Riverside Art Museum

3425 Mission Inn Avenue
Riverside CA 92501

Phone: 951-684-7111
Fax: 951-684-7332

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Description:
History:
In the early 1950s, a loosely knit group of artists formed the Riverside Art Association to encourage the study and appreciation of the arts. Their first home, the Riverside Art Center, was a recently abandoned Municipal Dog Pound which City of Riverside officials leased to the Art Association for $1 a year.By 1960, the growing Association clearly needed more space for its studio classes and numerous exhibitions. When Morgan's YWCA building became available for sale, the Riverside Art Center purchased the building for $250,000. A successful fund drive followed and on July 5, 1967, YWCA officials formally turned over Morgan's building to the Riverside Art Center. The transition from a YWCA building to the existing art museum was soon underway.In 1982, Morgan's building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated an Historic Landmark by the City of Riverside.

The Riverside Art Museum is a private, non profit organization governed by a Board of Trustees and staffed by seven full-time and three part-time employees. Funding sources include grants, corporate and private sponsorship and Museum Membership.The Riverside Art Museum's mission is to serve the varied communities of the Inland Empire by providing visual art of the finest quality and related educational and interpretive programs. Riverside Art Museum aims to exhibit art that addresses social issues, diverse themes and a range of media techniques. To fulfill this purpose the Museum mounts more than 20 major exhibitions a year, both traveling and privately organized, in four separate major galleries throughout the Museum.Located in the historic Mission Inn district of downtown Riverside, the Riverside Art Museum is housed in a former YWCA facility designed by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan. Built in 1929, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. A History Wall located in the Museum's lobby gives visitors a brief overview of Morgan's career and the transition of the YWCA