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1 RiversideCA.gov
1 RiversideCA.gov
GENERAL OPERATIONAL UPDATE
City Council
March 19, 2024
Museum of Riverside
RiversideCA.gov
2 • Established in 1924
• Codified in Municipal Code
• Nationally accredited
• Seven sites and a collection
of 200,000 artifacts and
specimens
BASICS
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2 RiversideCA.gov
3 “As a center for learning, the Museum of Riverside interacts with the community to collect, preserve, explore, and interpret the cultural and natural history of Riverside and its region.”
OUR MISSION
RiversideCA.gov
4 • A community museum
• A destination for lifelong
learning, curriculum
enrichment, and cultural
events
• In FY22-23, with the main site
still closed, the Museum
served 14,813 in person and
449,179 digitally
BASICS
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5 WardBoard Member
1Sharon Tennell
2Luz Maria Negrón Bermo
3Richard Cardullo
4Richard Gardner
5Peggy Barnhart
6Julie Bjork
7Lovelyn Razzouk
CitywideCynthia Zdilor, Chair
CitywideVacant
MUSEUM OF RIVERSIDE BOARD
RiversideCA.gov
6 SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS
• Two independent 501(c)(3)
nonprofits support the
Museum
Riverside Museum Associates
Harada House Foundation
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7 OUR STAFF
RoleStaff member
DirectorRobyn Peterson
Operations ManagerAnn Lovell
Curatorial Services ManagerJennifer Dickerson
Institutional Advancement CoordinatorChantal Downing
Senior Office SpecialistToni Kinsman
Office Specialist - .5 FTERachael Ruga
MaintenanceCesar Mendez
Curator - AnthropologyBrenda Focht
Curator – Natural HistoryIan Wright
Curator – HistoryLaura Fisher
Collections RegistrarKatie Grim
Exhibition DesignerElise Heath
Museum EducatorTeresa Belding
Associate EducatorKim Cobb
Employee of the Year 2023
Katie Grim
RiversideCA.gov
8 UPDATE SINCE 2019
Core Operations
• New name in 2019
• Rebranded in 2021
• Adopted departmental
strategic plan for 2022-2027
• Adopted new policies
(collections, education,
ethics)
• Land acknowledgement,
core values, and anti-racism
statements adopted
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9 UPDATE SINCE 2019
Main Museum
• Pursued architectural
design for renovation
and expansion of
downtown site
• Construction period
expected to be 2024-
2026
RiversideCA.gov
10 UPDATE SINCE 2019
Harada House
• Harada House Campaign
achieved 127% of its funding
goal
• Began architectural design
process for Harada House,
Phase I
• Began architectural design
process for its Interpretive
Center
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11 UPDATE SINCE 2019
Heritage House
• Made major improvements
at Heritage House
Repainted main house and
carriage house
Repaved driveway and
parking lot
Resurfaced paths
• Made significant progress on
collections management
RiversideCA.gov
12 WHAT WE DO
• Exhibitions
• Education programs
• Special events
• Collection management
“Collect, preserve, and interpret”
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13 WHAT WE DO
Exhibitions include …
• Heritage House itself is an
exhibition requiring intensive
stewardship
• Primary programming site
• Would not run without
volunteers
RiversideCA.gov
14 WHAT WE DO
Exhibitions include …
• “Mini-museums”
• Three are installed around
town and others will appear
where unique local stories
can be told
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15 WHAT WE DO
• Exhibitions
• Education programs
• Curriculum-based
• Extra-curricular
• Family-oriented
• Special events
• Collection management
“Collect, preserve, and interpret”
RiversideCA.gov
16 WHAT WE DO
• Exhibitions
• Education programs
• Special events
• Ice Cream Social
• Moon Festival
• Christmas Open House
• Collection management
“Collect, preserve, and interpret”
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17 WHAT WE DO
Special events include…
• Collaborative events and
festivals! The Museum
participates as often as our
small staff and volunteer
corps permit.
RiversideCA.gov
18 WHAT WE DO
• Exhibitions
• Education programs
• Special events
• Collection management
• Storage upgrades
• Documentation improvements
• Tribal repatriations
• Refinements to collection scope
“Collect, preserve, and interpret”
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19 HAPPENING NOW
2024 is the Museum’s 100th
anniversary
• A special exhibition
• 100 programs
• A gala event on
December 12, 2024
RiversideCA.gov
20 HAPPENING NOW
100 programs from January
through December
• Collaborations with over a
dozen organizations
• Diverse programs for all
ages and in every ward.
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21 HAPPENING NOW
Pilot Project for the Future
• New program series “Movies on
the Lawn: Made in Riverside”
• Free outdoor event
• Third Friday evenings
RiversideCA.gov
22 SPECIAL EXHIBITION
On view July 25, 2024 – January 5, 2025
To take place at the Center for Social
Justice & Civil Liberties
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23 FOLLOW US
• museumofriverside.org
• Facebook and Instagram:
@museumofriverside
• YouTube
Museum of Riverside
RiversideCA.gov
24 Strategic Priority: Arts, Culture, and Recreation
Goals 1.1.3, 1.2 (all actions), 1.4.2, 1.5.2, 1.5.4: Complete the Museum of Riverside renovation; offer diverse programming throughout the City; train staff; collaborate.
Cross-Cutting Threads
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
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25 That the City Council receives and files an
update presentation on the operations of the
Museum of Riverside (Museum Department).
RECOMMENDATION
25