Art is Medicine by Amparo Chi anchors the Orange Street Mural installation in Downtown Riverside. The collaborative public art project features 10 works by local artists displayed along the Museum of Riverside construction site, transforming the walkway into an outdoor gallery celebrating creativity, culture and community. / IVN Photo by Ryan Martinez

Riverside, CA — Hundreds of community members and art enthusiasts gathered Sept. 3 for the unveiling of the Orange Street Mural, a collaborative public art project by the Museum of Riverside and Division 9 Gallery.

The project features 10 distinct panels created by local artists along the east side of Orange Street, south of Mission Inn Avenue in Downtown Riverside.

The evening unveiling gave community members an opportunity to meet the participating artists and learn more about their work, receive updates from Museum of Riverside representatives about ongoing construction, and enjoy free refreshments and music from a local DJ.

According to information provided by the Museum of Riverside, the museum’s mission centers on learning alongside the community while collecting, preserving, exploring and interpreting the cultural and natural history of Riverside and the surrounding region.

Division 9 Gallery describes itself as a vibrant community arts space dedicated to celebrating creativity and cultural expression.

The idea for the mural began when Division 9 Gallery owner Cosme Cordova noticed the empty panels surrounding the museum’s construction site and wondered whether the Museum of Riverside would be open to incorporating artwork into the space.

Institutional Advancement Coordinator Chantal Downing embraced the idea, leading to the collaboration between the museum and Division 9 Gallery.

The artwork is expected to remain on display until the Museum of Riverside reopens, currently anticipated for spring 2028. The panels will then be preserved.

Participating artists and works include *Art is Medicine* by Amparo Chi; *Quick & Qwerky* by Man One; *Where the Wild Things Bloom* by Silvana “JEYD” Paredes; *El Voyage* by Cosme Cordova; *Cosmotrash* by Zufos; *Spirit* by Adam Aguilar; *Human Pixie DreamBot* by Elide Sanchez; *Every Year es OOF’N’STUFF* by Richie Velazquez; *La Danza de Los Burros* by Allison Shellie Favela Suarez, Janeth Carrillo, Kelly Zermeno-Diaz and Nicole Favela Suarez; and *The Buddies* by Matthew Luther.

Each piece reflects the individual style and perspective of its creator. Artists were given broad creative freedom rather than being asked to follow a single theme.

“From the beginning I wanted to give the artists an opportunity to express themselves and do their own creations, in other words, not be influenced by anyone,” Cordova said. “So every piece on the wall has their own idea, identification, and what they believe in. My goal was to have a place to showcase myself.”

That freedom is reflected in the wide range of subjects, styles and interpretations represented throughout the installation.

Elide Sanchez, artist of *Human Pixie DreamBot*, said public art projects such as the Orange Street Mural give residents an opportunity to experience how artists interpret the world around them.

“We need to see how artists are feeling and creating,” Sanchez said. “It is a human experience that we are all collectively in. It is intriguing and important for us to see how others are perceiving the world around us, especially if we are in the same area like the Inland Empire. These artists are highlighting how we perceive life, and we are creating for others to take it in how they want to.”

In *Human Pixie DreamBot*, Sanchez depicts a pixie surrounded by flowers preparing to bloom as she looks toward a light emanating from her robotic hands.

Sanchez said the piece was inspired by her experience trying to balance school, her personal life and her identity as an artist. During that period, she also worked in an artificial intelligence-related job despite having concerns about the technology.

The experience created a conflict between using her own hands to create deeply personal artwork and working in a field with which she did not fully agree.

Adam Aguilar, artist of *Spirit*, created a piece featuring a blue deer surrounded by glowing light, with the word “SPIRIT” appearing behind a mountain. Aguilar described the deer as a guide to the spirit world.

“A physical deer who is young, with spiritual antlers, glowing and not attached yet,” Aguilar said. “Spirit antlers are supposed to represent all of its paths it has taken beforehand. Physically it is a young deer, but it is mature when it comes to its spirit. Just like the spirit, it is there, it is inside. The body is a vessel.”

Man One, artist of *Quick & Qwerky*, said the collaborative nature of the project was particularly meaningful.

“It was a cool experience to collaborate with local artists who I have not collaborated with before, to show the diversity of what is in the area and the techniques of artists,” he said. “Public art to me is like the people’s art.”

Together, the works along Orange Street demonstrate the diversity of perspectives, experiences and artistic styles represented within Riverside’s creative community. Each panel offers its own interpretation of identity, culture and lived experience.

More than a temporary installation, the Orange Street Mural has transformed part of the museum construction site into a public space where local artists can showcase their work and visitors can experience the breadth of artistic expression within the Inland Empire.

For now, the walkway serves not only as an outdoor gallery, but also as a place for conversation, creativity and community.

______

Article by: Ryan Martinez, Inland Valley News