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Coffee and Cookies with Ada Passaro
October 6 @ 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Join us in celebration of Ada’s 100th birthday! We’ll be showing a mini installation of her paintings and serving coffee and cookies. Be sure to not miss the corresponding exhibition of Passaro’s work at the Riverside Community Arts Association from September 26 to October 26, 2024.
As part of First Sundays, the both museum locations will be open for viewing and admission is free.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, on Oct 24, 1924, Passaro and her family moved to California when she was a young child. At the age of 13 her parents enrolled her in a figure drawing class at Chouinard Art Institute. The journey had begun. Passaro was an art director by the age of 21, with employers and clients that included Broadway, University of California, The Snow Goose, The Queen’s Cabinet, and the Los Angeles Times. She owned her own small business, a unique and eclectic gift shop called “Second Nature”, in the historic downtown area of Riverside, California. It was prized by the locals for 18 years.
Following Passaro’s professional working years and the sale of her business, she began attending Riverside Community College where she was reintroduced to pastel painting. This was just after a particularly difficult time in her life and it was “the perfect tonic and ignited the glorious fire.” Passaro has been steeped in the arts both professionally and informally for well over 80 years, and has been celebrated with innumerable awards—locally, regionally, and nationally. Her interest and energy seem to have never waned. She has said, “From my earliest childhood memories and throughout my life, art has filled my days. It keeps me alive and eager for each day. …I need art as much as food to keep my life vibrant.”
Free
