California’s parks are more than just scenic destinations — they’re places for creativity, community and cultural connection. The Arts in California Parks grants program, a partnership between State Parks, Parks California and the California Arts Council, supports nonprofits, local organizations and tribal communities in creating art installations and programs that reflect California’s diverse stories.
One of the 2024 grantees, Semillas Sociedad Civil, Anawakalmekak, shows the power of that mission in action.
About Semillas Sociedad Civil
Semillas Sociedad Civil is an Indigenous-led educational nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing Indigenous autonomy in education. Semillas Sociedad Civil operates Anawakalmekak, a public charter school that focuses on native language, cultural teachings and intergenerational learning. Art, such as beadwork, weaving and murals to storytelling and ceremonial dances, is threaded into everything they do, helping youth connect to identity, elders and the community.
Generations of Wisdom – Taaxor: An Indigenous Serpent Mound Project
With support from Arts in California Parks, Semillas Sociedad Civil created the Generations of Wisdom – Taaxor: An Indigenous Serpent Mound Project, a land-art installation with two serpent sculptures symbolizing knowledge shared across generations and geographies. Built from river rock, native plants, earth pigments and natural materials, the serpents form a ceremonial space at the Chief Ya’anna Vera Rocha Regenerative Learning Village, honoring the Gabrielino-Shoshone Nation and other tribes of the LA Basin, Nahua Peoples and all Indigenous communities within the Uto-Nahua language family.
A Community Effort
The installation was built over a year through more than 15 gatherings. More than 270 students, families, tribal members and community volunteers helped shape the design, place stones, plant native species and paint their handprints on the serpents with traditional natural pigment.
Gabrielino-Shoshone Tribal member Cheyenne Rocha-Silva shared, “The sculptures represent a kind of educational regrowth in our tribe … This is generational and will be here for my daughter and grandchildren.”
Support Arts in Our Parks
The Generations of Wisdom – Taaxor: An Indigenous Serpent Mound Project reflects what Arts in California Parks aims to support: projects that foster creativity, honor cultural heritage and strengthen community connections. Through projects like this, our grantees, champions and partners help build a future where culture, community and nature thrive together.
Find out how the project stands as a testament to the power of art, land and intergenerational vision in California’s parks through this video of the project.