Our mission and history.

RAM is a nationally recognized institution that works at the intersection of contemporary art, craft, design, and community making. Located in Racine, Wisconsin, a scenic harbor town along the shores of Lake Michigan, it occupies two facilities—RAM Downtown and RAM Wustum.

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), RAM holds North America’s largest contemporary craft collection. Through exhibitions and public programs, the museum invites audiences to engage with artistic innovation, material exploration, and experimental and interdisciplinary practices.

We welcome approximately 50,000 guests each year, making RAM a cultural and economic anchor for the region. Across two locations, RAM brings artists, educators, neighbors, and partners together—lifting up diverse perspectives and extending beyond the traditional art museum model.

To be a vibrant hub where art sparks imagination and inspires possibility.

To connect people through creative exploration and lifelong learning while contributing to the vitality of our community.

Belonging and Engagement

We foster inclusive spaces, invite diverse voices, and cultivate authentic connections that inspire shared ownership, active participation, and lasting community bonds.

Collaboration and Partnership

We forge transformative relationships, share knowledge, and work across sectors to amplify impact, expand reach, and achieve collective success.

Innovation and Experimentation

We challenge assumptions, explore various perspectives, and test new ideas to create experiences that are bold, unconventional, and thought-provoking.

Integrity and Accountability

We act with honesty, transparency, and responsibility, caring for our resources and relationships in ways that build trust and uphold our standards

Joy and Wonder

We delight in curiosity, embrace the unexpected, and create experiences that surprise, inspire, and fill people with a sense of awe and discovery.

The origins of the Racine Art Museum date back to 1938, when Jennie E. Wustum donated her home, its surrounding 12.8 acres, and a trust fund to the City of Racine in memory of her husband, Charles A. Wustum. Her vision was to establish an art museum and park that would benefit future generations. By 1941, her gift had formally become the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, operated by the Racine Art Association, which later changed its name to Racine Art Museum Association (RAMA).

In 1943, the new museum received a major gift of Depression-era artworks from the Works Progress Administration, including prints, paintings, drawings, and textiles by Wisconsin and New York City artists. In 1966, it added a wing for studio art classes and organized the first Watercolor Wisconsin, a statewide watercolor competition that continues to this day. The museum began building its contemporary craft collection in the 1970s, thanks to ongoing donations from longtime patron Karen Johnson Boyd, an American Craft Council trustee and owner of Perimeter Gallery in Chicago.

By the 1990s, Wustum had outgrown its space, and RAMA launched a plan to establish a second campus in downtown Racine. The Marshall & Ilsley Bank of Racine offered the museum its former site at Fifth and Main Streets, and in 2003, with the help of a major leadership gift from the SC Johnson Fund and corporate and private donors like Karen Johnson Boyd, the new Racine Art Museum opened its doors. Designed by the award-winning Chicago architectural firm Brininstool + Lynch, the 46,000-square-foot facility features exhibition galleries, an art library, a sculpture courtyard, a museum store, and collections storage space. Its distinctive exterior, clad in translucent acrylic panels, shines by day and glows at night, making it an architectural landmark in Racine’s revitalized downtown area.

RAM was led by Bruce W. Pepich for 43 years, during which time it became one of the nation’s foremost contemporary craft museums. Now, under the leadership of Executive Director Robb Woulfe, we plan to build on that legacy while also deepening our connection to place with a broad spectrum of artists whose work reflects and engages with our diverse community.