Ariticle and Photos By: Scott S. Smith, Sandra Wells & Christian Smith
The City of Riverside is on the Santa Ana river, but because it sits in a sprawling desert many visitors will be surprised at how green it can be even in summer (the county includes Joshua Tree National Park and Palm Springs to the east, but also the wine country of Temecula in the south). There are several aspects that make it distinctive.
First, it is a real public arts hub, with a 6-page spread in the August-September 2023 issue of The Riversider magazine
https://issuu.com/transitionvisualagency/docs/rsdr_3_4_issuu?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ about its colorful murals.
The same issue highlights Cosme Cordova, whose Mexican family moved to Riverside when he was five, where he struggled to learn English, in part because he was diagnosed with dyslexia that made reading challenging. But early on he was praised as a talented artist and opened his own gallery at 29 (Division Nine), helped start the Riverside Artswalk (first Thursday of each month), and founded the Day of the Dead celebration that now attracts 50,000.
Cordova was chosen to curate the inaugural local artist gallery in June 2022 at the Cheech Center for Chicano Art and Culture https://riversideartmuseum.org/visit/the-cheech-marin-center-for-chicano-art-culture/ Yes, that Cheech, who is one of the world’s foremost collectors of Chicano art of all kinds (it is downtown just across from the Mission Inn and a block from the Riverside Art Museum and is part of RAM). This was the biggest surprise of our visit because we had not fully understood just how brilliant (literally and figuratively) the Day-of-the-Dead-inspired style can be (see photo of Le Lechuza by Alex Kubino; other standout artists whose similar work we saw included Jaime Zacaria, Benito Huerta, and Ricardo Ruiz).
Riverside Art Museum
https://riversideartmuseum.org/ had a room of very talented and creative local collage artists (see photo), a term that can too often mean those who throw together anything they happen to have. Local abstract painter and sculptor Pauldea Evans also had his work on display. Upstairs was an exhibit of photos of men whose tattoos had interesting messages and other photos of professional wrestlers showing off their alter egos. The RAM’s temporary exhibits get positive reviews from regular visitors and the classes offered include photography, digital illustration, printmaking, painting, and sculpting.
UCR Arts (University of California Riverside)
https://ucrarts.ucr.edu/visit/ is actually two museums in a lively pedestrian mall near downtown, the Barbara & Art Culver Center of the Arts and the California Museum of Photography. The main center was in the midst of setting up a new exhibit, but from our glimpses it looked impressive (it has a collection of 1,500 works of contemporary art). There was an interesting display about Heresies, an influential feminist magazine 1977-1993 (see photo).The Museum of Photography is the only one of its kind in the state and has 500,00 images in its collection. The primary exhibit was of the work of an African American photographer (1882-1944) who had a demanding job as a butler by day, but managed to devote his free time to taking atmospheric pictures of racing ships, planes, and scenes from the city. There is a Camera Obscura and a video on how to make your own: https://virtualucrarts.ucr.edu/2020/04/08/camera-obscura-activity/
Riverside Beyond the Arts
California Citrus State Historic Park http://parks.ca.gov/?page_id=649 celebrates that fact that the citrus fields of Riverside caused an Orange Rush, as SoCal farmland was bought up to cash in on the popularity of the sweet and juicy Navel Orange starting in the 1870s (before the silent movie actors started moving into Beverly Hills, it was an orange grove). There are ranger-led tours that cover many of the 89 varieties of citrus, such as Buddha’s Hand Citron, Chandler Pummelo, and Seedless Kishu Mandarin, which cover half of the park’s 250 acres (FYI do not pick the fruit from the tree or the ground). Signs (most bilingual and some with QR codes) ID them or provide background on the largely Hispanic immigrant labor force that made the industry possible. Many of the other plants on the There is also a museum and a gift shop, as well as special events. You do not need a guided tour reservation in advance, but check on the schedule, since on very hot days they may only have one in the morning.
March Air Reserve Base https://www.military.com/base-guide/march-air-reserve-base/contact/visitors-center/6357 (formerly March Air Force Base) played an important role for nearly 50 years of the Cold War as part of the Strategic Air Command, which meant the stationing there of the B-29 Superfortress, then the B-47 Stratojet and other advanced aircraft. The large museum not includes many legendary planes, such as the SR-71A Blackbird, “the world’s fastest air-breathing manned aircraft,” which set two records for going 2,193 mph at an altitude of 85,069 (see photo). You can get into some cockpits and others show you just how incredibly cramped large crews were. It is worth taking time to watch some of the historic videos.
Mission Inn https://missioninnmuseum.org/ is a historic landmark, built in four sections starting when the original was finished in 1903 and the last one in 1931, covering an entire city block. Many presidents, starting with Teddy Roosevelt, have stayed there or visited as the premier luxury hotel for the region (not to mention film stars, heads-of-state, and royalty). A 75-minute guided tour is really essential to fully appreciate it, whether you are a guest, dining or shopping there, or attending an event, because of its unusual combination of architectural styles (which include a great deal of symbolism) and the quality of its original art. There is a story behind everything, from the giant Chinese bell and the statue of the Buddha to the paintings from the Spanish Colonial era and the stunning St. Francis Chapel, with its gold overlay on cedar altar screen and stained glass done by Louis Tiffany himself.
We learned one tip the hard way: be sure you check the website or phone before planning a visit to Riverside, especially in summer, since many places change their hours.