News

Creating a critical cultural exchange

Devlin Smith — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0700

The Wong family pays tribute to their parents by establishing an endowment to support AAPI programming at UCR ARTS.

UCR Orchestra to perform music inspired by American optimism, Welsh folk, and an operatic classic

J.D. Mathes — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Join the UCR Orchestra, conducted by Ruth Charloff, on January 31 at 8 p.m. and February 1 at 3 p.m. in the University Theatre. Tickets are available now.

UCR ARTS presents Transgresoras: Mail Art and Messages, 1960s–2020s

J.D. Mathes — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0800

Transgresoras: Mail Art and Messages, 1960s-2020s reveals how Latinx and Latin American women artists subverted the censorship of authoritarian regimes by using the government’s postal system.

Kimberly Guerrero is having a moment

John Warren — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0700

Actor and UCR theater professor Kimberly Guerrero is having a moment, as they say in old Hollywood vernacular. The moment started about six years ago, and it’s gathering momentum. The latest milestone in her acting career may be the pinnacle to date, in the just-premiered “IT: Welcome to Derry” series on HBO Max. “I’ve worked more in my 50s, and on very high-profile work, than I ever had. It’s been one project after another,” said Guerrero, a professor in the Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production. “I’m on a high right now.”

An Evening with celebrated Latinx writer Sandra Cisneros

Susan T. Mashiyama — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0700

On Wednesday, October 8, UC Riverside’s College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences will host “Palabra y Poder: An Evening with Sandra Cisneros.”

Keeping it reel

Jules Bernstein — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0700

The curator of the only foreign and independent movie house in Riverside does watch shows on his laptop. But he’ll never give up watching film in person, and he doesn’t want you to, either.

Graphic novelist helps Lion Man roar back to comics

Imran Ghori — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0700

A little-known comic book character considered one of the first Black superheroes is getting a revival by a team of artists including UC Riverside professor John Jennings. Jennings, a professor of media and cultural studies and an award-winning graphic novelist, is one of the creators behind “The Adventures of Lion Man,” an anthology graphic novel released Aug. 12 by Rosarium Publishing.

In 'Ecstasy', having everything isn't everything

Nicole Elyse Feldman — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0700

We’d like to think that gender relations have improved significantly in the last 2,600 years, but Ivy Pochoda’s new book “Ecstasy” shows how some forms of oppression have stood the test of time. A modern retelling of the Greek tragedy “The Bacchae,” the book shines light on the cages we build for ourselves — women in particular.

'Gail Rebhan, About Time' considers gender roles, aging

J.D. Mathes — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0700

On exhibit until August 17 at the California Museum of Photography is “Gail Rebhan, About Time.” This is Rebhan’s first museum retrospective, having begun her career in the early 1970s as an undergraduate student at Antioch College before entering the MFA program at California Institute of the Arts.

Legacy in motion: Dance pioneer donates life’s work

Iqbal Pittalwala — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0700

Fred Strickler, fearless choreographer and insightful teacher, died on May 31st, aged 81

On Wednesdays, a music series for community & campus

J.D. Mathes — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0800

Students, faculty, and visitors can attend the Florence Bayz Music Series every Wednesday during the academic year at Noon. The events are free and held in the Arts Building, room 157.

UCR Chorale, Chamber Singers, and Orchestra to perform Fauré’s 'Requiem'

J.D. Mathes — Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700

The UCR Chorale, Chamber Singers and Orchestra with guest soloists soprano Lindsay Feldmeth Westra and baritone Philip Meyer, conducted by Ruth Charloff, will feature Gabriel Fauré’s luminous and innovative “Requiem.”

This weekend, a home-grown orchestra concert for families

J.D. Mathes — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Concertgoers will be treated to a high-spirited adventure when the UCR Orchestra and the UCR Chamber Singers, along with guest narrator Martha Demson, perform the world premiere of composer and UCR faculty member Tim Labor's “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Concerts will be 8 p.m., Saturday Saturday, April 20, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 21 in the University Theatre. The concert is free and open to the public.

BOOKS: ‘Acting: The Basics,’ brings an art form back to its cave-drawing origins

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Bella Merlin, professor of theatre, film, and digital production, releases a third edition with updated case studies and a focus on inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.

Music department hosts fall concerts on Nov. 20, Dec. 4

J.D. Mathes — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0800

At an orchestra’s rehearsal, a listener can get a sense of the relationship between the conductor and the musicians. With Ruth Charloff, the conductor of the UCR Orchestra, we discover she is more than a conductor. She educates her students in performance expertise, while also showing them the rich history they are taking part in by grounding them in the classics as well as learning about new forms and artists.

Cast - like the faux guitar heroes they play - achieves 'Airness'

J.D. Mathes — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0800

The stage of the ARTS Building’s Studio Theatre is a floor with seating on three sides. For the theatre department’s latest production, “Airness,” the stage is converted to a Staten Island bar, with the bar and stools set back to the right and tables and chairs to the left. Downstage across the middle is a dais raised about a foot above the floor. On this platform one witnesses the air guitar shredding triumphs and failures of seven competitors on their quest to qualify for the national championship and a chance to compete at the Air Guitar World Championship in Oulu, Finland.

Playwright sets sights on Broadway for 'Blackbox'

J.D. Mathes — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0700

A mist shrouds the stage, and the angled light creates shadows and mystery. It could be dawn or dusk. At center stage sits a large wooden box with a lock hung on the hasp as if ready for an escape artist to perform his act. Crates, a lamp, and other objects give the impression of a loading dock. The wooden slats of a box make up the background. Beyond the background, a screen to project silhouettes, a popular Antebellum South artform.

Tod Goldberg’s fictional crime world feels so real

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0700

On Sunday, Nov. 5 the author of “Gangsters Don’t Die” will be in conversation with authors Lee Goldberg and Susan Straight at UCR ARTS in downtown Riverside.

Halloween: Black horror films at UCR ARTS

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0700

All films are free and open to the public. Screenings run through Oct. 28.

On stage: Magic, gospel music, and an escape from enslavement

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Rickerby Hinds, UCR playwright and professor, transforms the true story of Henry Box Brown’s harrowing escape from enslavement in 1849 America into a magic show in the first full production of “Blackbox,” October 5-14.