May 11 – June 1, 2018 at Fairmount Park

Riverside, CA – ART FLOAT – RIVERSIDE, a huge art installation planned for May 2018, is on track to be the most successful community collaboration of its kind. Created in a unique collaboration between the Riverside Art Museum, City of Riverside’s Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department, and the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD), nearly 400 giant 6’ “floats” are currently being painted in over 40 local schools. When complete, the painted spheres will be launched into Lake Evans at Riverside’s Fairmount Park for a three-week ART FLOAT festival. Already over 200 community members and businesses have stepped up to help underwrite the event.

Teams of volunteers have been going to local schools and having week-long painting experiences for the RUSD students and some Alvord Unified, Corona-Norco Unified, and charter school students, as well. During these painting events, all 4-6th grade, middle school, and high school students are encouraged to participate. It takes about 2-3 days to paint one sphere because they must be completely dry in order to rotate. Local PTA and other school volunteers have been helping the painting teams accomplish this huge artistic task.

Community members and local businesses have been asked to participate in the effort by underwriting giant spheres at a cost of $350 each. All the funds raised by ART FLOAT go back into art education and the programs of the Riverside Art Museum. Already 200 floats have been sponsored. After the event the giant spheres are returned to each sponsor or they can choose to donate it to a school or community center for physical education or playtime.

ART FLOAT is designed after a similar project created by Portraits of Hope that was held at Lake MacArthur in Los Angeles a few years ago. It was such a success that the Riverside Art Alliance, the fundraising arm of the Riverside Art Museum, sought to bring the project to Riverside. The support of the community has been overwhelmingly positive. The Art Alliance is now gearing up for the art installation and the many events that will make up the festival, May 11 through June 1, 2018.

For more information about ART FLOAT, please contact Kathy Allavie, kallavie@aol.com or (951) 784-7377.

The Riverside Art Museum integrates art into the lives of people in a way that engages, inspires, and builds community by providing high quality exhibits and art education programs that instill a lifelong love of the arts. RAM relies on the generosity of members and donors to support its exhibitions, education programs, and special events. A 60-plus-year-old, non-profit cultural arts institution housed in a National Historic 1929 building designed by Hearst Castle and AIA Gold Medal-winning architect Julia Morgan, the museum welcomes over 50,000 visitors a year. The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m. For information on exhibits, events, classes, memberships, or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.RiversideArtMuseum.org. For information about the proposed Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry at the Riverside Art Museum, visit www.riversideartmuseum.org/cheech. Find us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/riversideartmuseum), Twitter (RAMRiverside), Instagram (@riversideartmuseum), and Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/ramarts).