Racine Art Museum

What Racine Art Museum does

Racine Art Museum (RAM) is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit art museum operating two campuses in Racine: the main RAM at 441 Main Street and RAM's Wustum Museum at 2519 Northwestern Avenue. The institution traces its origins to the Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, opened in 1941 with a foundational collection of more than 260 Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project works; in 1990 it formalized a collecting focus on contemporary craft and has since built a permanent collection of more than 14,000 works, of which over 9,000 are contemporary craft pieces spanning ceramics, glass, fiber, wood, metal, polymer, and found media. Exhibitions rotate two to three times per year and are drawn almost exclusively from the permanent collection, with deliberate curatorial emphasis on women artists (41% of the collection) and artists of color.

RAM's core products and services are its rotating exhibitions, a year-round schedule of 20–25 community events, spring and summer art classes and one-day workshops at Wustum Museum, the online and physical museum store (racineartmuseumstore.org), and artist fellowship and exhibition programs. The museum has extended its brand through a 2024 partnership with ArtRoot to curate Hotel Verdant's permanent art collection of 23 Racine and Kenosha-area artists, and in 2026 joined the Handwork 2026 national coalition of more than 250 arts organizations.

The business model is a multi-stream nonprofit operation. Revenue is generated from museum memberships (subscription/recurring), art classes and workshops (professional services), museum-store retail (physical and online), exhibition admission, and donations and sponsorships. Both campuses are open Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Leadership is headed by Executive Director and Curator of Collections Bruce W. Pepich, with the institution governed by a board and supported by 11–50 employees; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Racine Art Museum

Legal name

Racine Art Museum

Website

https://ramart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Racine Art Museum is a Wisconsin nonprofit operating two Racine campuses that present rotating contemporary craft exhibitions from a 14,000+ work permanent collection and offer art classes, workshops, community events, a museum store, and artist fellowships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum / Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Art Dealers (459920)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Contemporary craft museum
• Art exhibitions
• Museum education programs
• Cultural arts institution
• Visual arts collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Racine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Memberships: RAM offers membership programs allowing individuals to support the museum and receive benefits such as free admission, special event access, and discounts at the museum store.
2. Art Classes and Workshops: Spring and summer art classes and one-day workshops for adults and children offered at RAM's Wustum Museum, providing educational programming revenue.
3. Museum Store: RAM operates both a physical museum store and an online store (racineartmuseumstore.org) selling art-related products and gifts.
4. Admission Fees: Revenue generated from visitor admission to exhibitions at both RAM and Wustum Museum campuses.
5. Donations and Sponsorships: The museum relies on charitable contributions, donations, and sponsorship partnerships to support operations and acquisitions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Racine Art Museum (RAM) operates a contemporary craft and visual arts museum with two campuses in Racine, Wisconsin. It presents rotating exhibitions drawn from a collection of more than 14,000 works, offers art classes and workshops for adults and children, runs community events, sells merchandise through a museum store, and provides artist fellowships. The museum also curates off-site permanent art collections for partner organizations.

Product overview

The Racine Art Museum (RAM) is an art museum dedicated to contemporary craft and modern works on paper. The museum operates as a unified institution with two campuses: the main RAM museum and RAM's Wustum Museum. RAM's core offerings include rotating exhibitions drawn from its collection of over 14,000 works spanning ceramics, glass, fiber, wood, metal, polymer, jewelry, and works on paper. Educational programming includes art classes and workshops at Wustum, while special initiatives highlight diverse voices through dedicated portfolios for Women Artists at RAM and Artists of Color at RAM. The museum also partners with Hotel Verdant to curate a permanent art collection. RAM operates Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and typically offers 20-25 events throughout the year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RAM Main Museum Exhibitions
• RAM's Wustum Museum Campus
• Spring and Summer Art Classes
• RAM Museum Store
• Hotel Verdant Permanent Art Collection Curation
• RAM Events Program
• RAM Museum Memberships

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 9,000 contemporary craft works collected since 1990, establishing one of North America's most significant collections
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ArtRootcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAM and ArtRoot partnered to curate a permanent art collection for Hotel Verdant in downtown Racine, Wisconsin. The collection comprises original artwork by 23 Racine and Kenosha area artists displayed throughout the hotel including lobby, elevator lobbies, presidential suite, and rooftop bar. Ten represented artists are past recipients of a RAM Artist Fellowship Award.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Renwick Gallery (Smithsonian American Art Museum): DC-based Smithsonian gallery dedicated to American craft and decorative arts. Comparable to RAM's contemporary craft focus but operates at a national scale within a much larger institutional framework.
• Milwaukee Art Museum: Largest art museum in Wisconsin, located ~60 miles from Racine. Comparable as a Wisconsin-based art museum serving overlapping regional audiences, but with significantly larger scope, endowment, and fine art (rather than craft) focus.

Direct peers

• Bellevue Arts Museum: Bellevue, WA museum focused on craft, design, and contemporary art with rotating exhibitions and a strong educational mission. Similar mid-sized regional museum profile to RAM with comparable programming scope.
• Museum of Arts and Design (MAD): NYC-based museum dedicated to contemporary craft, design, and art across media including ceramics, glass, fiber, and jewelry. Most direct peer to RAM as both institutions focus on contemporary craft with similar curatorial philosophy dissolving fine-art/craft boundaries.
• Mint Museum of Craft + Design: Charlotte, NC museum dedicated to craft and design as part of the larger Mint Museums. Directly comparable to RAM in contemporary craft focus and exhibition-based programming model.
• Museum of Glass: Tacoma, WA museum dedicated to glass art with hot-shop demonstrations, exhibitions, and education. Comparable to RAM as a craft-focused museum with permanent collection, exhibitions, and community programming.
• Fuller Craft Museum: Brockton, MA museum focused on contemporary craft across clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood, and mixed media. Closely matches RAM's contemporary craft focus, collection-based exhibition strategy, and educational programming.
• Houston Center for Contemporary Craft: Houston-based nonprofit advancing contemporary craft through exhibitions, artist residencies, and education. Comparable to RAM in collection-driven craft exhibitions and educational programming for working artists.
• John Michael Kohler Arts Center: Sheboygan, Wisconsin arts center preserving and presenting work by self-taught and contemporary artists, including a significant collection of artist-built environments. Operates in the same Wisconsin regional context with overlapping craft and contemporary art mission.

Regional players

• Madison Museum of Contemporary Art: Wisconsin-based contemporary art museum in Madison. Comparable geographic market to RAM with overlapping contemporary art audience, though focuses on fine art rather than craft specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLtoQV7tgwRoOEJs8UU3rJ2SAcFRii8Dvf
• Xx.com/RacineArtMuseum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Racine Art Museum