andrew Lam – Writer; Editor, New America Media
Samuel Orozco – Senior Producer, Radio Bilingüe (National Latino Public Radio Network)

Read more about upcoming Traditional Arts Roundtables on the Alliance’s website.

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Multiculturalism and Diversity in Community Arts Education

Chike Nwoffiah (left), Executive Director, Oriki Theater (MountainView, CA) and Liz Lerman, Founding Artistic Director, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange (Washington, DC). Photos courtesy of National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts

At the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts Conference in Los Angeles in November 2007, Keynote Speaker Chike Nwoffiah and National Guild Leadership Award Recipient Liz Lerman called for a paradigm shift in the way community arts education providers perceive art, education and their relationship to community. Their speeches focused on issues of diversity, multiculturalism and accessibility, and also our need to continue to examine new approaches to these issues. In a follow-up interview, National Guild’s Heather Stickeler reconnected with Nwoffiah and Lerman to discuss their perspectives in more detail. [This interview first appeared in GUILDNotes (Winter 2008), published by the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts. It is reposted with permission.]

Chike Nwoffiah is a member of the Alliance’s Board of Directors.

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The Alliance’s Traditional Arts Development Program makes contracts up to $1,500 to support consultancies, mentorships, and travel opportunities that foster a new level of growth for individual folk & traditional artists and organizations engaged in this field in California. Requested services may be focused on organizational, program, and/or artistic development goals. Individual artists and cultural practitioners, as well as organizations, whether incorporated or not, may apply.

A sampling of past contracts include:

Artistic Mentorships

Gen Taiko (San Francisco), an organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and presenting Japanese traditional arts including taiko (traditional Japanese drumming), traditional folk dance, and folk song forms. Its artistic director, Melody Takata, was trained by National Heritage Fellow Madame Fujima Kansuma to learn the Nihon Buyo (Japanese classical) dance called Kojo No Tsuki (Moonlit Castle Ruins). Ms. Takata taught the dance to four of her students and performed it at Gen Taiko’s 10th Anniversary Concert in November 2005.

Organizational Consultancies:

Kwashi Amevuvor (Los Angeles), a master drummer from Ghana, West Africa, worked with consultant Janet P***t, who assisted him with marketing and web design to develop professional promotional materials to publicize the work of the artist and the traditional cultural arts of Ghana. In addition, Ms. P***t’s consultancy supported Mr. Amevuvor’s efforts in organizing a cultural study tour of Ghana.

Travel Opportunities

The Eszterlánc Hungarian Folk Ensemble (Foster City) traveled to Southern California to perform for an audience of over two thousand at the annual Magyar Sajtónap (Hungarian Press Day) hosted by the newspaper California Hungarians. At this event Eszterlanc dancers had the opportunity to perform with members of the Karpatok Folk Ensemble of Southern California, which is led by Istvan Szabo.

Requests for organizational consultancies, artistic mentoring, and travel support may be submitted to the Alliance at any time.  Download the application and application instructions from the Alliance’s website or call (559) 237-9812 to request a copy be mailed to you.

The Alliance’s Traditional Arts Development Program is supported by grants from the California Arts Council, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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The Guitar Center Music Foundation

Deadline: Ongoing

The Guitar Center Music Foundation’s mission is to aid nonprofit music programs across America that offer music instruction so that more people can experience the joys of making music.

The Guitar Center Music Foundation accepts grant applications throughout the year from 501(c)(3) organizations that offer music instruction programs to participants of any age. The applicant program must successfully enhance the state of music education in the United States. The Grant Committee reviews all applications three times yearly, and grant awards range from $500 to $5,000.

For more information visit the Guitar Center Music Foundation’s website.

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Elaine Weissman L.A. Treasures Award

Deadline: Monthly
Restricted to Los Angeles County

The California Traditional Music Society (CTMS) and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) have announced the Elaine Weissman L.A. Treasures Awards 2007-2008 deadlines.  This program supports folk and traditional performing and visual artists with $1,000 in funds for two public performances, workshops or exhibits - one planned by the award recipient, another chosen by CTMS and DCA.

The Awards are named after Elaine Weissman, founder of CTMS and great promoter and supporter of folk and traditional arts, who passed away last year.

