Free Summer Sundays Heat Up Riverside Art Museum and The Cheech with Salsa, Zines
4 min read
Attendees dance salsa at The Cheech Museum during Free Summer Sundays, part of a June 28 lineup of free cultural programming at The Cheech and the Riverside Art Museum. Photos by Manny Sandoval
Free summer arts programming brought more than 600 people to the Riverside Art Museum and The Cheech Museum on June 28, filling the downtown museums with salsa dancing, handmade zines and accessible cultural experiences for visitors of all ages.
The events were part of Free Summer Sundays, which offer free admission every Sunday throughout the summer at both RAM and The Cheech. The Sunday lineup included a free zine workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. at RAM and a free salsa dancing program from noon to 4 p.m. at The Cheech.
At The Cheech, the afternoon opened with a Rueda de Casino workshop from noon to 1 p.m. The salsa round dance is rooted in the Cuban style known as casino and can be choreographed or improvised depending on the setting. From 1 to 4 p.m., the museum shifted into open salsa dancing with a live DJ.
Patricia Diaz, public programming associate at The Cheech, said the program featured salsa workshops with Cynthia Duran and a social dance session with DJ Flores.
“It was upbeat, and everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun,” Diaz said.
Diaz said one of the most powerful parts of the afternoon was watching visitors join in even if they had not originally planned to dance.
“I found it really interesting that a lot of people who didn’t even sign up for the class walked in and joined,” Diaz said. “Programs like this are really important because there are not a lot of opportunities to learn how to dance salsa for free, or even just join in for free. This makes it a lot more accessible.”
Diaz said the event reflected the museum’s broader commitment to community-based programming and celebrating Chicano culture.
For Riverside resident Nadia Ruiz, the salsa event was both a community gathering and a personal reminder of how meaningful dance has been in her own life. Ruiz said she follows the Riverside Salsa Collective and came out after learning the group would be dancing at The Cheech in her hometown.
“My husband and I met at RCC salsa dancing,” Ruiz said. “We’ve been together for about 13 years now. We have a daughter, and salsa is what brought us together.”
Ruiz said the event welcomed dancers across skill levels while bringing people together through music, culture and movement.
“This is what’s bringing culture here to Riverside,” Ruiz said. “It’s bringing outsiders and tourists, and for those of us who live here, it’s incredible to have this in our own backyard. It’s important for the community, for the youth, for the future and for everyone to come together — not just Latinos, but everyone.”
A participant cuts materials for a handmade zine during the Riverside Art Museum’s free summer workshop focused on creativity, self-expression and accessible arts programming. 
Families and dancers of all ages take part in open salsa dancing at The Cheech Museum during a Free Summer Sundays event that drew more than 600 visitors. 
Brookes Reeder shows examples of handmade zines during a free workshop at the Riverside Art Museum, where participants created their own collage-based booklets.
At the Riverside Art Museum, visiting instructor Brookes Reeder of Oceanside led participants through zine-making, guiding them as they created handmade magazines or booklets using collage materials and their own ideas.
“A zine is basically a magazine or book that you make yourself,” Reader said. “They can be about anything, any subject, any size. There are really no rules, which is one of the things I like about it.”
Reeder, who has been creating zines for more than 20 years, said most of his work is photography-based and made entirely by hand. He said he began making zines after a friend suggested he turn his photography into something people could hold, share and revisit.
“I think the arts are very important, especially for young kids, because creativity is a really important part of life,” Reeder said. “There aren’t any rules. You don’t have to color inside the lines. And that’s what zines are for me — they can be anything.”
The workshop provided free magazines, printed materials and supplies for collage-based zines, though participants were also encouraged to bring their own materials.
“This workshop is free,” Reeder said. “All the supplies are here to make a zine.”
The next free zine workshop is scheduled for July 19. The Cheech will also host a free outdoor celebration for Cheech Marin’s 80th birthday from noon to 5 p.m. July 12. The celebration is free and open to the public, though visitors who want to enter The Cheech or RAM during the party should register for a Free Summer Sunday ticket.
Beyond Free Summer Sundays, the museums also participate in Museums for All. Visitors who present an EBT, SNAP or WIC card with photo identification can receive $1 admission for up to four people per card, with admission covering both The Cheech and RAM.
Learn more here: riversideartmuseum.org.
Salsa dancers move across The Cheech Museum during Free Summer Sundays, which offers free admission and community-centered programming throughout the summer. 
Participants create handmade zines during a free summer workshop at the Riverside Art Museum, using collage materials to explore art, storytelling and self-expression.
