To update information or submit an event, email ACTA.
Carnaval in Africa: Photographs of Guinea Bissau
Through October 29, 2005
UCLA Campus
Hilgard and Strathmore Avenues
Los Angeles, CA
The photographs by Doran H. Ross document a West African Carnaval celebration, which in 1987 featured more than 500 newly made pâpier maché masks.
Admission: Free
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.;
Thursday 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Precious Cargo: California Indian Cradle Baskets and Childbirth Traditions
Through October 31, 2005
Ontario Museum of History and Art
225 South Euclid Avenue
Ontario, CA
This exhibition examines traditional beliefs and practices concerning childbirth and the use of cradle baskets, both historically and contemporarily, among Pomo and Western Mono peoples, with additional material from twenty-eight other tribal regions throughout the state.
For more information call (909) 983-3198 or visit Heyday Books’ website.
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Woven Legacy: A Collection of Dat-so-la-lee Works,
1900-1921
Through October 31, 2005
Marion Steinbach Indian Basket Museum
130 West Lake Blvd.
Tahoe City, CA
The collection comprises an exhibition of 62 miniatures and models, woven for Amy Cohn, from 1900-1921. Dat-so-la-lee (Louisa Keyser) became well known for her talent while creating baskets exclusively for Cohn's Emporium Stores in Carson City, NV and Tahoe City, CA, producing over 100 recorded large and miniature Washoe-style baskets, from 1895-1925. Her creations have since become well known and remain a lasting tribute to the artist. This will be the first time Amy Cohn's personal collection will be on public display. This exhibition will feature baskets, personal items, photographs and educational materials.
Admission: $3
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For more information call (530) 583-1762 or visit the North Lake Tahoe Historical Society website.
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Forms of Tradition in Contemporary Spain
October 11, 2005 – November 4, 2005
Natalie and James Thompson Art Gallery
School of Art and Design
San José State University
1 Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0089
Forms of Tradition in Contemporary Spain is an innovative exploration of contemporary Spanish folk art and traditional artists. It charts the varied routes artists have found to evade the fast-paced demands of a global economy while creatively pursuing their art.
Through case studies of four considerably different kinds of artists – a traditional potter; a couple that creates huge press-molded paper figures for festival processions and dancing; a group of masked, costumed “devils” that enlivens traditional street theatre with modern pyrotechnics; and an idiosyncratic builder of one of the most spectacular “art environments” known worldwide – this exhibition project broadens the existing understanding of traditional arts by creating a more realistic and expansive interpretation of tradition and the influences upon each creative act. Curator and Thompson Gallery Director Jo Farb Hernandez presents information which has not received much attention in the U.S. and provides access in English to work that was previously available only in the original Spanish or Catalan.
On October 11, 2005, in conjunction with the exhibit’s opening reception, Jo Farb Hernandez will present slides and video clips documenting the work of the four artists being featured. This lecture will be located in Art #133, and will begin at 5:00 pm.
Gallery Hours: Tuesdays, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm; Wednesday through Friday, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm; By appointment
For more information contact the Natalie and James Thompson Art Gallery at (408) 924-4723
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DEADications
Through November 6, 2005
Arte Américas
1630 Van Ness
Fresno, CA
Arte Américas is exhibiting traditional altars in celebration of Dia de los Muertos.
Admission: $3
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Sunday 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
For more information visit the Arte Américas website.
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Pieces of the Past: Quilting Traditions
Through November 6, 2005
Grace Hudson Museum
431 South Main
Ukiah, CA
Pieces of the Past: Quilting Traditions an exhibition of over forty regional quilts, drawn from both public and private collections, will be on display at the Grace Hudson Museum through November 6, 2005. The quilts range in date from the early 1800s to 2002, highlighting examples of major quilting traditions and techniques while documenting the values, interests and experiences of their creators and the times in which they lived.
Quilts on display are made from bright silks, tobacco felts, simple cotton shirting material, cigar ribbons, expensive dress fabric and wool suits. These quilts have fascinating stories to tell. There is a double wedding ring quilt, made for the bride-to-be by her friends, and stored away, unused, when she ran away from the arranged marriage to follow her own heart. Another quilt won first prize at the California State Fair in 1954, a hand-painted piece requiring hundreds of hours to complete, created by the wife of a logger living out in the wilds of Mendocino County. One quilt was made to help the temperance cause, while another was completed in Finland and carried to America by the maker’s sixteen year old daughter.
The Sun House Guild quilt, finished in 1980, pictures a number of historic sites existing around Mendocino County during Grace Hudson’s lifetime. Designed by Virginia Fitch and containing the work of over 30 quilters, it helped to raise over $6,000 to pay for building the Grace Hudson Museum. There is a quilt made by three grandchildren for their grandmother, depicting life on their northern California farm in 1893; and another picturing the bombing of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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MásCaras: Masks of Mexico
Through November 12, 2005
The Mexican Museum
Fort Mason Center - Building D
San Francisco, CA
Presenting examples from the Museum’s extensive collection of masks, the exhibition will highlight the unique confluence of Spanish religious plays, African influences brought by the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and the prolific mask traditions of Mexico’s indigenous population. The exhibition will include mixed media masks of wood, clay, animal skin and papier mâché from various parts of Mexico, and will focus on the eastern coast area of Veracruz, western region of Oaxaca and Guerrero, and central states of Michoacán and Puebla.
Admission: Free
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information call (415) 202-9700 or visit the museum’s website.
