October 18, 2004

Riverside, CA - In partnership with the Riverside Municipal Museum, La Sierra University’s Brandstater Gallery presents La Sierra Passages: Riverside Mural Project Interpretive Exhibition Nov. 3-Dec. 9. This exhibit will feature the installation of the mural La Sierra Passages on the 91-freeway underpass at Pierce Street in the La Sierra community. HHHHHH

Archival materials used for the mural were gathered from the Riverside Municipal Museum, historical maps of the area and the La Sierra University archives. La Sierra Passages presents the history of the La Sierra community as told by the resident, artist, public administrator and the professional historian who came together to create the mural. The exhibit will showcase the process of how the mural was created as well as provide a short history of the area.

A reception will take place on Monday, November 8 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Brandstater Gallery of La Sierra University’s Visual Arts Center.

“My experience in working with the La Sierra community has renewed my faith in the communal power of art to create a culture of sharing and giving. From the very first day of community meetings to the last day of mural painting, people of all ages and all walks of life have selflessly given their time, talent, and treasure,” says Eliseo Art Silva, La Sierra Passages mural artist. “After a three-year hiatus in the east coast for my graduate work, this mural brought me back to my roots here in Riverside, for it is in this city that our family immigrated from the Philippines way back in 1989.”

Silva received his BFA at Otis College of Art in 2003 and has painted more than 30 murals in various locations including Seattle, WA, Philadelphia, PA, the Philippines and various locations in California. He is the recipient of the Award of Design Excellence from the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. His work was included in the landmark exhibition Made in California: Art, Image and Identity, 1900s, 2000s organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Silva is also nationally recognized for painting the nation’s largest Filipino American mural: Gintong Kasaysayan, Gintong Pamana in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, California.

“My artistic goal is to reconcile the history of my lineage with the history of painting,” says Silva. “I am a weaver of history and heritage.”

La Sierra University’s Brandstater Gallery is located in the Visual Arts Center. They are open Monday-Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 2:00-5:00 p.m. For more information call 951-785-2959.