The Program Intern will work primarily on supporting our team with a cultural asset mapping project in the Antelope Valley, part of our health equity work funded by the California Endowment. ACTA’s health equity work includes documented practices highlighting the role of art and culture in communities and involves activating heritage-based, participatory cultural activities. Fostering greater community engagement in local cultural practices serves as a pathway to cultivating transformative possibilities that can call communities into social action. A key part of the project is the cultural asset mapping methodology that ACTA has developed to recognize and document the cultural treasures of particular communities. Cultural Assets, or Cultural Treasures, are people, groups, customs, places, and events that hold meaningful aesthetics and/or historical values that help establish community identity. Cultural Treasures can be material, immaterial, emotional, or even spiritual. Through a community-led process, our Cultural Mapping Project will train local youth and community leaders in identifying and documenting cultural resources, making these resources visible through gatherings and community celebrations. The final step will be to create a space for reflection about how the “map” will live on and how it can be used to support existing work in community health, relating to the campaign to remove policing in schools and change the culture around policing in the community as a whole. The intern will support the final phases of community mapping, participating in gatherings, and supporting in planning and implementing the final celebration. The intern will process and organize the data collected through community gatherings and surveys to be presented back to the community for their discussions on future planning. The position will work approximately 15-20 hours a week for a total of 400 hours between the months of June 2024 through December 2024.
•Organize local cultural assets identified by the community in the Antelope Valley
•Support in the documentation of cultural assets through photography, video, research, and developing descriptions
•Participate in content development and brainstorming sessions to present content, potentially through story maps or other ways
•Support in the creation and implementation of community outreach and engagement activities, both in-person and remote, working closely with artists and other program staff
•Support the delivery of other organization projects, programs, and events where required, for example during panel process for our funding programs
•Attend biweekly staff meetings, regular check-ins with the cultural mapping team, and weekly check-ins with their direct supervisor
•Potential participation in a board meeting depending on scheduling and the possibility of attending national networking opportunities for the field
•Contribute to ACTA’s website and social media content updates as needed relating the Cultural Mapping Project, for example artist profile pages, and possibly other editorial content development beyond the Cultural Mapping project
Required — Interest in arts, culture, heritage, community connections — Ability to have an open mind and a conscientious work ethic — Creative, resourceful, hands-on, and proactive — Excellent written English language skills to write concise and informative listing descriptions — Some evening and weekend hours for community engagement activities — Experience working with MS Word and Excel — Ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines — Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with a team Preferred but not required — A background in human/cultural geography and community planning would be helpful — Some experience interviewing subjects in the field — Some experience editing video/audio — Bilingual, English and Spanish
The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) supports the health, vibrancy, and evolution of the State’s diverse cultural traditions through advocacy, public programs, grant-making, and connections for folk and traditional artists. Through our programs, services, and funding opportunities for the traditional arts, we are weaving a more integrated, just, and empathetic social fabric across California.
Submit a cover letter communicating your interest and qualifications and your resume to jobs@actaonline.com. Reference Arts Internship Program in the subject line. Please also include your desired work schedule, including the desired number of hours per week (range: 15-20 hours/week). ACTA is fully committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and to attracting, retaining, developing and promoting the most qualified employees without regard to their race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited by state or local law. We are dedicated to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment, and where employees are treated with respect and dignity. DACA students are eligible to apply.