Riverside Art Museum

MUSEUM THAT COLLECTS ART AND PRODUCES ART EXHIBITIONS AND ART EDUCATION PROGRAMS

EXHIBITS & COLLECTIONS:AT BOTH SITES, RAM PRESENTS A TOTAL OF APPROXIMATELY 20 EXHIBITS A YEAR TO FURTHER ITS WORK AS A DISTINGUISHED AND ACCESSIBLE INSTITUTION. AT THE JULIA MORGAN BUILDING, KEY EXHIBITION INITIATIVES HAVE BEEN TO UPLIFT UNTOLD STORIESFROM FEMALE ARTISTS TO HISTORICALLY UNDERSTUDIED INLAND EMPIRE ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, AND ARCHITECTURAL MOVEMENTS, TO ARTISTS UPLIFTING URGENT MESSAGES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE. A PERMANENT JULIA MORGAN TRIBUTE EXHIBITION SHEDS LIGHT ONTO THIS PIONEERING ARCHITECT. IN ADDITION TO PRESENTING QUALITY ARTWORK, THE MUSEUM PROVIDES INTERACTIVE PROGRAMMING THAT EXPLORES SOCIAL ISSUES AND INVITES PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT THROUGH TOURS, PANELS, AND ART-MAKING ACTIVITIES. DURING GOVERNMENT-MANDATED CLOSURES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (RAM REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC WITH LIMITED ADMISSION IN APRIL 2021 AND FULLY ON JUNE 15, 2021), RAM ORGANIZED DIGITAL EXHIBITIONS AND VIRTUAL ARTIST TALKS. RAM STEWARDS A PERMANENT COLLECTION OF APPROXIMATELY 2,000 OBJECTS. THE BULK OF THE COLLECTION HAS BEEN REFERRED TO BY NEW YORK-BASED INDEPENDENT CURATOR, MARGARET MATTHEW BERENSON, AS "'A SURVEY COLLECTION'ONE THAT PROVIDES ITS AUDIENCE A SWEEPING GLIMPSE OF THE HISTORY OF ART." THE SURVEY PORTION OF THE COLLECTION'S GREATEST STRENGTHS ARE PRINT WORKS (LITHOGRAPHS, SERIGRAPHS, INTAGLIO, MONOTYPE, RELIEF, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND POSTERS), MIXED MEDIA WORKS, AND PAINTINGS AND WATERCOLORS OF CALIFORNIA LANDSCAPES. SOME NOTABLE ARTISTS IN THE SURVEY COLLECTION INCLUDE: KARL BENJAMIN, REX BRANDT, MILLARD SHEETS, TOULOUSE LAUTREC, MARC CHAGALL, ALBERTO GIACOMETTI, SHEPARD FAIREY, AND SISTER CORITA KENT.

