What's New

New Guidelines Available for the Alliance's Apprenticeship Program

Naomi Gedo Diouf prepares daughter and apprentice Kine Marcella Diouf for Klakan, a Liberian rite of passage for girls. Photo: Amy Kitchener.

This month the Alliance for California Traditional Arts announces the availability of guidelines and application forms for the ninth round of it's Apprenticeship Program.  Guidelines and application forms are now available online.  Alternatively, please call the Alliance at (415) 346-3800 to request a copy be mailed to you.  The postmark deadline for submission of applications is August 1, 2008.

The Alliance’s Apprenticeship Program encourages the continuation of the state’s traditional arts and cultures by contracting master artists to offer intensive, one-on-one training to qualified apprentices.  Each contract will support a period of concentrated learning for individuals who have shown a commitment to and a talent for a specific artistic tradition.  Contracts of $3,000 will be made with California-based master artists to cover master artist’s fees, supplies, and travel.  Information about past Alliance apprenticeships is available at on the Alliance’s website.

The Alliance’s Apprenticeship Program is funded by The Columbia Foundation, the Fresno Arts Council, The Walter & Elise Haas Fund, The James Irvine Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by the California Arts Council, the California Community Foundation, and The San Francisco Foundation.

For More Information Contact

Sherwood Chen
Associate Director
(415) 346-3800
Email

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New Guidelines Available for the Alliance’s Living Cultures Grants Program

Northern Lao weaving by Leanne Mounvongkham. Photo: Amy Kitchener.

This month the Alliance for California Traditional Arts announces the availability of guidelines and application forms for the fourth round of its Living Cultures Grants Program.  Guidelines and application forms are now available online.  Alternatively, please call (415) 346-5200 to request a copy be mailed to you.  The postmark deadline for submission of proposals is July 15, 2008.  Alliance staff is always available to discuss the program and is happy to work with first-time grant seekers.

The Living Cultures Grants Program funds non-profit organizations to support exemplary projects in the traditional arts in California.  Grant awards are generally limited to $5,000 or less.  A small number of grants of up to $7,500 will be awarded to projects that demonstrate significant impact on a particular cultural tradition.  Approximately 35-40 grants will be made in this funding cycle.  Descriptions of previously funded projects are available on the Alliance’s website.

The Living Cultures Grants Program is a project of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts in partnership with The Walter & Elise Haas Fund, The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, and The James Irvine Foundation. Additional support provided by the California Arts Council, the California Community Foundation, and The San Francisco Foundation.

For More Information Contact

Lily Kharrazi
Living Cultures Grants Program Manager
(415) 346-5200
Email

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Save the Date!—Alliance Informational Meetings

Throughout May, the Alliance will host nine informational meetings around the state – Long Beach (May 4), Riverside (May 5), San Diego (May 12), Los Angeles (May 15), Santa Cruz (May 19), Fresno (May 20), San Jose (May 21), Santa Rosa (May 22), and Berkeley (May 28)

Please join Alliance staff for a meeting in your area to learn more about the Alliance and its programs.  Complete guidelines and application forms for all three of the Alliance’s programs – the Apprenticeship Program, the Living Cultures Grants Program, and the Traditional Arts Development Program – will be available on-site at the meeting, as well as on the Alliance’s website.

Please visit the Alliance’s website to view a complete informational meeting schedule.

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

The Alliance for California Traditional Arts has launched 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) 346-3800, 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 this upcoming session! 

To Be Traditional is to be Political: Folk and Traditional Arts as a Vehicle for Social Change

Date: Thursday, June 5, 2008
Time: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Location: Global Exchange, 2017 Mission Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94110

Description: In a time of innovation and globalization, how can one articulate one’s power in practicing traditional arts?  How can one develop into a cultural organizer?  This session looks at the strategic ways in which one can consider their traditional arts practice as a means to mobilize communities and make one’s voice heard.  Includes discussing the role of culture bearers as community leaders, best practices, politics and cultural identity, and sharing of social justice resources and organizations.

Featured Participants:
Melody Takata – Director, Gen Taiko
Pimm Allen – Arts Coordinator, United Indian Health Services
Regina Califa Calloway – vivaARTS Network

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Listen to the Traditional Arts Roundtable Series Podcast!

