UCR/Sweeney Art Gallery will open April 1 at the Intersection of University Avenue and Main Street
March 16th, 2006Spring Exhibit is “People for a Better Tomorrow”
On Saturday, April 1, the UCR/Sweeney Art Gallery will officially open its doors in a newly renovated space that places the gallery at the intersection of Main Street and University Avenue in Riverside.
“People for a Better Tomorrow,” from guest curator Meg Cranston, is the first exhibit in the new space, the nearly century-old Walling building that originally served as the headquarters for Riverside’s First National Bank.
“Instead of cash and gold, the gallery will house art exhibits that bring a new kind of valuable resource to downtown Riverside,” said Joel Martin, interim dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. “The Sweeney joins the established UCR/California Museum of Photography and the planned Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts, providing additional space and energy and creative treasure to UCR and to the Riverside arts community in general.”
A curator’s walkthrough of the first exhibit, which showcases the work of eight dynamic and diverse artists dedicated to idea that art can transform society, is scheduled for 4 p.m. April 1 and the opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. that night.
Jim Isermann, associate professor of art history and a recognized artist in his own right, serves as the faculty director of the Sweeney Art Gallery. “We’re very excited about the gallery’s new location, and especially Peter Zellner’s design,” he said. “It’s high-profile and will help us attract the best art exhibits possible. As well, the location in downtown Riverside puts the gallery in the heart of the Inland Empire, and this increases our ability to reach out to the community well beyond UCR.”
