Mission Statement

The Riverside Art Museum strives to integrate art into the lives of people in a way that engages, inspires, and builds community by presenting thought-provoking exhibits and providing quality art classes that instill a lifelong love of the arts.

About the Museum

Located in the historic Mission Inn district of downtown Riverside, our architecturally significant 1929 building is a former YWCA facility designed by Hearst Castle and AIA Gold Medal-winning architect Julia Morgan.

The building’s distinctive architecture as a work of art in its own right brought it to the attention of the Riverside Art Center in the 1960s. Purchased from the YWCA on July 5, 1967, Morgan’s building became the proud home of the Riverside Art Museum.

The building is now home to artists and art lovers as a place to quietly roam and experience the world of art. Discover a wealth of opportunities to learn and be inspired in our galleries where there’s something to pique everyone’s interests and to challenge their perceptions of what art is.

Showing a mix of solo, group, and permanent collection exhibits featuring traditional and contemporary/modern art, the Riverside Art Museum regularly displays the work of some of the best artists in the world, including Robert Williams, Takashi Murakami, Shag, Kathe Kollwitz, James Gurney, Marc Chagall, Millard Sheets, Shepard Fairey, Corita Kent, and Don O’Neill, as well as exhibits highlighting the works of our talented local members and aspiring high school students.

Join us for art classes for the young and young at heart alike that teach art history and technique, free family activities, lectures, book readings and signing, film screenings, and our The Blue Door Museum Store filled with items you won’t find elsewhere (Family level members and above receive a 10% discount).

Be inspired. Be creative.
Share the joy and pleasure of art.

The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture

Joining the RAM family on June 18, 2022 is The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture. A public-private partnership between RAM, the City of Riverside, and comedian Cheech Marin—one of the world’s foremost collectors of Chicano art—The Cheech will be the “center of Chicano art, not only for painting, but for sculpture, photography, and video arts.” The 61,420-square-foot center will house hundreds of paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures by artists including Patssi Valdez, Sandy Rodriguez, Carlos Almaraz, Frank Romero, and Gilbert “Magú” Luján.

Learn more here.

Location & Parking

The Riverside Art Museum is located at 3425 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, CA, 92501, on the corner of Mission Inn Ave. and Lime St.

Metered street and lot parking are available along Mission Inn Ave. Click here for more information and a map of parking areas located downtown.

Many large-scale downtown events occur along Mission Inn Ave. throughout the year. Please be advised that street closures regularly take place during these events, e.g., Festival of Lights, Dia de los Muertos, etc., which will affect parking and drop-off/pick-up. We thank you for your understanding.

Plan Your Visit

We look forward to welcoming you to the Riverside Art Museum. Please check out the Visiting 101 and Entry Protocols pages to plan your visit. To purchase tickets, click here.