Riverside gets award for economic development via arts for The Cheech

The city of Riverside has received the Helen Putnam Award for Economic Development Through the Arts for its part in the creation of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture of the Riverside Art Museum.

The award from the League of California Cities, announced Sept. 22 during the organization’s annual conference in Sacramento, recognizes statewide excellence in government.

“The Helen Putnam Award is the latest recognition for what has become a statewide destination for art lovers and people interested in learning more about Chicano culture,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, who accepted the award with City Manager Mike Futrell, said in a statement. “It was very gratifying to share this unique asset with conference attendees from around the state.”

Officials came up with the idea for The Cheech “as a way to breathe new life” into the downtown Riverside building that had for decades housed the Main Library. 

“An innovative partnership with the Riverside Art Museum … and the actor and comedian Cheech Marin, who donated his massive and impressive collection of Chicano art, has created a nationally recognized center for the arts in downtown Riverside,” officials said. “The Cheech honors the building’s historic architecture and captures the spirit of its prior use as a place of learning, sharing ideas and inspiring. It also is an economic driver, bringing people from around the world to experience Marin’s eclectic and engaging collection of paintings, sculptures and other works of art, the world’s most renowned Chicano arts collection in private hands.”

The public-private partnership between the city and Marin led to a museum that uniquely focuses on Chicano arts thanks to Marin’s collection that officials said is “unrivaled at the national level and around the world telling the story of Latinos in Riverside and across the nation.”

The city secured a $9 million commitment from the state to rehabilitate the building that houses The Cheech, 3581 Mission Inn Ave., transforming the mid-20th-century interior into a modern arts facility, according to city officials. The Riverside Art Museum raised $3 million toward renovations and initial operating costs for The Cheech.

“The result was an economic impact to the downtown that benefits hotels, restaurants, and shops across the city” officials said. “In its first year of operation, The Cheech had over 135,000 attendees … (and) had an impact of over $5 million for the local Riverside economy in its first year.”

Mayor Pro Tem Erin Edwards, who represents the downtown Riverside area, said in a statement, “The Cheech is a gem in the crown of downtown Riverside. Its unique focus on Chicano art and culture has drawn people to our city who might not otherwise have had a reason to learn about our history, our beautiful downtown and our high quality of life.”

More from Riverside County