Museum founder draws parallels between humor that commanded reactions and paintings that "flip" cultural tropes as The Cheech approaches third anniversary.
Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! We're now just 8 days away from our Toast to 10,000 subscribers on Monday, June 30 at 6:00 p.m. at Bar Ni Modo inside the new Farmhouse Collective. The 50 free drink tickets have all been snagged up over the last two days, but we just expanded our capacity and added 50 more free tickets! We'd love for you to join us next Monday evening, please RSVP for your free drink ticket.
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Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Elaine Hall, Sheri Harris, Cynthia Marr, Danielle Nelson, Jessica Puente and Mabel Seisay. Your ongoing financial support is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves!
Each week, we will introduce a new neighbor. This is not a who's who list. These are regular Riversiders doing exceptional things.
Dominic, a Riverside firefighter-paramedic and longtime resident, is known for turning everyday moments—like mowing the lawn—into chances to serve his neighbors. (Ken Crawford)
Dominic's connection to Riverside began in 2006 when he joined the City of Riverside Fire Department’s Fire Explorer Program. He quickly became a familiar face at city events, earning recognition as the program’s top volunteer. Since then, he’s remained rooted in the community, both personally and professionally.
In 2014, Dominic was hired as a firefighter-paramedic—his dream job. Serving the same neighborhoods he lives in gives him a profound sense of pride. Known for his compassion and commitment, Dominic goes out of his way to help others, whether responding to emergencies or simply being a good neighbor.
One of his most memorable moments came while mowing his lawn. A neighbor admired the flagpole in his yard and shared that her father—a 99-year-old veteran living near Fire Station 3—would love one of his own. Dominic made it happen. The touching story was captured on video.
Inspired by the community murals throughout the city, Dominic also helped bring public art to his workplace. After careful planning, Fire Station 3 became home to a mural honoring Midtown Riverside and the residents it serves.
Dominic was nominated by the Ward 1 Office for his work installing flags on the Wood Streets’ historic light poles—just one more way he brings pride and unity to the neighborhood he calls home.
Cheech Marin Finds His Comedy Mirrored in Chicano Art
Museum founder draws parallels between humor that commanded reactions and paintings that "flip" cultural tropes as The Cheech approaches third anniversary.
Zach Cordner of Riversider Magazine takes photos of Cheech in his gallery. (Ken Crawford)
Cheech Marin was in Riverside this past week for a golf tournament benefiting Unidos, the Latino Network and Spanish Town Heritage, but the comedian-turned-curator was more eager to discuss art than his handicap.
The conversation centered on Benito Huerta's "Noches de la Frontera," a standout piece from "Cheech Collects IV," the fourth rotating selection now on display at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture as it approaches its third anniversary next month.
The painting immediately brought back memories of another Huerta work I'd encountered before: "Exile off Main Street." That piece stuck with me because of its unlikely cultural collision — the visual echo of Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" combined with a title that playfully twisted the Rolling Stones’ classic "Exile on Main Street." The Stones were also heavily subversive, twisting well-known aesthetics into their own frameworks.
This week, we're braving those piles of unfolded laundry to give a second life to those single-use dryer sheets. Our creative nudge today helps us air out all our dirty laundry, providing some much-needed creative space. As a creative person fitting a vibrant artistic life into a busy regular one, I am used to finding these pockets of opportunity. It's less about setting aside an entire day to make capital-A art, and more about weaving moments of creative contemplation into the fabric of every single day.
Laundry is the quintessential mundane task: the repetitive motions, the hum of the machines, the warm touch of fresh laundry. I personally appreciate how laundry can help me avoid tasks I actually like—such as writing this column. To give you a peek into how I welcome procrastination into my creative process, I wrote this column between four loads of laundry.
