RAM - Riverside Art Museum

RAM – Riverside Art Museum traces its origins to the early 1950s, when a small group of artists formed the Riverside Art Association to promote the study and appreciation of art. From modest beginnings in a repurposed municipal building, the organization grew steadily, eventually acquiring the former 1929 YWCA designed by architect Julia Morgan. This landmark structure, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as a City of Riverside Historic Landmark, provides a distinctive architectural setting for the museum’s galleries, classrooms, and community spaces. Over the decades, careful renovations have preserved Morgan’s vision while adapting the building to meet contemporary museum standards.

Today, RAM offers expansive first-floor galleries, intimate upstairs exhibition spaces, a mezzanine, and dedicated studios for children and adults. The museum’s mission centers on fostering creativity and access, presenting diverse exhibitions that reflect regional voices alongside broader contemporary perspectives. Education remains at the heart of its work, with studio classes, workshops, and public programs designed to engage audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Photography plays a significant role in RAM’s exhibition program and permanent collection. The museum has long supported photographers working in Southern California, presenting exhibitions that explore documentary traditions, experimental processes, and socially engaged image-making. Works in the collection include fine art photography as well as pieces that intersect with printmaking and mixed media, reflecting the medium’s versatility. By showcasing both emerging and established photographers, RAM highlights photography’s capacity to address identity, landscape, and cultural change within the Inland Empire and beyond.

Through lectures, artist talks, and community collaborations, RAM encourages thoughtful dialogue around photographic practice and visual literacy. Exhibitions often situate photography within the context of architecture and place, creating a meaningful connection between the images on view and the historic Julia Morgan building itself. In uniting art, education, and architectural heritage, RAM – Riverside Art Museum continues to serve as a cultural anchor for the region, where photography and other visual arts inspire reflection, creativity, and shared experience.