ACTA’s website serves as a gateway to help connect some of the state’s exemplary traditional artists and organizations with the general public to build awareness for their artistry, skills, traditions, and communities. Explore our index of nearly 600 artists and organizations funded through ACTA’s Apprenticeship and Living Cultures programs. Read about their work, view photos, video, and more. Browse in alphabetical order below or use the filters to refine your search.


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Benita Martinez Sosa started learning how to weave when she was 8 years old and by the time she was 12 she knew how to weave. She was taught by her parents and grandparents in her hometown of Teotitlán del Valle, in Oaxaca, Mexico. This tradition has always been a…
Kathakali
Kala playing the violin. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.   Kala Ramnath of San Mateo, is one of India’s most adept violinists, sliding around the fretboard in a strikingly vocalistic style. Her approach is focused on Hindustani classical music, but she also incorporates ideas from her South Indian roots. In…
Madiou Diouf playing a Djembe solo. Photo: Courtesy of the artist. Madiou Diouf of Oakland, is a Sound Engineer and Musical Director for the Diamano Coura West African Dance Company. His journey in the world of music and sound engineering is a testament to the rich tapestry of…
Deborah McConnell
Joko Sutrisno
Rosa Maria Fuentes Islas
Traditional Hmong Cultural Art Forms Photo:Courtesy of the artist. Lue Her of Merced, from a young age displayed a keen interest in Hmong culture. This passion led him to pursue knowledge in the arts from elders. During his youth, Lue immersed himself in various Hmong cultural arts, which laid the…
Chinese guzheng
Terry Nguyen, known as “tsugaruterry,” is a musician and educator specializing in minyo (folk) and traditional music of Japan as performed on the Tsugaru shamisen and taiko drums. Terry began playing the Tsugaru shamisen in 2006. Initially self-taught, in 2010 she started her training with instructor Mitsuru Sasaki of the…
Carnatic violinist and composer