An average of three L.A. Treasures Awards are given each month. Application deadlines are the first of each month from November 2007 through April 2008. Applications must arrive in the CTMS office no later than these dates.

For more information, including guidelines and application forms, visit the California Traditional Music Society's website. If you would like a hard copy of the application sent to you, please contact Lisa Richardson at (818) 817-0094.

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Grants for Arts Projects—Access to Artistic Excellence
National Endowment for the Arts

Deadline – March 10, 2008

Access to Artistic Excellence grants are designed to encourage and support artistic excellence, preserve our cultural heritage, and provide access to the arts for all Americans. Support is available to organizations for projects that do one or more of the following:

• Provide opportunities for artists to create, refine, perform, and exhibit their work.
• Present artistic works of all cultures and periods.
• Preserve significant works of art and cultural traditions.
• Enable arts organizations and artists to expand and diversify their audiences.
• Provide opportunities for individuals to experience and participate in a wide range of art forms and activities.
• Enhance the effectiveness of arts organizations and artists.
• Employ the arts in strengthening communities.

The National Endowment for the Arts is particularly interested in projects that extend the arts to underserved populations – those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. An organization may request a grant amount from $5,000 to $150,000.

For more information, including guidelines and instructions to apply, visit the National Endowment for the Arts’ website.

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Common Ground
First Nations Initiative
American Composers Forum

Deadline – April 1, 2008

The First Nations Composer Initiative, a program of the American Composers Forum, is dedicated to serving the needs of American Indian/Alaska Native/First Nations/Indigenous makers of new music throughout Indian Country.  The initiative's new granting program, Common Ground, will support activities that boost Indigenous creative musicians, such as commissions, residencies, performance and production, travel/study, and outreach.

Common Ground is open to Indigenous makers of new music: composers, performers, groups, sound artists, songwriters, etc.  Native Artists must be a documented affiliate of a United States and/or Canadian Tribe/Indigenous Community and committed to building the strength of Native communities by sharing their skills and talents with others.  The program seeks to award grants to varied artists from the many genres of music represented in Indian Country, and from diverse Indigenous cultures.

Individual awards will range from $500 to $7,500. Grants are designed to give an immediate financial boost to composers, performers, and other makers of new music at a time when this help would have a significant career-enhancing effect.

For more information, visit the Composers Forum’s website.

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Native American Arts & Cultural Traditions
Cultural Equity Grants
San Francisco Arts Commission

Deadline – April 1, 2008

The San Francisco Arts Commission is making available special one-time grants to support the broad range of cultural traditions and contemporary artistic disciplines practiced by the Native American artists and communities in San Francisco. Cultural Equity Grants and the Arts Commission believe that artists are innovators and leaders in ways of bringing people and ideas together, as catalysts for change, and as storytellers and chroniclers of untold histories. Grants will support projects guided by strong and capable Native American leadership, and for which there is resonance within communities. The goals of the grants are to:

• Provide opportunities for artistic exploration and growth for Native American artists who are working in a wide spectrum of rich cultural traditions and contemporary artistic expressions;
• Seed or strengthen systems that support Native American artists; and
• Support arts, cultural and educational activities that bring together artists with communities and audiences.

For more information, including guidelines and application forms, visit the San Francisco Arts Commission’s website.

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Artists’ Resource for Completion
The Durfee Foundation

Deadline: April 29, 2008
Restricted to Los Angeles County

The Durfee Foundation’s Artists' Resource for Completion grants provide rapid, short-term assistance to individual artists in Los Angeles County who wish to enhance work for a specific, imminent opportunity that may significantly benefit their careers. Artists in any discipline are eligible to apply. The applicant must already have secured an invitation from an established arts organization to present the proposed work. The work must be scheduled for presentation within six months of the application deadline. Applications are reviewed quarterly.

Grants of up to $3,500 will support purchase or rental of materials, equipment, or space to complete work already scheduled for a specific event – an exhibition, performance, publication, reading, etc; auxiliary travel or shipping associated with the proposed event; and stipends/fees for collaborating artists (performers, designers, etc.) whose participation would expand or enhance the proposed work.

The Foundation is especially interested in encouraging applications from traditional artists. Previous grants have supported such artists and projects as:

• Malathi Iyengar – for costs related to the performance of the Ramayana at a dance festival in India
• Norma Navarro – for costs related to the exhibition of the artist's carved gourds at Plaza de la Raza in Los Angeles
• Jesus Guzman – for costs related to a performance of by Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano in Los Angeles

For more information, including guidelines and application forms, visit the Durfee Foundation's website.