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Bailando con la Muerte VII
October 31 – November 12, 2005
Hartnell College Gallery
156 Homestead Ave.
Salinas, CA
Artistas Unidos, a multi-cultural community forum in Monterey County, presents a celebration and installation of art for Dia de los Muertos. On Tuesday, November 1st from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. there will be a reception with live music, dance performances, poetry readings, refreshments, and a Frida Kahlo look-alike contest.
For more information visit Artistas Unidos’ website.
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Costumes of Kathak: the Classical Dance of North India
Through November 26, 2005
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
388 Ninth Street, Suite. 290
Oakland, CA
This exhibit offers an educational presentation of the traditional costumes of Kathak dance, a classical dance form from North India.
Admission: Free
For more information call (510) 637-0462 or visit the Oakland Asian Cultural Center’s website.
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Calavera: Days of the Dead Altars Remixed
October 12 – December 4, 2005
Oakland Museum
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, CA
For the museum’s 12th annual Días de los Muertos exhibition, artists, school groups, and members of the community create installations that reflect how California has developed its own cosmopolitan version of this celebration—grounded in spiritual Mesoamerican traditions, but open to new expressions.
On October 23rd from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., the museum will host the 12th Annual Community Celebration for the Days of the Dead, a free celebration where participants can help create a community altar, take part in craft activities, or enjoy food, music, and dance performances. Featured performers include Danza Xitlalli, Ensembles Ballet Folklorico de San Francisco, Mariachi Colima de Javier Magallón, Teatro Familia Aztlàn, and Yolanda Aranda.
Admission: $8
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Hidden Treasures from the Mexican Collections
Through December 23, 2005
Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology
UC Berkeley
103 Kroeber Hall - Bancroft and College Ave.
Berkeley, CA
Tesoros Escondidos presents a selection of objects from Mexico including clothing, textiles, pottery, baskets, gourds, masks, ceremonial objects, toys, and miniatures. Although these pieces have been accumulating since the Hearst Museum's founding in 1901, only a few have ever been exhibited before. A wide range of forms and media is represented, with regional strengths in the central and southern states. While some objects were created self-consciously as tourist and folk arts for sale to outsiders, much of the collection was made for use in daily life. Most of the items were collected in the 1950s and 1960s, but some pieces date as far back as the seventeenth century.
Admission: $4
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Wounan Baskets from the Panamanian Rainforest
November 3 – December 31, 2005
Craft and Folk Art Museum
5814 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
The exhibition will include baskets of varying sizes enriched with the designs of the Panamanian rainforest flora and fauna, as well as photographs documenting the Wounan way of life.
Admission: $5
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Behind the Altar: Retablos
September 22 – December 31, 2005
Craft and Folk Art Museum
5814 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
Retablos, better known as laminas in Mexico, are small oil paintings on tin, zinc, wood or copper which were used in home alters to venerate Catholic saints. This genre of folk art, deeply rooted in Spanish history, represents traditional religious beliefs in 17th, 18th, and 19th century Mexican culture. Colorful, spiritual, symbolic, allegorical, and historical are just a few of the words that best describe the unique art form.
Admission: $5
Museum Hours: Wednesday to Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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The Hopi: People of the Mesas
Through January 1, 2006
Riverside Metropolitan Museum
3580 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA
The Hopi: People of the Mesas examines traditional Hopi life through basketry, pottery, jewelry, and kachina dolls. Items chosen from the Museum’s permanent collection span a century, including yucca baskets from the 1890s and a quilt made in the year 2000.
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Traditions in Transition: Three Views of the Permanent Collection
Through January 8, 2006
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
520 South First Street
San Jose, CA
The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles will open the doors of its new facility with the inaugural exhibition, Traditions in Transition: Three Views of the Permanent Collection, drawn from the Museum's holdings. The exhibition will give visitors a taste of the great diversity in textile traditions found around the world by featuring a wide variety of textile forms.
Divided into three parts, each component of Traditions in Transition: Three Views of the Permanent Collection will showcase a separate and distinctive aspect of the Museum's collections. Part One will look to the past with a sampling of 19th and early 20th century quilts and woven coverlets. Part Two will celebrate the abundant artistic output of the international community, including a selection of textiles and garments from the Porcella Collection, with pieces from the Middle and Far East, various Asian and Mediterranean cultures, Samoa, Mexico, and South America. Part Three will speak to the Museum's vision for the future by turning the spotlight on a growing collection of contemporary works from such artists as Jeanne Gray, Carolyn Lee Vehslage and Priscilla Sage.
Admission: $5
Museum Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday;
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Thursdays
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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The Art of the Japanese Doll
Through January 8, 2006
Mingei International
Balboa Park
El Prado and the Plaza de Panama
San Diego, CA
The exhibition focuses on six categories of ningyo – gosho ningyo (palace dolls), hina ningyo (Girls' Day dolls), musha ningyo (Boys' Day dolls), isho ningyo (dolls of fashion and popular culture), karakuri ningyo (theater dolls, some of which are mechanical), and dolls relating to health. Carved from wood, the dolls are clothed in elegant, often elaborate, costumes with heads, hands and bodies that have the appearance of white porcelain, an effect achieved by application to the wooden base of gofun, a white pigment made from crushed clam and oyster shells and glue. Of special note is a four and one-half foot, uncostumed Bunraku puppet, a beautiful example of the mechanics of its art.
Guest Curator Alan Pate notes, “No other country in the world can boast as long-lived, vibrant and diverse a doll tradition as Japan. The doll in Japan holds layers of meaning and symbolism that anchor it more deeply in Japanese culture than its Western equivalent."
