Tag Archives: Riverside Art Museum

Sheltering heARTS Event Raises Over $70,000 for Path of Life Ministries

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Members of the 2012 Leadership Riverside Class present the $70,101.56 check to Path of Life Ministries at Good Morning Riverside.

At the Thursday, October 11, Good Morning Riverside meeting, the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Leadership Riverside Class of 2012 presented Path of Life Ministries with a check in the amount of $70,101.56.

The funds were raised at the Sheltering heARTS premiere gala held in September at the Riverside Art Museum. The event was created and sponsored by the Leadership Riverside class to help raise awareness and critical funds to assist Path of Life in delivering programs that impact the quality of life of all residents and, more directly, the lives of homeless individuals and families in Riverside/Inland Southern California communities.

Event organizer and chair, Christi MacNee said on behalf of the Leadership class, “We wanted to move beyond a simple acknowledgment of the homeless issue and the budgetary crisis to actively participate in something that could make a difference.”

The evening featured art and inspiration. Art pieces were created by the families of Path of Life and displayed throughout the galleries and keynote speaker, Erin Gruwell, author of the Freedom Writers Diary, talked about becoming a catalyst for change, sharing moving stories about her students’ homeless experiences and later successes.

The Path of Life Board of Directors wrote, “Words cannot express a level of gratitude that begins to mirror the measure of time and talent you [Leadership Riverside, Class of 2012] have all poured into this elegant and tremendously successful event. You have not only helped us move homeless families and individuals out of crisis towards self-reliance, but propelled by light years a much desired connection to the business sector in our community.”

The Sheltering heARTS fundraiser event is an extraordinary example of the way Riversiders unite together for the common good of our community.

Riverside Author Features the Eccentric Past of Two Historic Downtown Buildings in KCET Blog

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Gayle Brandeis, a Riverside resident and published author, recently featured two downtown Riverside landmark buildings in her story posted on KCET.org, “From Y to Art: The History of the Riverside Arts Museum and Life Arts Center.”  Brandeis describes these buildings in an athletic/artistic metaphor - “Physical expression comes in many forms, from the beauty of an arm arcing to spike a volleyball to the swoop of paint across a canvas. Two buildings in downtown Riverside embody this multiplicity, transforming over time from shrines of physical fitness to temples of physical art” – and follows with an inspirational account of the people that made these buildings such significant pieces of Riverside’s history.

Source: KCET.org

The author’s appreciation for the unique and special character of Riverside shines through in her article. Brandeis herself explains it best in her columnist bio:

“For a long time, I loved Riverside for its proximity to other landscapes–an hour from the ocean, an hour from the mountains, an hour from the desert–but now I love Riverside for Riverside, itself. Its humility, its community, its pockets of surprising beauty.”

Well said.

Click here to read the full article by Gayle Brandeis. 

 Click here to read her columnist biography. 

Local Students Participate In RAM’s First Ever Student Curator Program

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Documentary photo of the Mobile Mural Lab youth workshop held during the exhibit’s opening reception. Source: Riverside Art Museum

With a thriving community of artists, art galleries, museums and performance venues, the City of Riverside can most certainly be called Creativity Central.  The City serves as an artist’s haven constantly buzzing with an unmatched array of cultural opportunities.

One major hub for creativity in the City of Arts and Innovation are the local universities, which serve as a constant source of young artistic talent. The Riverside Art Museum (RAM) has launched a new pilot program called the Student Curatorial Council, which hopes to connect with this talent base and engage local students with the creative and professional processes involved in curating a museum exhibit.

The following is reproduced from RAM’s press release published in the Press Enterprise:

The Student Curatorial Council pilot program was launched in conjunction with RAM’s groundbreaking summer exhibition, “You Are Breathing In It! Alternative Art Practices.” The Museum’s Curatorial Council has given four locally based students, ranging from undergraduates to PhD. candidates, a firsthand experience working with contemporary artists and curators.

The students have worked alongside museum staff and “You Are Breathing In It!” artists and curator Karla Diaz to plan, execute, and write about their related exhibition programming component.

“This project represents an important step for RAM to better engage our region’s university students in a meaningful way,” says Drew Oberjuerge, RAM executive director. “Not only is our summer exhibition geared towards students, we have created spaces for them to reflect on and expand our programming.”

“We hope that this experience is an important stepping stone in their careers as artists, curators, and art critics. We look forward to continuing this type of project to showcase the talent and intellect of students like these.”

The curators gained firsthand experience writing and editing didactic text; working within a limited budget; coordinating loan forms and contracts; and helping with exhibit installation.

The participating curators are Michaeline Anderson, a Cal State San Bernardino graduate currently completing her masters in Art History at UCR; Lydia Young Ha Kim, a recent graduate of California Baptist University who will enter the Claremont Graduate University in the fall for museum studies; Carolyn Schutten, currently completing her PhD. in Public History at UCR; and Zaid Yousef, currently completing his bachelors at UCR in Studio Art and Art History. (Click here to read the full biographies of the participating curators)

“Working on the RAMSCC has been an intellectual adventure!” Yousef said. “This exhibition in particular provokes an intellectual responsibility to articulate the fundamental core of our practice.”

The exhibition includes documentary photos of the Mobile Mural Lab youth workshop held during the exhibit’s opening reception, curated by Young Ha Kim, abstract enamel paintings by artist-curator Yousef, the Polaroid photographs of Inland Empire-native photographer Theodore DeHart , curated by Anderson; and a sound installation of artist Luz María Sánchez’s “2487,” curated by Schutten.

“RAM is thrilled to be able to offer these young curators an opportunity like this,” says Kathryn Poindexter, curator and coordinator of the program. “We are incredibly impressed with the depth and variation of thoughtful artistic responses that the students have produced to accompany this exhibit.”

