RAM's Wustum Museum of Fine Arts

RAM's Wustum Museum of Fine Arts Home to the Racine Art Museum's diverse, award-winning art education program. In 1938, Jennie E. In 1941, her donation formally became the Charles A.

Wustum honored her husband’s memory by donating their house, property and a small trust fund to the city of Racine, Wisconsin. She wanted to create an art museum and park that would benefit future generations. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts through the cooperative efforts of the City of Racine and the Racine Art Association (now the Racine Art Museum Association). The Wustum Museum campus includes 13

acres of park, a one-acre formal garden, designed by famed Wisconsin landscape architect Alfred Boerner, and a 1966 classroom/studio addition. The former Wustum home, an 1856 Italianate-style farmhouse, is the center of the campus that originally housed the museum’s permanent collection. By the 1990s, the collection had grown so large that the museum’s galleries could only exhibit about 10% of it in one year. That inspired the museum’s plans for a future location, which is now the Racine Art Museum in downtown Racine. Her act of generosity inspired the growth of what is now one of the largest and most impressive contemporary craft collections of its type in any museum in North America. Jennie Wustum’s vision now impacts a community of more than 11 million people in the Chicago-Milwaukee area who can experience the museum’s collections at Racine Art Museum. RAM’s Wustum Museum continues to play a vital role in arts education by offering community outreach programs and studio art classes taught by regionally and nationally known artists.

We are excited to announce that RAM is looking to add to its team of art lovers! If you are enthusiastic, team-oriented,...
06/20/2026

We are excited to announce that RAM is looking to add to its team of art lovers! If you are enthusiastic, team-oriented, and interested in joining a small, dedicated, and collaborative team, you might be the perfect fit for this part-time position.

As a General Museum Assistant, you’ll be responsible for front desk/reception customer relations and duties that maintain the cleanliness of museum galleries and studio spaces. You will also assist in Education Programming at both museum campuses and off-site.

Learn more and apply: https://www.ramart.org/get-involved/employment/

Image Credits:
RAM Staff creating art, Photography: RAM Staff

Handcrafted: RAM Community Art Show—which opened last week at RAM’s Wustum Museum celebrates the connection between arti...
06/19/2026

Handcrafted: RAM Community Art Show—which opened last week at RAM’s Wustum Museum celebrates the connection between artist, process, and material, acknowledging how we shape materials and how they shape us. From ceramics and sculpted wood to quilted textiles and metalwork, each piece reflects the unique hands that created it. For this exhibition, artists in RAM’s community were invited to share work that explores the relationship between maker and material, whether rooted in tradition, inspired by cultural heritage, or born from experimentation with new techniques or media.

Further highlighting the idea of community and collaboration, a quilt titled “All This and More” created by Milwaukee-based mixed media artist Rosy Petri is featured in the exhibition. In 2025, Petri hosted a workshop series at Spectrum School of the Arts and Gallery titled Milwaukente Community Quilt Dye Days. Participants learned about the art of dyeing and contributed to a community project. “All This and More” is comprised of the finished fabric from these community dye days stitched together by Petri.

Learn more about the exhibition: https://www.ramart.org/exhibit/handcrafted-ram-community-art-show/

Image Credits:
1
Rosy Petri, All This and More, 2026, Hand-dyed and block-printed cotton, commercial cotton batik, polyester thread, and polyester batting, 100 x 100 inches, Collection of the Artist, Photography: Tyler Potter
2
Ann Henkes, Water Lillies and Koi Fish, 2026, Acrylic paint monoprint on canvas, 26 x 24 inches, Photography: Tyler Potter
3
Xanthi Merlo, Black Swan, 2026, Glazed ceramic, 4 x 6 inches, Photography: Tyler Potter
4
Janet Mrazek, Summer Secrets – A Personal Journal, Birch bark, thread, beads, felt, and paper, 6 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 2 inches, Photography: Tyler Potter

Get ready for a Hawaiian roller coaster ride! (And by that, we mean a Wisconsin movie night!)Join our RAM ‘Ohana for a f...
06/18/2026

Get ready for a Hawaiian roller coaster ride! (And by that, we mean a Wisconsin movie night!)

Join our RAM ‘Ohana for a free, special outdoor screening of Lilo and Stitch (2025) on the evening of June 25 at RAM’s Wustum Museum. Inspired by the movie’s setting, we’re teaming up with City of Racine, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department to bring the beach directly to the museum’s gardens—complete with a variety of sandy activities, tropical mocktails, and inflatable lounge furniture. The movie will begin after the sun sets.

Learn more about upcoming museum events: https://www.ramart.org/events/

Image Credits:
Installation view of Racine Unified Student Art Exhibition 2026 at RAM’s Wustum Museum, Photography: Rachel Comande

Join us at RAM’s Wustum Museum tonight, June 16, from 6:00 to 8:30 pm, for the opening night of the Twilight Garden Seri...
06/16/2026

Join us at RAM’s Wustum Museum tonight, June 16, from 6:00 to 8:30 pm, for the opening night of the Twilight Garden Series!

This free event series invites you to step into an evening of creativity and connection under soft lights, botanical elegance, and open skies. Bring a project in progress, or find inspiration and create something new with us—this is your space to explore, create, and unwind.

At tonight’s event—Luna and Lunar—get ready to explore lantern-lit paths, try your hand at glowing moth art, or embrace some moon-inspired rituals that will transform the garden into a luminous, sensory celebration of nightfall.

Participants can also enjoy a live duet by the Racine Symphony Orchestra. Artist Laura Gillespie will be on-site, hosting a paid paper arts workshop during the event as well.

