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UC Riverside California Museum of Photography
Rating Details »
3824 Main St
Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 827-4787
Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 827-4787
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- Hours:
Tue-Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
8 reviews for UC Riverside California Museum of Photography
I was in Riverside for an exhibit @ the Sweeney Gallery. I stopped by after a disappointing exhibit but the space at this Museum made up for it.
All 4 floors were curated nicely with the exception of the 3rd and bottom floor- seems like there is quite a bit of space that is not utilized...
Bathrooms are unisexed and the courtyard is lovely!
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I had a very enjoyable visit to this museum with my girlfriend. Enough to make me yelp about it the same late night. So, here we go.
Not being natives to Riverside hurt our efforts in finding the appropriate parking for CMP. Not to fret. A helpful city worker outside informed us that metered parking is free on weekends, as well as the parking structure. It's also impossible to miss CMP with its bold text and labeled flag plainly visible from the road.
The front desk was friendly and offered a pamphlet as a pseudo-guide to our self-guided tour, as well as giving us a general rundown of the museum's infrastructure.
All 4 (I believe) floors were very captivating. I thoroughly enjoyed the vast display of historic cameras and lenses. Tracing the evolutionary development of these cameras really puts the advancement of technology into perspective. Perhaps my favorite exhibit in the CMP was the floor dedicated to the Vietnam War. Specifically, of Agent Orange.
A short summary of Agent Orange: basically, it's a herbicide (weapon targeted at plants and the ecosystem) used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam war. Goro Nakamura (and others) did a beautiful and tear-jerking job in capturing the essence of suffering and turmoil displayed by the victims of the Vietnamese affected by the herbicide. The beauty comes from Nakamura's skillful photography skills. And the tear-jerking, from the birth defects and deformities caused to the children of those who inhaled Agent Orange.
While their museum is spacious, the strength of this museum comes not from the quantity of its works, but of the quality. From textile works to stereoscopic pieces to dated exhibits, this museum is definitely worth the trip.
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I'd been hearing about this place for a while, and each time I stopped by it was closed for one reason or another. However, today was my day...
For a mere $3.00 I got to see a history of photography exhibit, a giant camera obscura, original Ansel Adam prints, Carleton Watkins prints of Yosemite taken in the late 1800's, a set of Philippe Halsman photographs of Marilyn Monroe, and a huge collection of Andy Warhol's candids and polaroids.
I dare you to find a better bargain!
On second thought, I don't dare you, because if you're a student, you get in for free!
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This place is such a treasure trove and a hidden gem in all of the realm of Riverside! I came here on a tour with the university and just fell in love with the whole place. Good cheese, crackers and wine by the way and superb digital computer lab, Macintosh of course!
I miss it!
I love peeking through camera obscuras. I was here for the Supervision show. The museum's curatorial program is great. Jill Magid's video of running away with her Liverpool voyeur seems problematic. Van Harskamp's banner size photographs of uniformed guards were inspiring because she had to do multiple international residencies to complete the series.
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I did not remember what an awesome museum this is. Since Riverside isn't a huge city, it lacks a bit in cultural areas. I took the bf home to meet Grandma and he suggested we check it out. I'd been twice before, remembering only two things from those experiences: the zoetrope from when a visit when I was a child, and the Camera Obscura installation from a visit when I was at RCC. The current exhibit, Truthiness, is pretty neat, very sculptural, and the permanent collection of cameras and other photography related technology is really great as well. With three stories, I really feel like it has a lot to offer. It's definitely an asset to the Riverside art scene. Go UCR!
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I had an enjoyable trip to this museum. Very big plus that students can visit for free. Convenient parking is located nearby in structures which are also free on weekends.
The museum's permanent collection was a bit underwhelming, but understandably so as it is certainly not as well funded as the more notable SoCal museums or as old.
The real standout of the museum is its interior which is an interesting modern industrial space with a central spiral staircase linking the three floors and even metal walkways over the main floor gallery.
They had some interesting stereoscopic and 3-D pictures of the middle east which were worthwhile and a standout exhibition of digitally manipulated urban landscapes by Jeremy Kidd.
However, some of the other exhibitions fell a bit flat.
All that aside, the UCR CMP is a space I am happy is in Riverside with a bright future.
Great photography museum in the heart of downtown Riverside. I saw the best show there last year: photos of executions and abuses carried out during China's Cultural Revolution by Li Zhensheng. I was impressed too by how the museum integrated photography history, and more avant-garde photography work on its floors. A well-thought out space that deserves a national reputation.
