The Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California currently has an exhibit entitled, Still I Rise: The Black IE Fight For Justice. Within the exhibit is the bust shown the bust of our current Vice-President Kamala Harris. The bust was sculpted by Morton Bernard Edmonds.
The Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California currently has an exhibit entitled, Still I Rise: The Black IE Fight For Justice. Within the exhibit is the bust shown below of former President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. The bust was sculpted by Matthew Gonzalez @sculptor_matthew_e_gonzaslez_.
A new mural has appeared on the south side of the building that houses the Eastside Art House (4177 Park Ave, Riverside, CA). It was painted by Rick Garcia @savethepanduhs and others from the art house @eastsidearthouse. Apparently it is in recognition of his 15th anniversary and a solo show that he will be having at the Eastside Art House on July 15, 2023.
The courtyard of the Citrus Towers (3390 University Ave, Riverside, CA) has an attractive blue sculpture with spheres. I viewed it from the sidewalk through decorative fencing at approximately 3902 Lime Street. I am not sure if the courtyard is open to the public. The sculptor is unknown.
The downstairs room in the Cesar Chavez Community Center (2060 University Ave, Riverside) is covered with murals. Some are obscured as the room appears to serve as a classroom or activity room but other murals are readily visible. Below are some notable ones. The artists are unidentified. Note, the room needed to be unlocked before I could enter and photograph the murals.
A dragon mural has been painted on the wall of the stairway leading upstairs in the Cesar Chavez Community Center (2060 University Ave, Riverside. The mural is unsigned but I believe that it was painted by @lukedragon_ifa.
On the wall across from the top of the stairs in the Cesar Chavez Community Center (2060 University Ave, Riverside) is brightly colored mural showing flowers, the sun, the stars in space, and a singer, all flowing from a paintbrush. Sections of the mural are shown below. A video of the entire mural has been posted on YouTube. The mural was painted by Darren Villegas @darren.vs.drama with help from @maxxer242. Darren credits City Council Member Clarissa Cervantes @clarissacervantes_ward2 for organizing this and the other mural projects on the upper level of the Center.
Upstairs in the Cesar Chavez Community Center (2060 University Ave, Riverside) next to the Riverside Arts Academy music room, is found a mural of an Aztec calendar with a musical instrument theme. The mural was painted in 2022 by Jonathan Godinez @suer.arts and Juan Navarro @luvmonsterz.
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Two prominent pictures are found in the entry foyer of the Cesar Chavez Community Center (2060 University Ave, Riverside). One is a large painting of Cesar Chavez that was painted by G. Gratz Arias and dedicated in 1993. The other is a painting of African-American family life by Karl Marshall that was dedicated in 1982. Note: Both photos were taken at an angle to minimize reflection from the protective glass.
At the top of the stairs in the Cesar Chavez Community Center (2060 University Ave, Riverside) near the Riverside Arts Academy music room, is found a mural of of two violinists. The mural was painted Jesus A. Castenada @exoskeletal27 in 2022.
The Riverside County Courthouse (4050 Main St, Riverside) was completed in 1904 and is a copy of the Grand Palais of Fine Arts that was built for the 1900 Paris Exposition. The outside of the courthouse is adorned with many sculptures that symbolize the "establishment of a harmonious and prosperous union under the rules of law". The sculptors are unidentified. The building was designed by Franklin Pierce Burnham of the Los Angeles-based architectural firm, Burnham and Bliesner. While similar, each of the uppermost groupings of sculptures are different and are briefly described below. In the middle of the facade, above and flanking the front entrance, are seven groupings of sculptures that are identical (one is shown below). In addition, there are other decorative elements such as sculptural eagles, two of which are also shown. The information and quotes in this post are largely from a display located across the street from the courthouse.
The front of the Empire Ice Company (4444 Vine St, Riverside) sports a cartoon-type of mural with an ice deliveryman and a clever message. The artist is unidentified.
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Recently I had the good fortune of working with the Press Enterprise newspaper reporter Sarah Hofmann and photographer Terry Pierson, who wrote an article about this blog. I met them down by the Magnolia Center and had an enjoyable time talking to them and having photos taken of me with some of the murals I've written about.
Here is a link to the article. After it was published, I took screen shots of some of Terry's photos and have posted them below with links to the related blog posts.
