Riverside Arts Council

One of the questions we are often asked is “what exactly is an arts council?” In our case, we primarily provide services to arts and cultural organizations. We also fill gaps with programming that would otherwise be limited or not provided. At its core, the Riverside Arts Council (RAC) is a private, non-profit corporation whose mission is “to provide, develop, support and sustain the arts.” It is a state-local partner of the California Arts Council and consistently ranks at the top of our state’s local arts agencies. Established in 1977, it is the City and County of Riverside’s central source for arts-related services, information, education and outreach.

RAC’s programs include:

Grants: Through the City Arts and Culture Grant, RAC re-grants $280,000 from the City’s general fund each year to Riverside groups for core operating support. With proceeds from its annual fundraiser, the Mayor’s Ball for Arts & Innovation, RAC’s Community Arts Partnership Grant provides up to $25,000 for projects to underserved communities.

Technical Assistance: Grants alone won’t create a stable infrastructure. To make optimum use of their grant dollars, arts groups must hone their skills to remain competitive in the current economy. RAC’s technical assistance services give these groups the tools necessary to grow their programs and achieve stability. RAC provides workshops and individual consultations on IRS compliance, accounting, grantwriting, marketing, strategic planning and organizational and professional development for artists, arts organizations and other non-profit community groups.

Marketing: RAC works with the business, tourism, government, education and cultural sectors to raise the visibility of the arts and their contribution to the socio-economic development of the City and the region. Primary elements include InlandArts.com, a comprehensive site promoting organizations and events in both Riverside and San Bernardino counties; and the 15 Favorite Things to Do, a weekly e-mail that is distributed to 115,000 people. 

Fiscal Sponsorship: Organizations in the process of obtaining their non-profit status cannot apply for funding without falling under the umbrella of an existing group. RAC has provided this service to such organizations as Inlandia, Division 9, Room to Dance and the Riverside Cultural Consortium.

Exhibitions: Non-traditional spaces provide excellent opportunities to bring art to audiences who may not visit museums or galleries. Artscape is a bi-annual show at the Riverside County Administrative Center, featuring up to 20 artists from throughout the region. The Riverside Arts Project is a gallery located within the Riverside Plaza shopping center that has given both rising and established artists a way to showcase their work.

Artswalk: RAC established and administers a vendor lot as part of this monthly event. Nearly 70 artists gather on the first Thursday of each month in a portion of Artswalk that has swelled in popularity since its debut less than one year ago.

Arts & Minds: RAC's Arts & Minds program is comprised of three components. Arts Education offers both during and after school residencies taught by professional artists utilizing the California State Visual and Performing Arts Standards. Gang Prevention is the same program in partnership with Project Bridge and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and their Project Safe Neighborhoods campaign. Art as Therapy has our specially trained professional artists working with Alzheimer’s patients.

Research: In 2006 and 2011, RAC partnered with Americans for the Arts as part of their Arts and Economic Prosperity III and IV studies. Most recent results showed that audiences in Riverside spent $24.80 on average above the cost of admission. For an organization that serves 10,000 people per year, that is an economic impact of $248,000 spent in local restaurants, shops and hotels.

Beyond the list of what we do are the stories of how it affects people in our community. RAC’s gang prevention program at one point featured a Digital Storytelling workshop. A participant went from a history of encounters with law enforcement and few plans or prospects to high school graduate. She attended Riverside City College and now works as an assistant editor in television. Another girl spoke of how the Theatre workshop put her on a stage with people that she would otherwise never associate with. Over the course of the program, they had become friends. “I was able to break character,” she said. In the theatre, breaking character is a bad thing. For her, it meant the dropping of a protective and prejudicial mask she had donned in real life.