Aleqwel Thomas Mendoza: Artist Designer/Educator/Cultural Bearer

 

 

California Native son born and raised in Santa Barbara.  Aleqwel Shares a rich California cultural heritage of Chumash, Indigenous Baja and Spanish ancestry.

 

 

Aleqwel is a Lineal descendant from the five original famallies from the Zonga Cota Reservation  including the mainland Villages of Qasil ( Rancho Refugio ). Aleqwel’s is also direct descendant of the Indigenous Nobles of California and early founding  families of Santa Barbara and San Francisco, Jose Francisco Ortega an indigenous man of Guanjuato Mexico is Mendoza’s 6th great grandfather. (www.ortegasderefugio.org )

 

Aleqwel has been producing, directing and designing various forms of media since 1986. His professional positions include serving as publisher of Home & Office Magazine, Senior Designer of Inside Design Communications, and art director for San Francisco Nose

magazine. Additionally, Mendoza co-founded Tarzan Studios "Electronic Jungle,” well known as one of San Francisco's first, award-winning multimedia companies.

 

Mendoza has been a featured panel speaker at many information design and new media development conferences, including the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival where the panel consisted of representatives from National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Time-Warner,3DO, WGBH, GTE and the BBC discussing issues of interactive content development and media integration for natural history producers.

 

In other speaking engagements, Mendoza served as a delegate at the First Annual Indigenous Business & Economic Development Conference in Cairns, Australia, and at the American Indian Film & Finance Forum in San Francisco, California where he promoted discussion of Tribal and non-Tribal funding for Native American film and media projects.

 

With years of experience in content development and information design to his credit, Mendoza returned to Santa Barbara and his Native American, Chumash heritage where he and his family 

 are active members in the Chumash community who participate in the revitalization of their Chumash culture. Aleqwel spent 20 years mastering traditional Chumash dance with his elders and creating material cultutal art. Aleqwel is a highly skilled material culture artist, a master shell jewelry maker and stone shaper. Aleqwel pieces are considered sacred to most and hold a high prestige in the Native American community. Aleqwel‘s work has been featured in selective shops, shows and museum galleries through out Central California.

 

In 2006, Mendoza launched Red Road Studios, a Native American art gallery in the heart of SantaBarbara's trend-setting district known as the Waterfront "Funk Zone.”

 

In 2012, Mendoza was hired as Director of Tribal Relations for the Mill Valley-based service, Sacred Agent, a cutting-edge, cultural communications technology delivering quality, innovative media to global Internet users.

 

2016 Aleqwel signs on to be the Executive Director of the Apanish Foundation, the foundation is a California 501c3 Non Profit. The organization implements a series of Chumash cultural revitalization, earth stewardship, indigenous arts, sports and cultural exchange programs with the public and tribal communities. 

 

2018 Aleqwel won Best Local Business at TechStars: Start Up Weekend Santa Barbara. 

The new start up titled Pop Up Town was launched in April during the cities “ Experience Weekend “ event. 

 

Mendoza and Pop Up Town open up two storefronts on State Street. The storefronts feature local and indigenous hand crafted art and textiles. Pop Up Town specialized in brand activation, market placement and market acceleration for start ups.

 

In the spring of 2019 Aleqwel organized the Chumash Artist Guild with a 3 months exhibit and retail shelve space at 419 & 428 State Street Santa Barbara CA.  

 

The Chumash Artist Guild is a collective of artist, singers, dancers, storytellers and entrepreneurs that represent the Chumash people.  There are several highly skilled craft experts and artist within the Chumash Community at large. 

 

“ The guild provides an internship/mentorship program that introduces Chumash culture to Chumash people through the arts, while creating a shared economy for it’s members. “ - Aleqwel “ The Maker “ 

 

Currently Aleqwel is the executive director of the California Habitat for Indigenous Arts and serves as a ceremonial dancer and Paha (Ceremony Practitioner) for his family.