On February 21, 2008, the Alliance for California Traditional Arts held the second installment of its San Francisco Traditional Arts Roundtable Series, entitled Investigating the Post-Multiculturalism Landscape.  This roundtable was presented in partnership with San Francisco-based organizations CounterPULSE and Dancer’s Group, and choreographer Mary Armentrout, and was also the second installation of the Dance Discourse Project, part of an ongoing series of artist-curated conversations about specific topics in the Bay Area contemporary dance scene.

Hosted at CounterPULSE, the full house of attendees featured artists reflecting upon the multi-faceted complexities of Bay Area work that utilizes tradition-based dance forms.  Featured artists included Danny Kalanduyan, Kulintang master artist; Prumsodun Ok, Classical Cambodian dancer and filmmaker; Duniya Dance Ensemble Artistic Director Joti Singh; and Teela Shine, Co-Founder of New Style Motherlode.  The discussion was moderated by Mary Armentrout and Alliance Associate Director Sherwood Chen.

A podcast of the roundtable is now available online.

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Former Alliance Apprenticeship Pair Featured on Local Television Program

Alseny Soumah and Joti Singh, a former apprenticeship pair in the Alliance’s Apprenticeship Program, were recently featured on the San Francisco television program View from the Bay, as part of the program’s celebration of the Bay Area Celebrates Dance Week.  Of their participation in the program, Joti says, “It’s especially awesome because that’s some of the choreography we developed during our [Alliance] apprenticeship!”

View Alseny and Joti’s appearance on View from the Bay’s website.

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Funding

The Alliance's Traditional Arts Development Program

Deadline: Ongoing

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 Planet, 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. Planet’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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Native Arts @ NEFA / Native Arts Exchange
New England Fondation for the Arts

Deadline – Ongoing

The Native Artist Exchange, a program of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), provides support for Native artists residing in any of the 50 United States to travel to different regions of the country so that they may exchange artistic knowledge and skills. This fund is designed to encourage and assist American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian artists, and provides an opportunity for Native artists to teach, learn, and collaborate in traditional and/or contemporary Native art forms through travel from one region to another across the nation.

For more information, including guidelines and application materials, visit the New England Foundation for the Arts’ website.

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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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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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Visions from the New California
Alliance of Artists Communities

Deadline – May 16, 2008

The Alliance of Artists Communities invites artists throughout the state of California to apply for the 2009 Visions from the New California Award.  Now in the second of a three-year program, the third round of awardees will be selected from applicants from the call for artists in addition to the nomination process used in previous years of the project.

The six selected artists will receive a one-month residency at one of the participating residency programs and a $4,000 stipend to use as they choose.  Each artist's residency experience and creative results will be documented in a widely distributed publication designed to assist the careers of the award recipients as well as publicize artist residency opportunities available to all artists.

For more information, including application materials, visit the Alliance of Artists Communities’ website.

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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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Investing in Artists
Center for Cultural Innovation

Deadline – June 6, 2008

The Investing in Artists grants program is designed to enhance the working lives and creative environment for California artists by funding tools and market strategies that will allow them to create their best work more consistently and distribute that work more broadly to new audiences.  To support those aims, Investing in Artists provides grants in two categories: 1) Artistic Equipment & Tools and 2) Presenting & Marketing Work.  In this third round of funding, applications will only be accepted in the Artistic Equipment & Tools category and in the Presenting & Marketing Work Implementation category.

For more information, including guidelines and application materials, visit the Center for Cultural Innovation’s 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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Living Cultures Grants Program
Alliance for California Traditional Arts

Deadline: July 15, 2008

The Alliance’s Living Cultures Grants Program funds nonprofit organizations to support exemplary projects in the traditional arts in California.  Approximately 35-40 grants of up to $7,500 will be made in this funding cycle.  Descriptions of previously funded projects are available on the Alliance’s website.

Guidelines and application forms are now available online.  Alternatively, please call (415) 346-5200 to request a copy be mailed to you.  The postmark deadline for submission of proposals is August July 15, 2008.  Alliance staff is always available to discuss the program and is happy to work with first-time grant seekers.

The Living Cultures Grants Program is a project of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts in partnership with The Walter & Elise Haas Fund, The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, and The James Irvine Foundation. Additional support provided by the California Arts Council, the California Community Foundation, and The San Francisco Foundation.

