Living Cultures grantee Del Harrison performs at Del's Juke Joint, a variety show by and for African Americans, at Emmy Lu Art Gallery in Beverly Hills. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Celebrating Black History Month with our culture bearers

Shining a light on three of our 2024 Living Cultures grantees

February is Black History Month, and here at ACTA, we're thrilled to shine a spotlight on the rich tapestry of Black and African tradition and artistic expression in California. We're proud to introduce you to three incredible Black artists and culture bearers who received our Living Cultures grant this year, part of our largest cohort of grantees yet! Join us in celebrating their contributions to California's vibrant and diverse cultural landscape!

Another Level Training Academy

The art of hair braiding holds a special place within the African American community, symbolizing heritage, identity, and creativity. Another Level Training Academy (ALTA) in Fresno, led by expert braider Nia Hodge, teaches Black youth and young professionals the traditional art form of braiding. Through ALTA, participants not only learn the intricate techniques of braiding but also gain valuable entrepreneurship skills and a deeper understanding of cultural heritage.

Photo courtesy of the artist.

Del's Juke Joint

Del's Juke Joint is a dynamic community variety show and jam session, where laughter, music, and storytelling converge to celebrate the richness of Black culture. From clean comedy to live music, poetry, and historical insights, every moment is a tribute to resilience and creativity. Held in Black-owned venues across Los Angeles, Del's Juke Joint pays homage to the legacy of the 'juke joint' tradition — spaces where enslaved and free African Americans would meet to hear live music, storytelling, dance and connect as a community.

Photo courtesy of the artist.

Makeda Kumasi

Dancer, musician, and storyteller Makeda Kumasi is on a tour of Urban Djali, a multimedia performance featuring live musicians, dancers, and video projections. Urban Djali centers traditional West African dance and music in a reflective journey of racial inequalities, domestic insecurities, and spiritual rejuvenation. Makeda works to fill the void of Pan-African art in California communities, serving racially and socioeconomically diverse families who lack access to opportunities for cultural expression.

Photo courtesy of the artist.

The Living Cultures Grant Program is a program of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) and is generously supported by the California Arts Council, a state agency, with additional support from William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Walter and Elise Haas Fund.

Mentor artist Corey Chan at a site visit in 2016. Corey mentored Jeff Lee in the construction of the Big-Headed Buddha Mask of the Chinese Lion dance tradition. Photo by ACTA.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Corey Chan keeps the tradition of Chinese lion dance alive

Gong Hei Fat Choy, and Happy Lunar New Year! Did you know that the Chinese lion dance, often seen at Lunar New Year parades, symbolizes good luck and prosperity? It's a captivating performance where two dancers animate the lion's head and body, accompanied by musicians playing drums, cymbals, and a gong, along with a performer portraying the Big-Headed Buddha.

Meet Corey Chan, an esteemed lion dancer and martial artist deeply involved in preserving this tradition. Over the past 30 years, Corey has dedicated himself to mastering the construction and reconstruction of lion heads and traditional masks. He's studied under renowned lion craftsmen in China, including Master Wok and Master Wu.

As a three-time mentor artist in our Apprenticeship Program, Corey has shared his expertise in mask construction, performance, and lion head repair, ensuring the continuity of this rich cultural heritage in San Francisco and beyond.

Check out an interview with Corey Chan from our friends at Craft in America below!



Malik DOPE performing his unique style of drum and dance "WAE-Work" at the summit. Photo: Shutterstock for National Endowment for the Arts.

Affirming the power of the arts to heal, bridge, and thrive with White House leadership

ACTA's Amy Kitchener shares her experience

On January 30, I had the immense privilege of representing ACTA at the historic "Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities." Co-hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts and the White House Domestic Policy Council, this groundbreaking event illuminated the profound impact of the arts on community development and public health.

Participating in this summit was not only an honor but a reaffirmation of ACTA's commitment to harnessing the power of the arts to fundamentally change society. Throughout the day, we explored initiatives that integrated the arts into public infrastructure, emphasizing the essential role of the arts in fostering community healing, democracy, and equity.

NEA announced a new $5M national initiative to support Arts and Health

The summit brought together a diverse range of voices including government officials, artists, academics, and community leaders. For those who missed the live stream or wish to revisit specific discussions, the summit's archival video is available below.

A highlight was hearing the eloquent and inspiring fireside chat between the Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Dr. Vivek H. Murthy and NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson (and former ACTA board member). I’m imagining one day not long from now, when Dr. Vivek could issue a health advisory that says “the Arts are vital to one’s health and wellbeing.”

ACTA initiated our Arts and Health direction in 2008 when we commissioned health researchers at UC Davis to study the potential impacts of traditional arts practitioners by ACTA’s Apprenticeship and Living Cultures Grants participants. The briefing about this study, Weaving Traditional Arts into the Fabric of Community Health, was visionary at the time – and affirmed what culture bearers and traditional artists have long known about the power of practicing living cultural heritage on community health and wellbeing. Since then, we have mounted over a decade of model programs impacting health equity.

Fifteen years ago, I could not have imagined this day where we heard the White House Domestic Policy Council extoling the critical impacts of arts and culture. Please join me in congratulating Chair Maria Rosario Jackson on her extraordinary leadership. We believe this is an exciting moment for culture bearers and their communities to be recognized and supported for their roles in tending the taproot of community knowledge and care.