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Margaret McKinney Folk & Traditional Arts Fellowship
Arts Council for Long Beach

Restricted to Long Beach
Deadline – May 6, 2008

The Arts Council for Long Beach has announced a call for 2008-09 folk and traditional arts fellowship applications. The Margaret McKinney Folk and Traditional Arts Fellowship honors one Long Beach-based folk and traditional artist or group each year. These awards recognize exemplary folk and traditional arts work. Awards are based on artistic merit.

Applicants must reside or be based in Long Beach and be an active folk or traditional arts artist or group. Projects or programs must be performed or exhibited within the City of Long Beach.

It is anticipated that one fellowship in the range of $500 to $1,500 will be awarded to one individual or one folk/traditional group during the 2008-09 grant cycle.

For more information visit the Arts Council for Long Beach’s website or contact Emiko Ono, Director of Grants, at (562) 432-5100 ext. 236 or via email.

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Challenge America: Reaching Every Community
National Endowment for the Arts

Deadline – June 2, 2008

Challenge America: Reaching Every Community grants are for support, primarily to small and mid-sized organizations, of projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations – those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Grants are for $10,000.

For more information, including guidelines and instructions to apply, visit the National Endowment for the Arts’ website.

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Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth
National Endowment for the Arts

Deadline – June 9, 2008

Learning in the Arts grants are designed to advance arts education for children and youth in school-based or community-based settings. This category supports in-depth, curriculum-based arts education experiences that occur over an extended period. Projects must provide participatory learning and engage students with skilled artists, teachers, and excellent art. All projects must include the following components: 1) the opportunity for students and their teachers to experience exemplary works of art, in live form wherever possible; 2) study of the art experienced including the acquisition of skills for practicing the art form where appropriate; 3) the performance/making of art within the discipline(s) studied; and 4) assessment of student learning according to national or state arts education standards.

For more information, including guidelines and instructions to apply, visit the National Endowment for the Arts’ website.

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Opportunities & Resources

Unlocking the Puzzle: Creating a Marketing Plan

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
9:00 am – 12:30 pm
San Francisco Foundation
225 Bush Street
San Francisco, California

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
2:00 pm – 5:30 pm
East Bay Center for Philanthropy
Frank Ogawa Plaza
Oakland, California

Thursday, March 27, 2008
9:30 am – 1:00 pm
Theatre on San Pedro Square
29 N. San Pedro Street, Suite 200
San Jose, California

Join marketing strategists Julie Peeler and Nancy Hytone Leb for this free workshop to help you lay the groundwork for crafting an effective and efficient marketing plan for your organization. Seminar leaders Julie Peeler and Nancy Hytone Leb, who together have over thirty years of marketing experience, will share strategies for creating a step-by-step planning process, using market research techniques, and crafting a powerful brand identity. You will leave the workshop with a greater understanding of how to connect your programming to larger audiences that will appreciate your work.

The seminar presenters will utilize exercises, case studies from the arts world, and the National Arts Marketing Project’s latest consumer research to illustrate the impact better marketing can have on artists and arts organizations.

Attendees are eligible for scholarships to attend other national marketing workshops.

For more information, or to RSVP (required), visit Theater Bay Area’s website.

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CounterPULSE’s Boot Camp for Artists

Mondays, April 14, 2008 through May 19, 2008
6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
CounterPULSE
1310 Mission @ 9th Street
San Francisco, California

Whether you're a choreographer who's self-producing for the first time, a director who's ready to expand your company, an experienced artist looking to brush up on skills, or a performer looking to get a part-time job in arts administration, this crash course will give you the skills you need to kick-start your career.  Each session includes two 3-hour session of hands-on instruction.  Sign up for the entire series and receive a half hour of individual consultation for free.

Session I
Getting the Money – Grantwriting and Fundraising
April 14 & 21

Session II
Getting Attention – Marking & Publicity
April 28 & May 5

Session III
The Show – Production
May 12 & 19

Cost: $250 for the series or $100 per session.  Early registration discount of 10% if registered by February 15, 2008.

