Riverside ArtsWalk returns to Downtown Riverside on Thursday, Nov. 5, with galleries and venues open from 6 to 9 p.m. With the clocks set back and the election over, the monthly event offers residents a chance to enjoy downtown before the Festival of Lights arrives in a few weeks.
While Main Street typically draws the biggest crowds, the galleries along Lemon and Ninth streets highlight the grassroots foundation on which the City of Arts is built.
The Riverside Community Arts Association Gallery at 3860 Lemon St. opens a new exhibition titled Celebrate America, tied to Native American Heritage Month. The show features a student arts showcase from Sherman Indian High School, with an opening reception held during ArtsWalk. The exhibition runs Nov. 4 through 27, and regular gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
At The Cheech, 3581 Mission Inn Ave., admission is free from 6 to 9 p.m. Visitors can take part in a floral mandala magnet art-making workshop during the same hours. The exhibition Made in Coachella, which gathers collaborative work by Coachella Valley artists, remains on view in the Altura Credit Union Community Gallery through March 21, 2027.
The Julia Morgan Center, home of the Riverside Art Museum at 3425 Mission Inn Ave., also offers free admission from 6 to 9 p.m. Local band Kodiak performs live on the rooftop from 6 to 8:30 p.m. During ArtsWalk, artist Willis the Gorilla, described as a fixture of the local scene, will work on a mural, giving visitors a chance to learn from a working visual artist.
UCR Arts at 3834 Main St. hosts Patterns and Drones, a free electronic ambient music performance by composers and performers Ian Dicke and Matt McBane from 6 to 9 p.m. The duo project mixes ambient music, improvisation and experimental electronics.
Pain Sugar Gallery at 3635 Ninth St. presents Tijuana-Tehran by painter Yalda Sepahpour from 6 to 9 p.m. Sepahpour, who is from Tehran and lives and works in Tijuana, typically paints in oil on canvases measuring between 14 and 19 feet. The collection commemorates the Iranian national soccer team's stay in Tijuana during the 2026 World Cup. Her mural Never Tamed.. was mounted on a truck and driven from Tijuana to Los Angeles to circle the stadium during matches. DJ Dropdead, Sherry's Falafel, Riparian Coffee, Faded Records, Riverside Migra Watch and others round out the night at the gallery.
Artists on Main, the vendor rows along Main Street between Fifth and Tenth, run from 6 to 9 p.m. Enrique Carrillo, the Riverside Arts Council's November Artist Spotlight, is an Inland Empire painter who blends dark themes with playful, cartoon-like characters. His work can be seen in person on Artists on Main.
