--- In March 2001, the Commission added a new program to serve the needs of folk and traditional artists in Los Angeles County, and to share these traditions with the public.
--- This program provides support, develops activities and acts as a resource for artists and organizations throughout the county. It also supplies linkages to an emerging statewide network of artists and administrators forming under the banner Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA).
The program connects folk artists with resources and presenters through gatherings, workshops, mentorships, funding opportunities and an e-mail listserv.

To subscribe to the Los Angeles County Folk Arts listserv, send an e-mail to: LAFolkArts-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
The program is funded in part by The Fund for Folk Culture.

What are Folk and Traditional Arts?

--- Folk and traditional arts deeply reflect cultural heritage and can express a community's sense of identity or way of life. They are passed down through the generations within a family or community that share a common ethnic heritage, language, religion, occupation or region. Folk art can be music, dance, visual arts and crafts, storytelling, and cuisine.
--- Some folk and traditional arts have been brought to California from other countries, taken root here and become woven into the state's cultural identity, while others have prospered within indigenous tribes for centuries.
--- Folk art is…Mexican mariachi music, West African hair braiding, Balinese gamelan, Western saddle making, Chinese opera, African-American gospel quartets, Hawaiian hula, Hmong embroidery, Anglo-American old-time fiddling, Native American basketry, Cuban bata drumming, Swedish rosemaling, Japanese tea ceremonies, Mennonite quilting, South Indian bharata natyam dance…the list is as long as our region is diverse.

For more information, contact:

Lisa Richardson
Folk & Traditional Arts Program Manager
(213) 974-1343
lrichardson@bos.co.la.ca.us