Create & LearnCommunity Engagement Storefront Revitalization Project
Juan Navarro, artist-in-residence of the Riverside Art Museum, has led the Storefront Revitalization Project, a creative place-making effort along Park Avenue, with the Riverside Community Health Foundation, the Residents of Eastside Active in Leadership group, and the Resident Leadership Academy. Additional funding from US Bank is making possible an expanded project footprint.
The Park Avenue Storefront Revitalization Project focuses on rejuvenating storefronts along Park Avenue in the Eastside to contribute to neighborhood vitality, safety, and economic development.
Juan connected with Park Avenue Mexican Food. The current owner took over the business two years ago; due to the old exterior restaurant signage, he continued selling tacos, but the owner is Polynesian and his cooking skills are in preparing Polynesian food. The design process and exterior painting to rebrand the store as a Polynesian restaurant was completed in September of 2021. Juan is already talking with another Park Avenue business owner about their needs.
The Park Ave project is part of Juan’s broader Eastside residency at The Branch, which includes a community mural at a local park, arts activities at neighborhood happenings, and activating RAM’s Taylor Family Gallery.
Navarro is a recent graduate of the Riverside Leadership Academy.
Call for Artist
The Riverside Art Museum is reaching out to an emerging artist to participate in a community-driven multi-mural project, known as the Park Avenue Storefront Revitalization Project, for the Eastside community. This multi-mural project will be led by our Artist-in-Residence, Juan Navarro, and will be inspired by a mural committee composed of local nonprofits, business owners, and community leaders across Eastside, Riverside. This multi-mural project aims to creatively improve storefronts for business owners through the use of design, branding, and mural-making. This project will be a collaborative effort with our Artist-in-Residence Juan and the selected emerging artist.
With this project, we plan to beautify the landscape of our community by uplifting local business owners on Park Avenue through a storefront revitalization.
The Selected Artist: Rosana Cortez
Thank you to everyone who submitted for the Park Avenue Storefront Revitalization Project Call for Artists! We are happy to announce our selected artist, Rosana Cortez (find her on Instagram at @paintedrosy)!
Rosy is an emerging local artist that works out of Eastside, Riverside, who has a passion for traditional fine art, photography, and community art programs. She recently was awarded a Latino and Latin American Studies Research Center Artist-in-Residency with UCR. She is looking forward to expanding her art into muralism and working alongside RAM’s artist-in-residence, Juan Navarro @luvmonsterz , on the project. Rosy feels this opportunity will allow her to further her knowledge in community engagement work, which will coincide with her current art practice.
SEE THE MURAL . . . AND OTHERS!
Take a ride through Eastside Riverside to see the Park Avenue Storefront mural, as well as others completed by our artist-in-residence, Juan Navarro! Click here to download a pdf of the mural tour.
