Thousands flocking to Cheech Marin museum in Riverside

By David Downey | Contributing Writer

A little more than half a year after its June debut, the Riverside museum that showcases Richard “Cheech” Marin’s art collection is on track to meet attendance and revenue projections.

Through January, more than 88,000 people had walked the halls of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum.

Center promoters had predicted 100,000 would visit in the museum’s inaugural year.

“We are going to trample on that,” Marin said at Riverside’s State of the City address Thursday, Jan. 26.

The museum also is on track to generate $250,000 in first-year ticket fees to offset part of local taxpayers’ financing of operational costs, Margie Haupt, the city’s arts and cultural affairs manager, said in an email.

When the Riverside City Council approved the project in January 2021, councilmembers agreed to pay $10.4 million over 10 years, including $935,800 during the first 12 months. The projected $250,000 in revenue from “facility fees” that are included in the price of admission would reduce the city’s first-year cost to $685,800. If less is collected, Haupt wrote, the city would bear the extra cost.

The city’s first-year commitment included $800,000 for the Riverside Art Museum to manage the center and $135,800 for utilities and landscaping.

For the year to date, Haupt wrote, Riverside has spent $533,332.

Riverside Art Museum Executive Director Drew Oberjuerge said the center collected $151,599 in facility fees for the city and recorded attendance of 88,786 through Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Marin, half of the Cheech & Chong comedy duo that delighted millions with its counterculture humor in the 1970s and ‘80s, declared the museum that bears his name a success “beyond my wildest dreams and expectations.”

The museum has about 500 pieces of art from his personal collection, Oberjuerge said.

City Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes said the museum has brought Riverside national recognition.

“Now we have this magnet that is The Cheech, this cultural magnet that brings to life the city of arts and innovation,” Cervantes said, referring to Riverside’s nickname.

“Riverside is on the map and The Cheech has become a focal point to pull in folks from just everywhere,” she said.

Artistic Director María Esther Fernández said it’s no accident that an institution showcasing Marin’s collection ended up in the Inland Empire’s largest city rather than somewhere else.

“We are always asked, ‘Why Riverside?’” Fernández said.

“To me, it’s not just happenstance. There are folks here that are really committed to the arts … And I say, ‘Why not Riverside?’”

Promoters also have said that the city, whose population is more than half Latino, was an ideal place to house Mexican American art.

The museum has drawn visitors from across the United States as well as Canada, Mexico, Europe and South America, Oberjuerge said. Most are from Southern California, she said.

Fernández said people from all ethnic backgrounds and ages are checking out the paintings, sculptures and other pieces of art, she said.

“I’ve seen people moved to tears,” she added.

Fernández said older people told her that they never dreamed they’d see a museum devoted to Latino art.

At the other end of the age spectrum, Fernández said teens on skateboards rolled up one day and spent an hour and a half inside. Upon exiting, she recalled, the youths said, “We thought it was really cool. We have never seen art like this.”

Riverside resident Mariano Solorio visited Thursday, Feb. 2, with his family, who have longstanding community ties. His grandmother, Margarita Solorio, fought for the creation of the original Casa Blanca Elementary School that opened in 1913, and Solorio is now on the committee for the new one planned for the mostly Latino neighborhood in Riverside. He intended to visit when it opened, but tickets had sold out.

“It shows a lot of enthusiasm in the younger generation to bring out the best in all of them with their art and history,” he said of the museum and its reception.

Mellina Mardueño, who grew up in Ontario but now lives in Boston, said that she made sure to see The Cheech during her visit home.

“Being Mexican American myself, it holds a special place in my heart,” she said. “I’m sure it would resonate with many people who think art is not for them.”

The museum opened June 18 with much fanfare fueled by a Marin appearance, music, hot cars, massive media coverage and the unveiling of part of Marin’s collection.

Even with a mid-June opening, attendance for that month totaled 9,607, she said.

Then 17,466 people visited in July, the most of any month, Oberjuerge said. Attendance slipped to about 8,000 in both September and November, but rebounded to 11,058 in December.