Admission: $6
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Big Drum: Taiko in the United States
Through January 8, 2006
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles, California
With its thunderous rhythms and energetic movements, taiko is a powerful and popular style of group drumming. In Japanese, the word taiko translates to "big drum" or "fat drum." While drumming has always been a part of Japanese and Japanese American culture, it was not until the latter part of the twentieth century that taiko evolved into the ensemble form practiced and performed today. The pioneering American taiko groups were formed in California during the social and political tumult of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Today, there are hundreds of groups throughout North America and Hawai'i.
Big Drum: Taiko in the United States is the first major museum exhibition about taiko in America. Through media arts pieces, artifacts, photographs, and artwork, the exhibition explores how the development of taiko in this country reflects the resilience of cultural traditions, the historical journeys of Japanese Americans, and the cultivation of new diverse communities.
Admission: $8
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Thursday evening until 8:00 p.m.
Visit the museum’s website to learn about a series of Taiko Concerts which complement the exhibit.
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Shadows, Masks, and Music: Aspects of the Performing Arts in Asia
Through January 22, 2006
Asian Art Museum
Tateuchi Thematic Gallery
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
The worlds of the performing arts and the visual arts intersect in numerous ways. Musical instruments, set designs, costumes, and masks, while intended to accent performances, have also been valued as aesthetic objects in their own right. This exhibit explores this connection featuring a selection of more than 50 instruments, masks, and other items that were used in various Asian theatrical, dance or musical performances. It also draws from the museum’s collection of painted and sculptural works that depict such objects or performances.
Admission: $10
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with extended hours every Thursday until 9:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Rustic Splendors: Kiln Treasures From Shiwan
Through March 2006
Pacific Heritage Museum
608 Commercial Street
San Francisco, CA
The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco and the Pacific Heritage Museum will cosponsor Rustic Splendors: Kiln Treasures from Shiwan. This exhibit of Chinese ceramics will feature one hundred forty one pieces, on loan from nineteen Bay Area collectors, ranging from the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644) to the present.
For more information call the Chinese Culture Center at (415) 986-1822 or visit the center’s website.
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Passage to Panama: Past to Present
Through March 26, 2006
San Diego Museum of Man
Balboa Park
1350 El Prado
San Diego, CA
Curated by Grace Johnson, Passage to Panama: Past to Present is based on the research, collections, and photographs of William and Evelyn Phillips taken in the 1950s. This exhibit describes the lives and culture of the Guaymí peoples of the mountains of Chiriquí and Veraguas and the Chocó peoples of the Darién in the 1950s.
The Chocó, currently known as the Wounaan/Embera people, live along the rivers in the Darién region of Panama. This exhibit centers on their environment and their daily life, including rituals and healing. The Museum's collection of baskets highlights Chocó culture, which is further detailed through displays of wooden bowls, hunting and fishing implements, traditional dress and jewelry, and carved wooden staffs.
The lives of the Guaymí, presently known as the Ngöbe, are recounted through their daily lives by looking closely at objects they use in their households, such as gourds and woven hats, as well as musical instruments associated with the balsaría ceremony. The exhibit also looks at how these indigenous groups are affected by other cultures by considering their art and economy, and examining the wide range of contemporary baskets, jewelry, and woodcarvings made for sale.
Photographs taken by Dr. Julie Velasquez-Runk and Dr. Philip Young between 1997 and 2004 give a sense of the current life of indigenous peoples of the Darién. Contemporary photographs of Panama and historic and contemporary images of the Panama Canal illustrate life in Panama as it is today.
Admission: $6
Museum Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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¡Carnaval!
November 6, 2005 – April 23, 2006
Fowler Museum of Cultural History
UCLA Campus
Hilgard and Strathmore Avenues
Los Angeles, CA
This exhibit explores the revelry of Carnival festivals as they are enacted today in eight different geographic and cultural regions. This lavish exhibition presents approximately fifty elaborate costumes and numerous masks reflecting a range of masquerade and performance themes that represent traditions in these sites: Laza, Spain; Venice, Italy; Basel, Switzerland; Oruro, Bolivia; Tlaxcala, Mexico; Recife/Olinda, Brazil; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; and New Orleans. These unique celebrations and rituals are brought to life through photographic murals and short video programs of recent Carnival festivities in these locales, allowing visitors to explore the history and evolution and experience the sights and sounds of this vital celebration.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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The Art of Being Kuna: Layers of Meaning Among the Kuna of Panama
Through May 14, 2006
San Diego Museum of Man
Balboa Park
1350 El Prado
San Diego, CA
The Art of Being Kuna: Layers of Meaning Among the Kuna of Panama is a major traveling exhibition that presents a view of the Kuna culture as seen through its expressive arts: the Kuna's central concern for form and beauty in everyday life, narratives, rituals, healing, and visual arts such as Kuna women's molas (textiles). The Kuna people live on the San Blas islands and Atlantic coastline of Panama. The exhibit showcases Kuna culture through a wide range of objects including baskets, wooden objects, molas, and gold jewelry. Large-scale photo panels with supportive descriptive panels and visual documentation, depicted in an environment suggestive of a Kuna village and video stations add depth to the presentation.
Admission: $6
Museum Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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October
The Sixth Annual San Francisco World Music Festival
Through October 16, 2005
Various San Francisco Bay Area Locations
The San Francisco World Music Festival 2005 is celebrating its Sixth Anniversary with a gathering of musicians from around the world. Festival concert Highlights include: Women Singer of the World, featuring a diverse group of female vocalists from several countries and traditions; Dona Rosa & Ensemble a blind Fado singer from Portugal making her San Francisco debut; and Master Wang Wei Chinese & World Percussion Music. Master Wang Wei, was a participant in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program.
Schedule of Events:
- Ross Daly Lecture Demonstration & Workshop at The Community Music Center
October 3, 2005 at 7:00 pm
- Women Singers of the World at The Brava Theater
October 8, 2005 at 8:00 pm
- Youth World Music Showcase at The Asian Art Museum
October 9, 2005 from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
- Dona Rosa & Gulare Azalfi Concert at Ashkenaz, Berkeley
October 9, 2005 at 7:00 pm
- A Closer Look at Kurdish Music at the Asian Art Museum
October 13, 2005 at 7:00 pm
- Chinese & World Percussion at the Brava Theater
October 15, 2005 at 8:00 pm
- Festival Closing Event Featuring Cemali & Guests at the Croatian American Cultural Center
October 16, 2005 at 7:00 pm
For ticket prices and other information visit the festival’s website.
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Croatian Fiesta
October 3, 2005
7:00 pm
Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles
510 West 7th Street
San Pedro, California
The three Croatian clubs in San Pedro – Croatian American Hall, Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles, and the Dalmatian American Club – plan to host a “Croatian Fiesta.” During this event, people will have the chance to mingle and dance with members of the Zagreb Folk Dance Ensemble and meet with their choreographer Mr. Andrija Ivancan and their musical director Mr. Marijan Makar. Space is limited.
Admission: $15.00
For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles at (310) 833-0103.
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Odissi Dance with Pallavi Dance Group
October 4, 2005
11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Pallavi Dance Group, past participants in ACTA’s Traditional Arts Development Program, will perform Odissi dance, a traditional dance from the Eastern Indian state of Orissa. Odissi uses mudras and postures found in bas-relief sculptures as inspiration for its movements.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Kaoru Watanabe and Shoji Kameda
October 6, 2005 – 7:30 p.m.
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA
In conjunction with the exhibition Big Drum: Taiko in the United States, Kodo’s Kaoru Watanabe and On Ensemble’s Shoji Kameda have created an evening of music that showcases the beauty of fue (Japanese flute) and taiko.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Boubacar Traoré
October 6, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Skirball Cultural Center
Skirball Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA
Malian guitarist and storyteller Boubacar "Kar Kar" Traoré performs music rooted in the distinctive Khassonke rhythms of the Kayes region in Northwest Mali. His music is deeply soulful with a sense of rhythm space and time reminiscent of the Mississippi Blues.
Admission: $25
For more information visit the Center’s website.
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California Arts Day
October 7, 2005
The annual "California Arts Day" was created five years ago to recognize the role that the Arts such as music, theater, visual art, poetry, and dance play in California. California Arts Day 2005 is recognized across the state by individuals and organizations in communities both large and small. Americans across the nation will be celebrating all of October as Arts and Humanities Month. Arts Day is a great opportunity to express the major impact the arts have on California’s economy, education, and the health of civic life in the state. By promoting local community arts celebrations on Friday, October 7 throughout the state, Arts Day in California will generate news coverage on the value of the arts, culture, and creativity of the state.
The 2005 Comprehensive Arts Day Tool Kit is now downloadable as a Word document from the CAC Arts Day site. Giving full information to organizations from cities to counties to performing, visual and educational arts groups, it is your guide to help make Arts Day in your community a grand success.
While individual organizations are celebrating Arts Day in their own communities throughout California, the California Arts Council and the State Council on Developmental Disabilities will be on the West Steps of the Capitol at mid-day on October 7. Organizations, artists, and arts lovers are invited to help promote the importance of the arts.
The California Arts Council has also developed a searchable online database of events taking place throughout California.
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Zagreb Folk Dance Ensemble
October 7, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Croatian American Cultural Center
60 Onondaga
San Francisco, CA
October 8, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
The Heritage Theatre
1 West Campbell
Campbell, CA
This is the first West Coast tour of the Croatian dance company, Zagreb Folk Dance Ensemble, formerly known as "Joza Vlahovic". The troupe presents Croatian traditional folk music and dance. The dance choreographies are enhanced by the ensemble's vocal work, traditional costuming, and live orchestra. Traditional musical instruments featured include the tamburaljerica, samica, dangubica (string instruments), sopile, dvojnice, šurle, diple, gajde, dude, mišnice, vidalice (wind instruments), and the drums.
Admission: $25
For more information visit the Slavonic Cultural Center’s website.
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Khmer Arts Academy Open House
October 8, 2005
2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
1364 Obispo Ave.
Long Beach, CA
To celebrate Arts Month the Khmer Arts Academy will host an Open House will feature a classical Cambodian dance lecture and demonstration, Cambodian cuisine, and a work-in-progress screening of Seasons of Migration, a documentary video by John Bishop.
Fore more information call (562) 472-0090.
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Banafsheh Sayyad & Namah
October 8, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Neuroscience Institute
10640 John Jay Hopkins Dr.
San Diego, CA
The Los Angeles- based Banafsheh Sayyad and NAMAH perform Contemporary Mystical Persian Dance, a blend of Persian Sufi dance with modern and improvisational elements. Most of the movement language originates from personal trance states that are then given structure and order, creating an interplay between trance and directed movement.
Admission: $25
For more information visit the San Diego Dance Alliance website.
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La Guelaguetza
October 8, 2005
5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
The Mexican Cultural Institute
125 Paseo de la Plaza, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA
La Nueva Antequera will perform the music and dances from the La Guelaguetza, a traditional Oaxacan fextival.
For more information visit the Institute’s website.
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The 7th Annual Family Village Festival: A Celebration of Culture
October 8, 2005
Riverside Metropolitan Museum
3580 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA
The Family Village Festival is a celebration of culture that fosters understanding and appreciation of the many cultures present in Riverside. Held each year in front of the Riverside Municipal Museum in Downtown Riverside, the Family Village Festival is an opportunity for families to learn more about traditions and culture through hands-on activities. Exploration of cultures is encouraged through honoring traditions, promoting communication among families and encouraging cultural appreciation, all of which are achieved through didactic, hands-on activities that are appropriate for both family learners and cultures represented. The Festival provides learning opportunities based on the sharing and understanding of cultural traditions through live performances, traditional arts and craft activities and traditional cultural demonstrations.
At the heart of the Festival is a group of “villages,” which are booths that celebrate different cultures. At each village one might find arts and crafts, storytelling, cultural displays, or traditional games as just a few of the possible hands-on activities that represent unique Festival cultures. The purpose of the Festival is to help children become familiar with diverse ethnic groups by engaging in fun and educational activities that communicate messages about cultural appreciation.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Los Cenzontles
October 8, 2005 – Vacaville
October 15, 2005 – Saratoga
Los Cenzontles is a music and dance ensemble of folk masters and emerging tradition bearers. The group celebrates the innovation and imagination of Mexican music, weaving together centuries-old musical traditions with the contemporary sounds of the world stage. Under the direction of Grammy-nominated producer Eugene Rodriguez, this versatile group presents traditional, popular, and original music.
October 8, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre
1010 Ulatis Drive
Vacaville, CA
Admission: $26 – 29
For more information visit the Theatre’s website.
October 15, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
Carriage House Theatre
Montalvo Arts Center
15400 Montalvo Road
Saratoga, CA
Admission: $20 - 25
For more information visit the Montalvo Arts Center’s website.
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Prince Diabaté Ensemble
October 9, 2005
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Verdugo Park
1621 Canada Blvd.
Glendale, CA
The Los Angeles County Arts Commission Free Concerts in Public Sites Program presents Prince Diabaté, a traditional West African griot and a former master in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program. The griot sings at births, baptisms, weddings and funerals, relating family history and important events while playing the kora, a 21-string instrument made of wood, animal hide and calabash.
For more information call (818) 548-2780.
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A Taste of Folk Music: A Folk & Bluegrass Music Festival
October 9, 2005
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Encino Park
16953 Ventura Blvd.
Encino, CA
The California Traditional Music Society’s Center for Folk Music (CTMS) presents this festival featuring the Western Music Association, Southern California Chapter Stage, the Bluegrass Association of Southern California Stage, The Santa Monica Traditional Folk Music Club Song Room, and The California Traditional Music Society’s Stage. The event will also feature an international folk dance area, folk arts & crafts vendors, children’s craft area, instrument raffle, T-shirt sales, and consignment booth.
The CTMS International Stage we will feature Robbie Byrne, Ross Altman, Jan Tappan & the Scottish Fiddlers of Los Angeles, Musicantica, Patty Amelotte & Friends, Mesmera’s Esmerani Ensemble, Banshee in the Kitchen, The Masnga Marimaba Ensemble, and Conjunto Jardín.
The BASC Bluegrass Stage will feature Cluster Pluck, David Ferguson and Robert Tepper, The Tom Corbett Band, The Spikedrivers, The Brombies, Windy Ridge Bluegrass Band, Desert Sage, and The Pedersons.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the Society’s website.
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A Gathering of Gamelans
October 13 – 23, 2005
Cowell Theatre
Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA
Gamelan are bronze and drum orchestras of Southeast Asia, and the Bay Area has a thriving gamelan scene all its own. This year, ShadowLight Productions presents a festival uniting the music, dance and shadow theater of Java, Bali, Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand to showcase the breadth and depth of these artistic traditions. A highlight of the festival will be a performance by Charya Burt and Ho Chan, former master’s in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program. The festival culminates with a re-invention of a Shakespeare classic: A (Balinese) Tempest, featuring ShadowLight’s cinematic, wide-screen theater and the music of Gamelan Sekar Jaya.
For more information visit ShadowLight’s website.
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Yamato
October 14, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Carriage House Theatre - Montalvo Arts Center
15400 Montalvo Road
Saratoga, CA
Yamato, a traditional ensemble visiting from Japan, performs Wadaiko on an array of drums, including one made from a huge, 400 year old tree.
Admission: $30 - 45
For more information visit the Montalvo Arts Center’s website.
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Durga: Avenging Goddess, Nurturing Mother
October 15, 2005 – 2:00 p.m.
Norton Simon Museum
411 West Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
The Rangoli Dance Company leads this program especially designed for children and families. During this presentation of dances traditionally performed in honor of the goddess, visitors participate by clapping as well as making hand and arm movements. The performance concludes with an invitation for children to touch costumes, use finger cymbals and perhaps learn a few steps. Following the performance, Malathi Iyengar, Artistic Director and a master artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, leads related visual arts workshops outside of the special exhibition. Participants will make flower garlands and create colorful rangoli (chalk designs) on cardboard, reflecting two ways that Durga Puja is celebrated in India.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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San Francisco Bay Area International Flamenco Festival
October 15 – 23, 2005
Various San Francisco Bay Area locations
Festival events include two performances of "Vanguardia Jonda" by Andrés Marín and Company, Bay Area Flamenco Gala Showcase with the region’s top Flamenco dance artists, art exhibition, legendary documentary film "Flamenco, A Personal Journey," and master classes with visiting artists including, direct from Spain, Andrés Marín y su Compañía Flamenca.
For more information visit the Festival’s website.
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Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu
October 15 & 22, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
October 16 & 23, 2005 – 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
Bay & Lyon Streets
San Francisco, CA
Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu, directed by Kumu Hula Patrick Mauakāne, celebrates its 20th performance season with six performances highlighting the best pieces of the past twenty years.
Admission: $25-30
For more information visit Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu’s website.
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Ganga… Life as a River
October 16, 2005
4:00 pm
Cubberley Theater
4000 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Choreographer Ramya Harishankar, Artistic Director of the Arpana School of Dance, and former Master Artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, presents her newest work. Accompanied by 4 members of her Arpana Dance Company, who also participated in the choreographic process, Harishankar has combined all the elements of ‘traditional’ Indian dance in this unique presentation. The program also features special choreography by Pt. Birju Maharaj, Saswati Sen, and Dominique Delorme. Dr. Priya Srinivasan was the co-director of this project. Specially commissioned music was composed by Babu Parameswaran and spoken word written by D’Lo. This program was partly funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Fund for Folk Culture.
Admission: $10 to $20
Fore more information contact the Arpana Dance Company at (949) 874-3662 or info@arpanadancecompany.org.
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Tuvan Throat-Singing by Tyva Kyzy
October 20, 2005
7:00–8:30 pm
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
The first all-female ensemble from the The Republic of Tuva (a country in South Siberia), Tyva Kyzy (Daughers of Tuva) will perform throat-singing with folk accompaniment. The audience can meet the musicians through a question and answer opportunity following the performance.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Aux Cajunals
October 21, 2005 – 7:30 p.m.
Black Oak Books
1491 Shattuck (at Vine)
Berkeley, CA
510-486-0698
The Aux Cajunals play the kind of old-fashioned Cajun music which has been an integral part of celebrations in southwest Louisiana for over 100 years. This event, a fundraiser for hurricane Katrina victims, will feature readings by local authors of pieces either set in the area affected by Katrina or by authors from that area, interspersed with music by the Aux Cajunals. All donations will go to Oxfam America.
For more information call (510) 486-0698.
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World Arts and Cultures Alumni Performances
October 22, 2005
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Glorya Kaufman Hall
Department of World Arts & cultures
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Alumni of UCLA’s World Arts and Culture’s Program, including Malathi Iyengar, a master artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, will perform at the opening ceremony of UCLA’s Glorya Kauffman Hall.
For more information visit Rangoli Foundation’s website.
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A Harvest of Customs: Straw Art from Around the World
October 22, 2005
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
California Academy of Sciences
Academy Classroom
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
Throughout history, people in many cultures have used straw to create works of art. In ancient times, a community's survival depended on a bountiful harvest, and amulets made of straw were used in seasonal rituals, functioning as good luck charms to ensure a plentiful crop in the coming year. Some were known as "corn dollies" in which the Spirit of the Corn resided. Additionally, heart-shaped "love knots" were used in courtship, and fan-shaped "house blessings" were given to new brides to bless their new home. Straw figures were fashioned in a variety of shapes and designs, and regional styles developed in countries throughout northern Europe.
This event will feature art presentations exploring the social customs and folk beliefs associated with wheat, rye and other grains. Sponsored by the American Museum of Straw Art in Long Beach, the program brings together numerous artisans who will demonstrate techniques such as weaving, plaiting, and wrapping, representing traditions from Sweden, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Lithuania, and Ireland. Examples from the Museum's straw art collections will also be on display .
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Aarohi – Avarohi
October 23, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
Rangoli Space
14802 Huston Street
Sherman Oaks, CA
Rangoli Foundation presents “Aarohi-Avarohi,” a music concert featuring two young groups of artists, Shaheen Sheik and her band who will perform folk and pop music, followed by a performance of Balinese music by Gamelan Silih Ganti. Reservation is required and only floor seating is available.
Admission: $12
For more information visit Rangoli Foundation’s website.
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The San Francisco Croatian Festival
October 23, 2005
12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
The Croatian American Cultural Center
60 Onondaga Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94112
Bring the whole family for a day of fun, enjoyment, and culture. The former Marko Polo Festival, celebrating the birth of the famous Croatian explorer, has expanded into the San Francisco Croatian Festival. In addition to music, performances, dancing, singing, and traditional Croatian food, there will be informative workshops about Croatian culture.
Admission: $15 for adults; Children are free
For more information about this and other events, please contact the Croatian American Cultural Center at (510) 649-0941 or visit their website.
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Dia de los Muertos Celebration in Santa Ana
October 23, 2005
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA
This celebration will feature live entertainment by Fiesta Ballet Folklorico and singers Sonido Mexico. The event will also feature George Newman’s display of calaveras (skeletons), local artists’ display of altars, children’s face painting and traditional tamales and sugar skulls.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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The Spirit of Sarode
October 29, 2005 – 7:30 p.m.
Marin Veterans Auditorium
10 Avenue of the Flags
San Rafael, CA
Ali Akbar Khan and his sons Asshish Khan and Alam Khan will explore the history and evolution of the sarode. They will be accompanied by Swapan Chaudhury on tabla and Ali Akbar Khan’s youngest son, Manik Khan on tanpura.
For more information visit the Ali Akbar College of Music website.
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Music for the Soul III
October 29, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
Santa Rosa Junior College
1501 Mendocino Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA
The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir is an interfaith multicultural chorus that performs black gospel music.
For more information visit the Choir’s website.
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Dalmatinska Noc Dinner Dance
October 29, 2005
60 Onondaga Ave.
San Francisco, CA
Mate Carich and Petra will headline this event. From Los Angeles, this Croatian duo will perform songs from Dalmatia, all other regions of Croatia, Slovenia, and beyond, both traditional old time favorites and the latest hits from Croatia.
For more information call (415) 977-5617 or visit the Croatian American Cultural Center’s website.
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Theatre Flamenco’s “Lamento”
October 29, 2005 – Mountain View
November 25 – 27, 2005 – San Francisco
For "Lamento," Miguel Santos will premiere a new work from the cante jondo, or deep song of flamenco. Carola Zertuche will premiere “Tangos", an original work for the women of Theatre Flamenco set to the rhythm of cante chico, or light song.
Theatre Flamenco artists are dancers Carola Zertuche, Amanda Pineda, Julia Moreno, Miguel Santos; and musicians Ricardo Diaz (guitar), Roberto Aguilar (guitar), Roberto Zamora (cantador), and Paco "Albiac" Chao (cantador/percussion).
San Francisco audiences will be treated to special encore performances by two artists from Spain. In addition to performing "Lamento" Theatre Flamenco will be joined by Jose Cortes, a gypsy with an enthralling voice; and Manuel Gutierrez, an award-winning dancer who electrified audiences with his masterful performance of staccato footwork at Theatre Flamenco's home season last year.
October 29, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
500 Castro Street
Mountain View, CA
Admission: $30
November 25 – 27, 2005
Cowell Theater
Fort Mason Center
Marina & Buchanan Streets
San Francisco, CA
Admission: $30
For more information visit Theatre Flamenco’s website.
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An Introduction to Southern California Native American Basketry
October 29, 2005
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Riverside Metropolitan Museum
3580 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA
Preserving Traditions is a new program at the Riverside Municipal Museum that supports the development of traditional arts in Southern California by partnering with a local Native American educational and cultural instructor to provide new learning opportunities for Native American and Non-Native American youth, teenagers and adults. Preserving Traditions encompasses a broad range of cultural programming. Facilitated by Lorene Sisquoc (Mountain Cahuilla/Fort Sill Apache) a series of workshops will provide Native American and Non-Native American youth, teenagers and adults with the opportunity to learn about Native American culture and traditional arts. The program is supported by ACTA’s Traditional Arts Development Program with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council.
Southern California Native American basketry is an intricate craft and a beautiful art form. Gain an appreciation for the art of basket weaving as you are introduced to the materials and techniques used in Southern California Indian basketry through the teachings of basketweaver Lorene Sisquoc (Mountain Cahuilla/Fort Sill Apache). Participants will create a reed creek-side basket to take home.
Admission: Free
Preregistration for all workshops is required. To register call (951) 826-5133 or e-mail the Museum. For more information visit the museum’s website.
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10th Annual Dia de los Muertos Festival in Oakland
October 30, 2005
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
International Boulevard (between Fruitvale & 40th)
Oakland, CA
Día de Los Muertos Fruitvale Festival has been inducted by Congresswoman Barbara Lee into the United States Library of Congress as a “Local Legacy” for the State of California. It is one of the largest one-day Día de Los Muertos festivals in the United States.
The festival features traditional altars, traditional dance, as well as four entertainment stages with live music and dancing ranging from world-class artists to local youth performers and various types of music including Salsa, Merengue, Afro-Cuban music, Banda, Cumbia, and Norteño music.
For more information visit the Unity Council’s website.
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November
Dia de los Muertos Procession and Exhibit in San Francisco
November 2, 2005 – 6:00 p.m.
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
2868 Mission Street
San Fransico, CA
The Annual Dia de los Muertos Procession, North America’s oldest Day of the Dead procession, begins at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts and proceeds down 24th street through San Francisco’s Mission District. This year the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts will host an altar exhibit with altars created by Herminia Albarrán Rombero, National Heritage Fellow, and her students. Herminia is teaching a series of six workshops on how to create papel picado (the art of Mexican cut paper), paper flowers, Day of the Dead altar foods, and how to assemble a traditional altar. Workshops are open to the public and meet Saturday afternoons throughout October. The project is supported by ACTA’s Folk and Traditional Arts Mentorship Initiative funded by the Walter and Elise Haas Fund.
For more information visit the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts' website.
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32nd Annual Dia de los Muertos Celebration in Los Angeles
November 2, 2005 – 5:00 p.m.
Self Help Graphics & Art
3802 Cesar E. Chavez Ave
Los Angeles, CA
Self Help Graphics & Art, located in the heart of East Los Angeles, will conduct a procession beginning at Cinco Puntos at Cesar Chavez & Lorena and proceeding to the Self Help Graphics & Art building located at 3802 Cesar E. Chavez Ave & Gage. Participants can bring offers and memories to display at the large community altar that will be constructed at Self Help’s Gallery Otra Vez. The altar will be created by altar maker and community resident, Ofelia Esparza, a former master in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program. The event will also feature craft sales, food, and entertainment including a traditional Aztec dance blessing ceremony.
For more information visit Self Help Graphics & Art’s website.
