The Riverside Art Museum has appointed museum leader and curator Vivian Zavataro as its next executive director, with her tenure beginning October 1.
Zavataro follows Drew Oberjuerge, who led the institution for more than 13 years and departed in June 2025. RAM board president Patricia Reynolds said the museum has evolved from a community-focused space into a cultural institution with an international profile, adding that she is excited about the future under Zavataro’s leadership.
Riverside Art Museum to oversee The Cheech
In addition to directing RAM, Zavataro will guide the artistic vision of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Arts and Culture, a project initiated during Oberjuerge’s tenure. Maria Esther Fernández, the Cheech’s inaugural artistic director, left the role in August 2025. According to a release, Zavataro will maintain the center’s model of presenting temporary exhibitions curated by guest curators.
Cheech Marin, whose collection anchors the center, said The Cheech has become central to RAM’s story. He praised Zavataro’s understanding of artists, museums, and community-building, and said he looks forward to the next chapter with her at the helm.
Professional background and curatorial work at Riverside Art Museum
Zavataro currently serves as executive and creative director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University in Kansas. She previously was executive director and chief curator at the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Her curatorial projects include exhibitions with Justin Favela and Guillermo Bert, along with collaborations with Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Kiara Aileen Machado, and Edi Rama. At the Lilley Museum, she organized the 2021–22 exhibition “En Medio | Senses of Migration.”
Academic credentials and next steps
Zavataro is a PhD candidate at the University of Reading in England, focusing on museum audience engagement. She holds master’s degrees in museum studies from the University of Amsterdam and in curating from Zurich University of the Arts.
“I am honored to join the Riverside Art Museum at such a pivotal moment,” Zavataro said in a statement. She added that she looks forward to working with staff, the board, artists, guest curators, and communities across Riverside and the Inland Empire to broaden the organization’s impact and ensure its programs reflect the people it serves.
Her appointment comes amid heightened attention to leadership and governance across the global museum sector, following stories such as the MuCEM harassment investigation in France and other institutional shake-ups.