For More Information Contact

Lily Kharrazi
Living Cultures Grants Program Manager
(415) 346-5200
Email

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Apprenticeship Program
Alliance for California Traditional Arts

Deadline: August 1, 2008

The Alliance’s Apprenticeship Program encourages the continuation of the state’s traditional arts and cultures by contracting master artists to offer intensive, one-on-one training to qualified apprentices.  Each contract will support a period of concentrated learning for individuals who have shown a commitment to and a talent for a specific artistic tradition.  Contracts of $3,000 will be made with California-based master artists to cover master artist’s fees, supplies, and travel.  Information about past Alliance apprenticeships is available at on the Alliance’s website.

Guidelines and application forms are now available online.  Alternatively, please call (415) 346-3800 to request a copy be mailed to you.  The postmark deadline for submission of applications is August 1, 2008.

The Alliance’s Apprenticeship Program is funded by The Columbia Foundation, the Fresno Arts Council, The Walter & Elise Haas Fund, The James Irvine Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by the California Arts Council, the California Community Foundation, and The San Francisco Foundation.

For More Information Contact

Sherwood Chen
Associate Director
(415) 346-3800
Email

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2008 Choreographer Collaboration Awards

Deadline: August 14, 2008

The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation are pleased to announce their 2008 Choreographer Collaboration Awards Program.  The foundations will provide up to six grants of $75,000 each for the commission and premiere of six major new dance compositions, created by California choreographers in collaboration with other California artists.

These grants will be available to nonprofit Bay Area arts presenting organizations.  They will be aimed at California choreographers of great merit, each working in close collaboration with another California artist of their choosing (choreographer, composer, playwright, digital media artist, filmmaker, designer or other).  The resulting dance compositions will have their world premiere public performances in the Bay Area between December 2009 and June 2011.  Proposed commissions for original works in any dance style or format will be accepted.  Applicant organizations must be nonprofit and based in the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano or Sonoma.

For more information, including guidelines and application materials, please visit the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation’s website.

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Opportunities & Resources

Los Angeles County Summer Arts Internships

Los Angeles County, through its Arts Commission, has given grants totaling $496,000 to 87 performing, literary, media and municipal arts organizations throughout Los Angeles County to support paid internships for college undergraduates in summer 2008.

Descriptions of and contacts for the 124 internship positions are posted on the Arts Commission’s website.  Interested undergraduates should apply directly to the organization offering the internship, not the Arts Commission.

College undergraduates either resident in and/or attending school in Los Angeles County are eligible for the internships.  Interns are paid $350 per week for 10 weeks and take part in educational and arts networking activities.  Through the program, interns gain a deeper understanding of the work involved in nonprofit arts administration and the role of the arts in a community, and develop business skills that can be put to use in their future careers.  Internship host organizations help mold and shape potential new workers in the arts field who may go on to arts leadership positions on staffs, boards or as volunteers.

Examples of County internship experiences include:

• An administrative intern to work at the City of Pico Rivera/Pico Rivera Centre for the Performing Art to directly assist with the development and promotion of the Centre’s programs, assist visitors with program registration, and participate in other facets of the City’s cultural services.

• A literary programs intern to work at PEN Center USA to support program development and administration, including community-based creative writing programs, curriculum development, program research and program evaluation. The intern will also implement writing programs and work with literary professionals to enhance the literary community of Los Angeles.

• A production intern to work at Collage Dance Theatre to coordinate all aspects of the organization’s 20th Anniversary Celebration, including booking, designing invitations, soliciting and booking sponsorships and donations, taking reservations and supervising event set-up and break-down.

• An education associate to work at the Friends of the Cerritos Center to assist in the development and implementation of the Center’s educational programs for youth. The intern will gain hands-on experience in arts instruction activities, including curriculum development for the Professional Development Workshops for Teachers program, production of the annual Educator’s Handbook and general implementation and program administration.

• An educational program assistant to work at Canyon Theatre Guild to serve as the assistant instructor for summer youth musical theatre workshops, including acting instruction, directing, costume development, technical production and improvisation exercises. The intern will also assist with box office management.

For more information visit the Arts Commission’s website.

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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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