EDUCATION:RAM OFFERS CLASSES AND SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN FROM AGES 3 TO 18 YEARS. ADDITIONALLY, RAM BRINGS CURRICULUM-BASED ART LESSONS TO LOCAL CLASSROOMS THROUGH ART-TO-GO AND BRINGS STUDENTS TO ITS HISTORIC BUILDING FOR WALK & WONDER MUSEUM TOURS. DURING THE 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR, RAM PROVIDED ART-TO-GO VIRTUALLY TO ALL ELEMENTARY STUDENTS AT RIVERSIDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. RAM ALSO CREATED A VIRTUAL WALK AND WONDER PROGRAM FOR ALL FIRST GRADER STUDENTS AT VAL VERDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. IN 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR, RAM IS BACK ON SITE AT THE SCHOOLS, PROVIDING ART-TO-GO IN THE CLASSROOMS, TO NEARLY ALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERSIDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. RAM PROVIDES ART EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES TO AT-PROMISE TEENS, YOUTH IN GANG PREVENTION PROGRAMS, AND OTHER JUSTICE-INVOLVED YOUTH. CREATIVE HORIZONS ENGAGES TROUBLED TEENS IN PRO-SOCIAL ARTS ACTIVITIES THAT ENCOURAGE TEAMWORK AND CREATIVITY THROUGH THE COLLABORATIVE PRODUCTION OF THEMED MURALS, WORKING WITH INCARCERATED YOUTH AT DETENTION FACILITIES, AND WITH AT-PROMISE TEENS WHO VISIT THE MUSEUM TO WORK ON PROJECTS. ANNUALLY, APPROXIMATELY 50 JUSTICE-INVOLVED YOUTH PARTICIPATE IN THIS IMPACTFUL PROGRAM. ADDITIONALLY, RAM IN 2020-2021 OFFERED ONLINE CLASSES TO TEENS ON PROBATION AND AT LOCAL GROUP HOMES, REACHING ABOUT 150 YOUNG PEOPLE. RAM OFFERS ADULT CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS FEATURING LOCAL AND NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED INSTRUCTORS TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL ARTISTS. NEW SOCIAL-BASED ART MAKING ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN OFFERED OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS, ON-SITE AND ONLINE, AND ARE WIDELY ENJOYED BY NON-ARTISTS AS FUN, CREATIVE EVENTS. THE ART MAKE "52 PROJECT" ENGAGES ADULTS IN IN A SELF-DIRECTED, GROUP-ENCOURAGED, YEAR-LONG EXPLORATION AND COMMITMENT TO INDIVIDUAL CREATIVITY SUPPORTED BY MUSEUM-BASED GET-TOGETHERS, CULMINATING IN OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINI SHOWS AT THE MUSEUM.

COMMUNITY OUTREACHIN ADDITION TO CREATING PUBLIC VALUE AND COMMUNITY VIBRANCY THROUGH ART EDUCATION AND EXHIBITIONS, RAM IS EXPANDING ITS WORK OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF THE MUSEUM AS IT EXPLORES HOW ART CAN ADVANCE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND IMPROVE THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING ARTS ACTIVITIES AT FESTIVALS AND EVENTS (ESPECIALLY IN RIVERSIDE'S EASTSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD), RAM WORKS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND RESIDENTS TO PAINT MURALS AT NEIGHBORHOOD SITES. RAM ALSO WORKS WITH THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND A LOCAL HOUSING AUTHORITY TO PLACE AN ARTIST IN AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNIT RECENTLY CONSTRUCTED NEXT TO LINCOLN PARK IN RIVERSIDE; THIS ARTIST, CONTRACTED BY RAM, PROVIDES ARTS ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND AT THE MUSEUM, MOST RECENTLY WORKING WITH ARTISTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS TO CREATIVELY REVITALIZE STOREFRONTS ALONG PARK AVENUE IN RIVERSIDE, CA.RAM HAS A STRONG HISTORY OF PROVIDING FREE, VIBRANT, COMMUNITY ART PROGRAMS THROUGH FIRST SUNDAYS AND ARTS WALK. RAM IS ALSO PART OF THE MUSEUMS FOR ALL PROGRAM WITH $1 ADMISSION FOR FAMILIES WITH EBT CARDS. CHILDREN UNDER 12 AND MILITARY FAMILIES ARE ALWAYS FREE AT RAM. RAM RESUMED THESE ACTIVITIES IN SUMMER 2021, AS GOVERNMENT-MANDATED CLOSURES EASED.

BLUE DOOR MUSEUM STORERAM'S BLUE DOOR MUSEUM STORE PROMOTES AWARENESS OF LOCAL ARTISTS AND PROVIDES A VENUE FOR SALE OF THEIR WORKS. IT IS ORGANIZED BY THE ART ALLIANCE, THE AUXILIARY GROUP OF THE RIVERSIDE ART MUSEUM. THE SHOP WAS CLOSED MID-MARCH 2020 AND REOPENED IN SPRING 2021 DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. RAM OPENED LATIENDITA STORE AT THE CHEECH MARIN CENTER FOR CHICANO ART AND CULTURE OF THE RIVERSIDE ART MUSEUM IN JUNE 2022