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Blindness Support Services Teams Up with RAM’s Creative Horizons Program

Blindness Support Mural

At-risk and probationary youth create very special mural

Riverside, CA —The Riverside Art Museum (RAM) invites the public to celebrate the completion of a very special Creative Horizons Program mural for Blindness Support Services on Wednesday, April 10, 2019, 5 p.m. Blindness Support Services is located at 3696 Beatty Dr., Riverside, CA 92506.

The mural was created by the at-risk and probationary youth in RAM’s Creative Horizons program, which harnesses the power of art as a catalyst for behavioral change in its work with justice-involved youth. Participants work with RAM artist-instructors to learn art fundamentals and collaboratively design and paint a large-scale mural.

“Some youth just need a positive role model and a pro-social experience to turn their lives around,” says Riverside County Superior Court Judge Roger Luebs. “RAM’s Creative Horizons program offers such opportunities in spades. It is a model for how to engage the community in reducing delinquent behavior and helping our youth be more successful.”

For Blindness Support Services, our Creative Horizons teens created an interactive mural with added textures so people with low vision to total blindness are able to enjoy it, as well as a section with high contrast for those with cortical vision impairment. According to Pete Benavidez, President & Chief Executive Officer for Blindness Support Services, “our partnership with RAM has added a unique dimension to our services. The mural provides an opportunity for children who are blind or visually impaired to enjoy and benefit from art. We are very excited about this partnership, the opportunity for future collaborations, and what this could mean to persons who live with vision loss.”

“The Riverside Art Museum congratulates all who were involved in this project,” says Wendel Tucker, RAM Board President. “We are extremely proud of this program as it demonstrates the power of art to benefit our community.”

Since its inception, Creative Horizons has been funded by individuals, businesses, foundations, nonprofits, community groups, and through public/private partnerships with the County of Riverside. To support this program by making a monetary donation, visit: www.riversideartmuseum.org/creativehorizons.

Blindness Support Services was incorporated in May of 1992 to provide innovative approaches to achieving independence for blind and visually impaired residents from the Inland Empire of Southern California.

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, 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 thecheechcenter.org.

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