“I’m really happy about this December number because those shows have been open for about six months but we’re still attracting a lot of people,” she said.

January visits totaled 11,767, she added.

As the new year got underway, a new exhibition titled “Life Logistics” opened, displaying the works of San Bernardino-area artists. The exhibit carries a message about economic security, environmental justice and a desire for tighter regulations in the Inland Empire’s ubiquitous warehouse-logistics industry.

A traveling exhibit titled “Land of Milk & Honey” is set to start in February. Organized by the MexiCali Biennial, the exhibit highlights ethical and cultural issues associated with food production in California and Mexico.

The museum has permanent displays, and is rotating other exhibits to freshen up the offerings, Oberjuerge said.

Promoters have said the museum would generate ripple effects across the area economy.

That benefit was mentioned by Marin ahead of Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson’s annual State of the City speech, where he received an award.

“These visitors have stayed in Riverside hotels, eaten in Riverside restaurants and filled their gas tanks with Riverside gas,” Marin said.

At least one business promotion in downtown linked to the museum saw lackluster results.

Janice Penner, executive director of the Riverside Downtown Partnership, said pedestrian-mall stores were prepared to give museum customers a discount on shop purchases if they showed tickets to The Cheech. But about 90% of mall business owners contacted by the partnership reported that the promotion didn’t boost sales, she said.

“Most of them said almost nobody took advantage of that,” Penner said.

Some museum visitors may have visited shops but not asked for discounts, said Oberjuerge, who added that visitors have reported dining at nearby eateries.

Business has surged at the upscale downtown restaurant Mario’s Place, said Leone Palagi, executive chef and co-owner.

“I don’t know how much of it is due to The Cheech,” Palagi said. “I think that some of it definitely is.”

Part of the increase may be the result of pent-up demand for fine dining after the COVID-19 pandemic, Palagi said.

“We definitely have more people from out of town coming in,” he said.

Nanci Larsen, director of audience development for the Mission Inn Foundation and overseer of Mission Inn Hotel & Spa tours, said people who live in the Inland area are aware of the museum but visitors from “out of town” generally aren’t. By out of town, Larsen said, she meant people from places such as Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County.

“If they are old, they know who Cheech Marin is,” Larsen said.

Those people usually aren’t interested in seeing a tribute to the comedy act that made Marin famous, she said.

“And I say, ‘It’s not Cheech & Chong, it’s an art collection,’” she said, adding that she encourages tourists to visit. After doing so, they’re glad they took the time to do so, she said.

The museum’s debut followed a fundraising campaign and a $10.7 million remodeling of Riverside’s former main library building that Haupt said was completed on budget.

As the opening approached, The Cheech received much exposure. Hundreds of media outlets, including such big names as The New York Times, published articles and segments on the new museum. With all the excitement, The Cheech sold out tickets for its first day.

While attendance is down from summer peaks, Oberjuerge said visits remain steady. The Cheech still sells out on occasion, she said, and she recommends reservations for weekends or holidays.

Oberjuerge said she is confident attendance will continue to be robust throughout the first year and beyond.

“We know that this is just the beginning,” she said. “We feel the pressure of continuing to organize wonderful exhibitions. And we’ve got wonderful exhibitions coming down the pipeline.”

Visitors, including Latinos, are enjoying the art and what it means for their people.

Ontario resident Denise Ibáñez said that she was happy to see someone of Marin’s status invest in the community.

“Us Chicanos, there’s not much we can relate to,” she said. “But a lot of the things here, I feel connected to.”

Staff Writer Sarah Hofmann contributed to this report.

ATTENDANCE NUMBERS

June (partial month): 9,607

July: 17,466

August: 11,627

September: 7,876

October: 11,229

November: 8,156

December: 11,058

January: 11,767

Total visitors: 88,786

Breakdown

Museum admissions: 80,142

Visits during facility rentals: 1,899

Visits during tours: 1,872

Education program visits: 4,873

SOURCE: The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum