As part of the Sounds of California Festival, ACTA will be debuting a new microsite dedicated to the community-driven collection of sounds and stories that form the core of this program.

We are launching with material from the Boyle Heights cycle of Sounds of California, and will be adding archival material from previous program cycles dating back to 2015. Keep an eye out for this new resource in the days to come!

President Joseph R. Biden nominated Maria Rosario Jackson, Ph.D., of Los Angeles as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). She will be the nation’s first African American and Mexican American to be appointed as NEA chair. Dr. Jackson has served on ACTA's board for nearly a decade, where she has been an unwavering advocate for the culture bearers of California and the nation.

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings released Kulintang Kultura: Danongan Kalanduyan and Gong Music of the Philippine Diaspora on October 1. The special two-disc collection pays homage to the late Danongan "Danny" Kalanduyan, a talented musician and generous teacher who championed traditional Filipino kulintang gong music in the United States, as well as the music and musicians of the Philippine diaspora who have incorporated traditional Kulintang influences into rock, hip-hop, electronic, and other genres. Kulintang Kultura is the next release in Smithsonian Folkways' Asian Pacific America Series. Listen to a sample

ACTA is proud to have supported the work of Danny Kalanduyan through the years. Danny was a mentor artist in ACTA's inaugural Apprenticeship Program cycle in 2000—he would go on to serve as a mentor artist in 2013 and 2007 in addition to being a featured artist in ACTA's first Sounds of California concert at the Oakland Museum in 2015.

In a beautiful example of traditional lineage, Danny's student Bernard Barros Ellorin served as an ACTA mentor artist in 2019 to none other than Danny's granddaughter Kimberly Kalanduyan. Kim and Bernard wrote a personal essay chronicling their journey in upholding Danny's cultural legacy for ACTA—check it out here.

With the recent increase in violence against Asians and Pacific Islanders, the fellowship will focus on the overarching theme of anti-racism. The Japanese American National Museum and Asian Americans Advancing Justice—Los Angeles are seeking two artists to work with both organizations in developing new artistic work(s) addressing racism and the current rise of anti-Asian sentiment. The artists will be asked to consider how art and democracy are used to combat racism. Artists will be given creative freedom to develop innovative artistic strategies to engage API communities.

California Humanities Quick Grants (between $1,000 and $5,000) are awarded three times a year (February, June, October) to small-scale public humanities programs and projects which take place within one year from the award date. Projects should be grounded in the humanities, show potential to provide high quality humanities learning experiences for participants and audiences, and demonstrate capacity for successful implementation. Appropriate formats include virtual and in-person community dialogues, reading and film discussion groups, oral history workshops, non-fiction workshops, speaker series, and many more activities based in humanities disciplines. Any California-based nonprofit organization or non-federal public agency is eligible to apply. Note: A cash or in-kind match of the award is NOT required. 

The Los Angeles County Departments of Arts and Culture and Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS) seek a Creative Strategist to work in partnership with WDACS as an Artist-in-Residence. During the residency, the Creative Strategist will collaborate with staff from the Community Centers division of WDACS to develop a project that may include artistic interventions, approaches, and strategies; community engagement and participation; the identification of cultural and community assets; the creation of new artworks; and/or access to artistic and cultural experiences to meet the established goal(s) of the residency.