University and Park Avenue Mural Project and Eastside ArtFest 2020

Riverside’s Eastside community has a rich history of diverse residents coming together to make their neighborhoods spaces where families can gather, connect, and feel safe. Here at the Riverside Art Museum, we are proud to support an artist-in-residence program with Juan Navarro who works with residents and non-profit organizations to beautify and transform spaces throughout the Eastside, including three murals which have already been completed.

The University and Park Avenue Mural Project brought together six artists to engage with the community to design and create a mural reflective of the aspirations of local residents. The community chose the following themes: unity, peace, harmony, multicultural appreciation, and family celebration across cultures. Artists worked from September 8–September 22, 2021 to complete this community mural.

During October 2021’s Artswalk, Juan Navarro, the lead artist on our University and Park Avenue Mural Project, took over RAM’s Instagram, live, with all the participating artists: Adrian Boyer, John Cuevas, C. Matthew Luther, Robin Luther, and Daniel Toledo to celebrate this new community mural project located at the gateway to the Eastside, at Arci’s Candy at 2870 University Avenue. For those that stopped by for a socially-distanced, celebratory car ride past the mural, they received a goodie bag filled with fun surprises by Arci’s, RAM, and the artists.

See the Mural . . . and Others!

Take a ride through Eastside Riverside to see the University and Park Avenue mural, as well as others completed by our artist-in-residence, Juan Navarro! Click here to download a pdf of the mural tour.

Mural Artists

The Riverside Art Museum reached out to artists to participate in a community-driven mural for the Eastside community on the side of the Arci’s Party Supply building (formerly S&W Plastics). Here are the six participating artists: Adrian Boyer, John Cuevas, C. Matthew Luther, Robin Luther, Juan Navarro, and Daniel Toledo.