Riverside, CA – With just one month to go before the launch, ART FLOAT – RIVERSIDE, a phenomenal effort by volunteers and the community to create, sponsor, and install 400 Art Float spheres into Lake Evans at Fairmount Park, is nearing the finish line. To create ART FLOAT, the Art Alliance of the Riverside Art Museum put together a collaboration between the City of Riverside (Parks & Rec), the Riverside Unified School District, and the Riverside Art Museum. To date, students at over 45 schools have painted giant six-foot art floats on their campuses. When finished, all the floats will be launched into Lake Evans at Fairmount Park to create a colorful three-week festival of art, May 11 – June 1, 2018.

Sponsors of the giant floats have come from all corners of the community. “Riverside has really stepped up to support this event”, said Chairperson Kathy Allavie. “Everyone from individuals, to the biggest companies, to the smallest book clubs have helped us reach the 300 mark. With only a month to go, I am confident we can get all the floats underwritten.” ART FLOAT sponsors have the opportunity to keep their spheres or donate them to a school or community center. It is a tax-deductible gift that supports the programs of the Riverside Art Museum, such as Art-to-Go, which brings art back into the classroom.

Launch plans are underway as Fairmount Park prepares for the art installation. Engineering help has come by way of Tilden-Coil Constructors, who are helping to weigh the spheres in the lake. Donations of boats and volunteer time will see the spheres launched from May 7 – 10 at the park. The grand opening party will take place May 11, with words of welcome from Mayor Rusty Bailey of Riverside, Superintendent David Hansen of Riverside Unified School District, and Drew Oberjuerge, Director of the Riverside Art Museum.

For more information on sponsorships and events during ART FLOAT, please visit www.riversideartmuseum.org/artfloat or call Kathy Allavie at (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).

Sponsored by: Tilden-Coil Constructors, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, RUSD, The James Irvine Foundation, The Press-Enterprise, Community Works Design Group, RCTA, PIP Printing Riverside/Corona, Burgess Moving & Storage, La Bodega, Romano’s, Chick-fil-A Day Street, Riverside Medical Clinic, Windermere Real Estate Tower Properties, Larson Orthodontics, Home Instead Senior Care, Amy S. Harrison. For the complete list, visit www.riversideartmuseum.org/artfloat