Learn more about tonight’s event, or the entire Twilight Garden Series: https://www.ramart.org/events/twilight-garden-series/

Image Credits:
1
Guests in the gardens at RAM’s Wustum Museum, Photography: Azure Mahara Photography
2
Luna Moth paper art sample, Photography: Laura Gillespie

This summer, a new event series is entering the gardens.On select Tuesday nights, join us for the Twilight Garden Series...
06/14/2026

This summer, a new event series is entering the gardens.

On select Tuesday nights, join us for the Twilight Garden Series at RAM’s Wustum Museum—where art, cocktails, and curiosity meet, and the garden glows with magic at dusk. Step into an evening of creativity and connection under soft lights, botanical elegance, and open skies. Bring a project in progress, or find inspiration and create something new with us—this is your space to explore, create, and unwind.

Each evening offers a new theme, entertainment offerings, and art making opportunities.

Discover all of the details on our website: https://www.ramart.org/events/twilight-garden-series/

Image Credits:
2–6, 8–10
Guests enjoying the gardens at RAM’s Wustum Museum, Photography: Azure Mahara Photography
7
Steampunk-themed museum fundraiser, Photography: RAM Staff

On this , we’re looking forward to an upcoming project at RAM.Premiering during the inaugural In/Between multi-arts fes...
06/13/2026

On this , we’re looking forward to an upcoming project at RAM.

Premiering during the inaugural In/Between multi-arts festival, Amanda Browder’s large-scale installation Zig and Zag weaves RAM’s acrylic-paneled façade with multi-colored fabric, offering a new perspective on a familiar building. We’re currently accepting fabric donations at both museum campuses, before an exciting event series begins.

Save the date for Community Sewing Days throughout July. Individuals of all ages and abilities are invited to take part in the creation of this project—no sewing experience necessary! You can pin donated fabric together, sew a few zig zag stitches, or just come and connect with creatives throughout the community.

Head to our website to learn more: https://www.ramart.org/exhibit/amanda-browder-zig-and-zag/

Over the last few weeks, we’ve excitedly welcomed volunteers from Acts of Goodwill (Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago...
06/12/2026

Over the last few weeks, we’ve excitedly welcomed volunteers from Acts of Goodwill (Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago) to help with projects throughout RAM’s Wustum Museum, including freshening up our beautiful gardens and making sure our ceramics studio is looking its best! We are so grateful for all of their fantastic work.

Want to volunteer with RAM? We have lots of available opportunities including Garden and Grounds Assistants, Gallery Greeters, and Docents—there’s an experience for everyone! Head to our website to learn how you can get involved: https://www.ramart.org/get-involved/volunteer/

Image Credits:
Volunteers with Acts of Goodwill at RAM’s Wustum Museum, Photography: Chase Tonar, Supply Chain Supervisor at Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee and Chicago

Are your children already bored without school to occupy them? Get them out of the house this summer with fun art classe...
06/11/2026

Are your children already bored without school to occupy them? Get them out of the house this summer with fun art classes at RAM’s Wustum Museum!

This year, many of RAM’s exhibitions— including the newly-opened Handwork: RAM Community Art Show—celebrate the connection between artist, process, and material, acknowledging how we shape materials and how they shape us. Kids can gain this appreciation firsthand when taking art classes. They’ll get their hands dirty (figuratively, and sometimes literally) while bringing their ideas to life and developing new creative skills.

Kids summer classes start in a few weeks, so there’s still time to register on our website: https://www.ramart.org/education/art-classes/kids/

Image Credits:
Young class takers at RAM’s Wustum Museum, Photography: RAM Education Staff

Textiles, polymer, and community artwork, oh my!Three brand-new exhibitions are opening today, June 10, at RAM’s Wustum ...
06/10/2026

Textiles, polymer, and community artwork, oh my!

Three brand-new exhibitions are opening today, June 10, at RAM’s Wustum Museum.

Handcrafted: RAM Community Art Show celebrates the connection between artist, process, and material—acknowledging how we shape materials and how they shape us. From ceramics and sculpted wood to quilted textiles and metalwork, each piece reflects the unique hands that created it.

Stitched Stories: Narrative Quilts and Textiles brings together quilted, woven, and embroidered works that tell stories through fabric and thread. Whether incorporating representational imagery or utilizing abstraction, these small- and large-scale fiber works explore the multitude of ways in which textiles can be used to convey meaning.

RAM Showcase: Cynthia Toops showcases work from the polymer art pioneer who has been pushing the boundaries of the medium since the 1980s. The artist is well known for her micromosaic technique, which pieces together tiny shards of polymer into figurative or abstract compositions.

You can explore each of these exhibitions during a special Opening Reception, tonight, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.

Learn more about these upcoming exhibitions on our website: https://www.ramart.org/future-exhibitions/

Image Credits:
1
Erin Krembs, In the Fall, 2026, Air-dry clay, foam, upholstery fringe, wool felt, thread, and acrylic paint, 11 x 8 x 10 inches, Photography: Tyler Potter
2
Rosita Johnson, Adventures of Gumbos, ca. 1990–95, Dyed cotton fabric, dyed cotton thread, metallic thread, foam board, and acrylic paint, 8 x 5 5/8 inches, Racine Art Museum, Gift of Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Photography: Jon Bolton
3
Cynthia Toops, Story Time, 2007, Polymer, 2 9/16 x 2 9/16 inches, Racine Art Museum, Gift of the Artist, Photography: Penina Meisels

The curtains are rising on another pairing of celebrity fashion and works from RAM's collection!
06/09/2026

The curtains are rising on another pairing of celebrity fashion and works from RAM's collection!

Address

2519 Northwestern Avenue
Racine, WI
53404

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+12626369177

Website

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