Space is limited.  Advanced registration is required.  Contact CounterPULSE at (415) 626-2060 or via email to register.

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Online Training Courses to Master Proposal Writing

The Foundation Center hosts several online training courses in proposal writing. The Statement of Need helps novice or inexperienced grantseekers master a critical component of proposal writing – preparing a statement of need. The Project Description is an in-depth look into the preparation and writing of the project description section of a proposal. The Budget demystifies the preparation of the project budget included in funding proposals. The Comprehensive Course is a thorough, step-by-step guide to preparing an effective proposal for foundation support, covering every section of the proposal. The courses include interactive exercises and assignments, case studies, a final exam, and a printable certificate of completion. Lessons can be taken at any pace, and can be reviewed often. For more information visit the Foundation Center’s website.

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FEATURES

What's New

Funding

Events

Opportunities & Resources

ABOUT ACTA

The Alliance for California Traditional Arts strives to "ensure California's future holds California's past" by providing programs and services to support the state's diverse living cultural heritage. The Alliance cultivates the growth of traditional arts and culture through Stewardship, Services to Artists, and Connection-Making.

Support ACTA

CONTACT ACTA

Website:
http://www.actaonline.org

Staff:
Amy Kitchener, Executive
Director
akitch@actaonline.org
559.237.9813

Sherwood Chen, Associate Director
sherwood@actaonline.org
415.346.3800

Lily Kharrazi, Living Cultures Grants Program Manager
lilyk@actaonline.org
415.346.5200

Suzanne Hildebrand, Administrative Coordinator
The New Moon Editor stoler@actaonline.org
559.237.9812

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Robert Arroyo, V.P. of Finance & Administration
Retired Instructor of Political Science & Chicano/Latino Studies, Fresno City College;
Retired Administrator, Fresno City College
Kingsburg, CA

Melanie Beene
Executive Director, Community Initiative Funds
San Francisco Foundation
San Francisco, CA

Jo Farb Hernandez, Secretary
Director, Natalie and James Thompson Art Gallery, School of Art and Design, San Jose State University
Principal, Curatorial and Museum Management Services
Watsonville, CA

Joel Jacinto,
Executive Director, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans
Los Angeles, CA

Sojin Kim, Ph.D.
Curator, Japanese American National Museum
Los Angeles, CA

Amy Kitchener (ex officio)
Executive Director, ACTA
Fresno, CA

Frank LaPena
Professor Emeritus, American Indian Studies, CSU Sacramento;
Traditional Maidu dance master; Visual Visual Artist
Sacramento, CA

Malcolm Margolin
Founder and Publisher, Heyday Books
Executive Director, Heyday Institute
Berkeley , CA

Libby Maynard
Co-founder and Executive Director, Ink People Center for the Arts
Eureka, CA 

Chike Nwoffiah, V.P. of External Development
Executive Director, Oriki Theatre
Mountain View, CA

Peter Pennekamp, Executive Director
Humboldt Area Foundation
Bayside, CA

Charlie Seemann, Board President
Executive Director, Western Folklife Center
Elko, NV

Daniel Sheehy, Ph.D.
V.P. of Governance
CEO, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Washington, D.C.

Deborah Wong, Ph.D.
Professor of Music
University of California, Riverside

Honorary

Bess Lomax Hawes
Retired Former Director, Folk & Traditional Arts Program, National Endowment for the Arts
Woodland Hills, CA

FUNDERS

THE COLUMBIA FOUNDATION

EVENTS

Mi Coche – My Culture: Livin’ the Lowrider Lifestyle

Kumeyaay: Indigenous People of Southern California

The San Francisco Guzheng Music Society Youth Ensemble

Collage des Cultures Africaines

Bay Area Flamenco Partnership Presents Juan del Gastor

World Festival of Sacred Music Presents L.A.’s Emerging Voices

23rd Annual Jewish Music Festival

Lian Ensemble in Concert

Radio Bilingüe’s 26th Annual ¡Viva el Mariachi! Festival

International Roma Day Celebration

8th Biennial Language is Life Conference

Lian Ensemble in Concert

Ballet Folklorico Quetzalli

23rd Annual Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair & Parade

Get your personalized plate.
Proceeds from the plate sales will benefit the California Arts Council (CAC).

To subscribe to the weekly CAC Update, please visit their website.