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Dia de los Muertos Celebration in Riverside
November 2, 2005
Riverside Metropolitan Museum
3580 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA
The Riverside Metropolitan Museum and Division 9 Gallery examine the complex and rich histories of honoring the dead in ancient and contemporary Mesoamerica through live performances and traditional cultural cuisine.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Mexican Day of the Dead Family Festival in Santa Ana
November 5-6, 2005
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Bowers Museum
2002 N. Main Street
Santa Ana, CA
Participants will have the opportunity to decorate sugar skulls, create papel picado (cut paper) designs, and make calavera puppets and masks. Xipe Totec will perform Aztec dances, and Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead), and Mexican hot chocolate will be served.
Admission: $5
For more information call (714) 480 – 1522 or visit the museum’s website.
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Intertribal Marketplace
November 5-6, 2005
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Southwest Museum of the American Indian
234 Museum Drive
Los Angeles, CA
The celebrated Intertribal Marketplace returns to the community of Mt. Washington for its 15th year with more than 100 artists selling pottery, jewelry, sculpture, painting, mixed-media, weaving, beadwork, woodcarving, and cultural items. This event celebrates the continuing traditions and new innovations of Native artists. Featured are performances by Native dancers, singers, and musicians; family activities; and Native food, such as Indian frybread, Hopi piki, and roasted parched corn.
Event admissions: $10
For more information call (323) 221-2164 or visit the museum’s website.
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Indigenous Oaxacan Medicine Conferences
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
November 7, 2005
Catholic Church
San Antony of Claret
2494 S. Chestnut Ave.
Fresno, CA
November 9, 2005
Holiday Inn
Hotel & Conference Center
801 Truxton Ave.
Bakersfield, CA
November 10, 2005
Salinas Sprots Complex
Rodeo Room
1034 North Main Street
Salinas, CA
The Centro Binacional Para El Desarrollo Indigena Oaxaqueño (Binational Center for the Development of Oaxacan Indigenous Communities) is hosting three conferences in traditional medicine with three indigenous traditional healers from Oaxaca, Mexico. The conferences will be in Spanish with simultaneous interpretation to English.
Admission: $35 including continental breakfast
For more information call (559) 499-1178.
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India Jazz Suites
November 10 – 12, 2005
Cowell Theatre
Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA
The world premiere of a collaboration exploring movement, rhythms and music with Kathak (North Indian dance) maestro Pandit Chitresh Das, a former master artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, and Tap dance star Jason Samuels Smith with North Indian classical and Jazz musicians.
For more information call (415) 333-9000 or visit Chitresh Das’ website.
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Habing Sayawit: Culture, Creation, Connection
November 12, 2005
2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Japan America Theater
244 So. San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA
Kayamanan Ng Lahi Philippine Folk Arts presents Habing Sayawit (woven dance and song) which will showcase traditional Philippine as well as Filipino American cultural folk dance, song and music by weaving them into a seamless tapestry of cultural reflection. This 15-year anniversary concert will also celebrate the achievements of key works of luminaries who helped create the renaissance of Philippine folk dance in recent history: Betty Sison Friese choreographer, author and teacher; Ramon Obusan of the Ramon Obusan Folk Group; Francisca Reyes Aquino, national Artist, pioneering researcher and mother of modern folk dance and Lucrecia Reyes Urtula, national artist dance director and choreographer for the Bayanihan National Philippine Dance Company.
Admission: $20
For more information visit Kayamanan Ng Lahi’s website.
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International Taiko Festival
November 18 – 20, 2005
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
700 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
The Festival features Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka and San Francisco Taiko Dojo with the San Francisco Taiko Dojo Raising Stars, Sacramento Taiko Dan and Butoh master Koichi Tamano. The special guests from Japan are Tsuzumi Master Tosha Kiyonari and Wako Daiko.
Admission: $32 – 42
For more information visit Taiko Dojo’s website.
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Ensemble Kaboul
November 18, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Zellerbach Hall
UC Berkeley Campus
Bancroft Way (at Telegraph)
Berkeley, CA
Ensemble Kaboul will perform a concert of traditional Afghan music, weaving together Indian, Persian, and Arabic influences reflecting that country's history at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road trade route. Ensemble Kaboul was founded in 1995 by a group of defiant expatriates who fled Taliban rule, and its concerts are intoxicating, blending airy melodies of Tajik minstrels, ecstatic festival songs, classical ragas, and brilliant instrumental pieces. The group will be joined by Ustad Farida Mahwash, a master female singer from Afghanistan.
Admission: $22 - 40
To purchase tickets visit the Cal Performances website.
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Native American Heritage Month Programs
November 19, 2005
California Academy of Sciences
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
Plains Indian Flutes (1:00 p.m., Academy Classroom)
Jim Eagle Heart performs traditional flute music including love songs, once an important part of courting rituals. According to legend, the flute has the power of attraction and can enhance a young man's chances of success.
(10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Main Floor)
Eagle Heart will also demonstrate the making of flutes. He designs and hand-carves several types of flute from cedar wood, such as the double eagle flute with two barrels that are played simultaneously, one acting as a drone. Each instrument is a work of art, adorned with turquoise inlay and symbolic animal fetishes.
Quecha Indian Music (2:30 p.m., Academy Classroom)
The Karumanta Ensemble performs music from the Bolivian altiplano. Their repertoire features Afro-Andean music – the legacy of African slaves brought to the Lake Titicaca region in the seventeenth century to work in the gold and silver mines. African and Quechua rhythms merged, producing new hybrid forms.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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County & Regional Calendars
A calendar of Festivals and Celebrations in San Diego is available from the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
Let us know if you have special information that should be posted here.
To update information or submit an event for the calendar,
please email ACTA.
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