Academic Programs
The California Museum of Photography and Culver Center of the Arts at UCR ARTS provide varied experiences for regional instructors, undergraduate, and graduate students. Opportunities include class visits to our exhibitions and archives, internships, work-study experiences, fellowships, workshops, archival research, and more. Additionally, UCR ARTS partners with various departments within the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences to host student symposia, performances, and other events in addition to the annual art major senior exhibition and the MFA student exhibition.
Visit
Located just over three miles from UCR’s main campus, UCR ARTS is open to all. UCR students receive free admission and all students receive discounted tickets with their student ID.
Visit Thursday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. and weekends, 11am-5pm.
UCR ARTS offers free admission for all on Family First Sundays, 11am-5pm, and First Thursday ArtsWalk, 12-9 pm.
View Current Exhibitions
Classes and groups of 10+ can book a docent-led tour of our exhibitions of photography and contemporary art.
Duration: 1 hour
Research
The CMP collection is comprised of approximately 500,000 objects and includes photographic prints, negatives, archives, books, and technology. The Sweeney Art Gallery holds the university’s art collection, which encompasses painting, photography, sculpture, video, and artists’ books.
Schedule an individual research visit by emailing alyse.yeargan@ucr.edu
Schedule a class archives visit through our booking form. Choose to see highlights of the collection or work with our staff to select objects and customize the visit to fit your class needs.
Duration: 1 hour
Book here
Curricular Resources
UCR ARTS provides reading lists and other curricular resources that connect with our exhibitions.
Transgresoras: Mail Art and Messages, 1960s–2020s surveys artworks made and exchanged by Latinx and Latin American women artists from the 1960s to the present.
On view: September 13, 2025-February 15, 2026
Lenard Smith: Fortuitous Encounters is the first solo museum presentation of the work of Lenard Smith, a Ghanaian-American studio-based photographer whose work often depicts still life tableaux.
On view: January 24, 2026 – July 26, 2026
From Here to the Horizon: Photographs in Honor of Barry Lopez explores our connection to the land through photography and was inspired by the work of American author Barry Lopez (1945–2020).
On view: March 21, 2026-August 9, 2026
Opportunities for Students
There are multiple ways for students from UCR and surrounding colleges to get involved. From volunteers and work-study to Gluck Fellows, students gain experience in visitor services, museum education, collections management, exhibition installation, and curatorial.
Gluck Fellows are UCR graduate students who lead public-facing activities inspired by UCR ARTS’ collections and exhibitions including guided tours, print viewings, and workshops.
The Gluck Fellows Program of the Arts is supported by at UCR is generously supported by a grant from the Max H. Gluck Foundation. Applications are available through the UCR Gluck Program Office.
Internships are offered in Education, Collections, Curatorial, Film Programs, Exhibition Installation, Events, Communications, and Museum Administration.
Former UCR ARTS interns have continued on to museum careers, including at the Broad Art Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Huntington Art Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and elsewhere.
Paid internship opportunities are posted on UCR Handshake when available. To inquire about internships for class credit, please email lindsey.hammel@ucr.edu.
Volunteer and docent (volunteer tour guides) opportunities are available to anyone 18 years of age and older. Volunteers are community members and students from UCR and other surrounding colleges.
UCR work study students are undergraduate students who work in Visitor Services, Collections, Education, and Exhibitions.
When openings are available, they are posted on UCR Handshake.
College Night
UCR ARTS hosts College Night twice a year, usually scheduled on the first Thursdays of October and March. The free event is open to all and features deejays, special artist performances, art making, open galleries, and more.
Our next College Night is March 5, 2026. Event information coming soon!