Yolanda Terrell sold her first painting when she was nine or 10 years old. It was a large portrait of Charlie Chaplin. Terrell was growing up in Philadelphia, where her mother had set it outside the house, and a woman walking by stopped, fell in love with it, and paid $10 for it.
"I was so overwhelmed with the idea of someone wanting my painting," Terrell recalled. "I don't know if I was happy or more so excited. The idea of selling a painting — I didn't even care if I sold it for a penny. It was just the idea."
Terrell has been painting ever since, and for more than 20 years, one venue keeps pulling her back: the open-air art market. Specifically, the Riverside Art Market, presented by the Riverside Art Alliance at White Park in Downtown.
The Riverside Art Market takes place Saturday, April 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at White Park, 3936 Chestnut St. Admission is free. The event will go on rain or shine. For more information, visit riversideartmuseum.org.
What's New This Year
For the first time, the Art Alliance will have its own dedicated booth at the market, featuring work by members and their families. All proceeds benefit the museum and its programs.
Art Alliance President Tami Fleming-Maio says the new booth brought her back to her own creative work.
"This has been especially inspiring for me," she said. "Like many people, I've put my own creative work on the back burner over the years, and this opportunity encouraged me to return to it. It's been incredibly fulfilling, and I'm truly looking forward to seeing how the community responds."
Riverside Community Arts Association painters Car Garnett (oil) and Raymond Fernandez (acrylic) will offer art demonstrations. A silent auction will feature work donated by the market's artists.
The 2026 lineup features live musical performances, Ballet Folklorico, the Stokoe Elementary and Promenade choirs and free children's activities in the Children's Pavilion — rock painting, wood ornament painting, sidewalk chalk and face painting. Food vendors and a beer and wine garden round out the day.
From Six Artists to One Hundred
The Riverside Art Alliance, the fundraising arm of the Riverside Art Museum since 1965, proposed a free outdoor market about 11 years ago — nothing between maker and buyer. This year's edition is among the most anticipated events on Riverside's April calendar.
"The original vision was simple but powerful," Fleming-Maio said. "To bring local artists and the community together in one place, giving artists a platform to showcase and sell their work while making art more visible and accessible to the public."
The first year, the organizers hoped for around 10 artists. They got six.
This year, they have 100.
"The growth has been incredible," Fleming-Maio said. "Beyond just size, the scope and impact have expanded tremendously. We now draw a large and diverse crowd, offer entertainment, food, and interactive experiences, and have become a highly anticipated community event. It's not just a market anymore — it's a celebration of art and community."
Kathy Allavie, a founding member of the Art Market and former Art Alliance president, agreed: "Art Market is unique among our projects because it was always conceived as a free event for the public, designed to help artists and craftspeople by giving them a public outlet to sell their creations."
Terrell, who has shown at the market for more than 20 years, sees the Alliance's role clearly.
"The Riverside Art Alliance and many other art associations — they're the backbone of a lot of artists," she said. "That's what keeps the art community thriving. And those are the ones that keep art alive. Because if you left it up to the galleries and the museums — how many people go out and say, 'Kids, come on, let's go to a museum'? It's not going to happen. But the excitement of the art market — the games, the music, the different crafts — that's the excitement. That's why I support the art alliances."
Fleming-Maio says the event is designed with exactly that openness in mind.
"We want to remove barriers so everyone can experience art, regardless of their financial situation," Fleming-Maio said. "It allows people to come, explore, and engage with artists without hesitation. We prefer the public spend their money buying art."
Artists keep 100% of whatever they sell, and about 75% of vendors return each year. Proceeds benefit the Riverside Art Museum directly — supporting RAM's children's art program, the Art-to-Go program, which delivers instruction into Riverside classrooms, and student scholarships.
"The Riverside Art Museum is one of the only places in Riverside which offers art classes for the youngest child to the oldest senior," Allavie said. "It is much more than art hung on a wall. It is a gathering place for all artists and would-be artists in our city."
Why Artists Keep Coming Back
Yolanda Terrell describes herself as an impressionist. She works primarily with a palette knife — a technique she spent 20 years developing and now sometimes teaches.
"The palette knife allowed me to lift the paint up and spread it the way I wanted to," she said. "And it gave me excitement because it's a preference. It's not that it's better than a brush — it's that the palette knife allows you to blend and you don't have to be precise. That's what I like about it. It goes well with being an impressionist."
"With a palette knife, you do see the thickness, but you don't necessarily see the details. It's implied. And that's what I like about the palette knife," she said.
"If you look carefully at some of my paintings, you would think it was done with a brush. But if you look close, it's actually implied to make you think that's what you see. You can imply something and people think they really see it." She paused. "And if you look carefully — you do kind of see it. That's the art of the palette knife."
"We don't really want to tell you about the painting," she said. "We want you to interpret that painting how you see it. We want you to tell us how it makes you feel, or what you see. We'll answer you — but it's not what we want you to say."
Terrell has sold to galleries, private collectors and strangers who found her — including, three years ago at the Riverside Art Market, all 35 paintings she brought.
But the sellout isn't what keeps her coming back.
"I have people that look for me," she said. "I have people that come and they're so — 'Oh, I couldn't wait to see your new collection. I brought five of your paintings before and I want to add another one.' Just the feedback, the excitement, talking to people, the smell of the air, the adrenaline. It's nothing better than being up close and personal with the ones who buy your art."
The open market, she says, gives her something a gallery never could.
"When you're at the open market and with private individuals, they're so excited," she said. "They ask me: what were you thinking when you did this? How long did it take you? I love your bright colors. I get the feedback that feeds me, that keeps me going. That's the key to selling in the art market. You don't see who bought your art in a gallery. You don't get to talk to them. With the open art market — especially the Riverside Art Market — I've been doing it for so many years that I have a following, and they come there just to see my paintings and buy my paintings."
Come See for Yourself
"If you've never been to the Art Market, you are in for a treat," Fleming-Maio said. "Come ready to enjoy a full experience. There's something for everyone — live entertainment, incredible art, delicious food, a local brewery and wine and our popular Children's Corner where kids can create their own art for free."
