ACTA
An overview of our work in the Eastern Coachella Valley
Cultural Asset Mapping:
In 2012, ACTA, the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, began the implementation of the Activating Cultural Assets Pilot Project (ACCAPP) in the Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV). ACTA worked with a local task force that included representatives of local nonprofit organizations that have participated in the BHC initiative. Using a short bilingual questionnaire, the local task force members visited public spaces such as the Coachella Swap Meet, Bobby Duke Middle School and did door-to-door canvass at different mobile home parks in Mecca and Thermal (including Duros, Sunbird, and Las Mañanitas) to learn from the community, who are the “cultural assets or “cultural treasures” which were defined as “the people, groups, places and events that reflect cultural expressions that are valued by the community.” Over 200 questionnaires were collected between July and October of 2012.
Who Are The Eastern Coachella Valley Cultural Treasures?
20% Places (Local Restaurants, Schools, Parks, Churches, Historical Buildings)
7% Events (Pilgrimages, Church Festivals, Youth-Led Festivals)
7% Organizations (Arts& Cultural Promotion, Sports Orgs, & Social Service Orgs)
Other Remaining Cultural Treasures consisted of the practice of sports, presence of Mexican population, the rain, the heat, and also assets such as "Ice Cream Trucks."
Our Current Work:
Our New Project Intends To:
- Engage the residents of North Shore, Mecca, Thermal, & Oasis in "House/ Community Gathering sessions" in where a cultural treasure will share his/her cultural tradition or art making while also engaging the residents in the current campaign work of a particular Action Team.
-Each session will also include food sharing and an invitation to the participants to further engage in building local arts/cultural capacity as well as local BHC organizing capacity.
- We will be working in one region & with one Action Team at a time and will eventually conduct the sessions in all four communities.
-We are envisioning ending the series of sessions with 1 Cross-Site Event that will convene residents and youth of all four communities.
For Further Information & To Become Involved In Our Efforts You Can Contact:
Quetzal Flores, Southern CA Program Manager at: quetzal@actaonline.org
Citlalli Chávez, Program Coordinator at: citlalli@actaonline.org
To Learn More About ACTA, please visit our webpage at: http://www.actaonline.org/