The Curatorial Council artwork will be on view in RAM’s alcove hallway, atrium exhibition wall, glass cases, and upstairs mezzanine hallway through Sept. 26.

Unique programs like the Student Curatorial Council promote opportunities for creativity and lifelong learning in the community. This creative culture in Riverside is an important attribute of our high quality of life and helps to establish a diverse and dynamic community for all to live, work, and play.

Read the full August 15, 2012 Press Release from Riverside Art Museum as published in the Press Enterprise.

The Riverside Arts Walk Celebrates its 10th Anniversary!

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Reproduced courtesy of the Press Enterprise:

The Riverside Arts Walk celebrated its 10th anniversary on Thursday, March 1.

“We were delighted when Arts Walk began ten years ago and are even more excited now that Arts Walk has flourished into an arts and culture mainstay,” said Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge. “As the City of Arts & Innovation, we rely on a combination of arts institutions and infrastructure, arts organizations and galleries, and events — lots of events. Arts Walk has become a not-to-be-missed monthly highlight.”

Arts Walk began in 2002 as a collaboration between the Riverside Community Arts Association, directed by Mark Schooley, and Division 9 Gallery, headed by Cosmé Cordova. The two downtown-based arts leaders worked together to initiate an opening event between their two art galleries. The short stroll between the two shows became the seed that sprouted into the Riverside Arts Walk on First Thursdays.

“It’s amazing how it has grown from just two locations to more than two dozen locations. I’m especially amazed by all the movement and energy it creates in Riverside when the people come together and create a positive sense of synergy on Arts Walk night,” said Cordova.

In the first couple of years, the events were held sporadically.

By September 2003, eight locations were included and attendance had increased to several hundred. Shortly afterward, the Riverside Art Museum, headed by Daniel Foster, formed a partnership with the Riverside Community Arts Association to expand and shape the Riverside Arts Walk.

“I had just arrived in Riverside and Mark Schooley was one of the first people I met in the arts community. We instantly hit it off, and agreed on the spot to expand the Arts Walk into a monthly event that involved all of the cultural institutions and businesses in downtown,” said Foster.

He was founding head of the Riverside Cultural Consortium from 2003 to 2006, which became the central coordinator of the Arts Walk event.

The Arts Walk has continued to grow annually to the current level of over two dozen galleries, museums, studios, businesses, the library and various art sites that now participate with opening receptions, art displays, poetry readings, musical programs and other performances and special events.

“Arts Walk has really played a large role in helping to shape Riverside’s identity as the City of Arts & Innovation,” said Patrick Brien, Executive Director of the Riverside Arts Council. “This is an event that brings people from throughout the region to downtown Riverside each month. They shop here. They dine here. Arts Walk has been and continues to be a tremendous economic driver for this community.”

The 10th Anniversary celebration took place at the Life Arts Center at the corner of University Avenue and Lemon Street.

To view the article on the Press Enterprise, click here.

For more information, visit http://www.RiversideCulturalConsortium.org,

InlandArts.com, or call the Riverside Community Arts Association at 951-682-6737.

Renowned Artist Joanna Mersereau at Walter’s Automotive Group Showroom

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Reproduced courtesy of the Riverside Art Museum ARTbytes:

The Riverside Art Museum in partnership with Walter’s Automotive Group is proud to present the works of professional watercolor artist, Joanna Mersereau, at the Walter’s Automotive Group showroom til April 24, 2012. Mersereau is the second artist (the first was Paulden Evans) to be exhibited there as part of our Arts and Innovation Artist Exhibition Program.

Using a personal mixture of creativity and imagination, Mersereau’s work uniquely captures bright, vivid images of natural and urban landscapes. Perceiving art as an ongoing journey, Mersereau presents her work as “Narrative Structuralism” in which shapes, structure, and perspective come together to express the power of color and design found within one’s surroundings.

Earning a degree in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois, Joanna Mersereau has adapted her design and artistic skills to produce a variety of works that encompass the beauty of natural and unnatural structure. Inspired by travel and movement, her artwork varies in themes from capturing the foreign landscapes of Italy, France, and Spain to the local terrain of California Mountains, beaches, and metropolitan spaces.

As one of the founders of Watercolor West and a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, Mersereau is proclaimed as the epitome of excellence in the water media world. Mersereau’s style is inspired by post-impressionist artists such as Diego Rivera, Van Gogh, and Cezanne, essentially creating semi-abstractionist paintings entwined with the unique ebb and detail of watercolor. Her art can be found in the permanent collections of many museums as well as in the hands of numerous collectors.

Please contact Kathryn Poindexter at the Riverside Art Museum at (951)
684-7111 ext. 307 or kpoindexter@riversideartmuseum.org for purchase
inquiries.

The Arts and Innovation Artist Exhibition Program at the Walter’s Auto Group  showroom is a creative way to combine art and industry. Riverside is a community rich in arts and culture and Walter’s Auto Group is furthering this message with their Exhibition Program. 

RAM’s “Rooftop Club” is Riverside’s Newest Nightlife Venue

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Around the city, around the year, around clock, Riverside always has something to offer for your Friday night out. If you’re looking to try something new, the Riverside Art Museum invites you to spend your Friday nights from 8 p.m. to midnight lounging with friends at their new “Rooftop Club”.

Every Friday from August 5 to September 30, RAM will host an evening on the rooftop with a new musical performance each week. Tickets can be purchased online for $20 prior to the event or $25 at the door.

Come enjoy an evening of  music, entertainment, beautiful views of downtown and unique food and drinks provided by Phood on Main.

Click here for further details or the full listing of the upcoming performance lineup.