Racine Art Museum exhibition showcases photography from artists of color

Racine, WI  October 8, 2024

A new exhibition that celebrates photography from artists of color opens at the end of this month at the Racine Art Museum (RAM). Beginning on Wednesday, October 30, visitors to the museum in downtown Racine can experience RAM Showcase: Storytellers—Narrative Photography from Artists of Color and view photographs from both contemporary artists and those working throughout the past decades.

Photography can be used to record or construct narratives about people, places, and things. Its history is built on the layered relationship between the photographer and the subject. Regardless of the subject matter, all photographs are influenced by choices filtered through the camera and at least one human who dictates numerous factors directly affecting the outcome. Considering this, viewers might wonder about the intent of the photograph—who took it and why? Images can be appreciated without knowing these details. However, the viewer’s understanding of what is being depicted and the story being told may change based on the knowledge.

The artists whose works are included in this exhibition harness the storytelling power of photographic imagery. They address social, cultural, and personal issues, including identity, the environment, community, history, and the everyday. As artists of color, their conversations are charged with the subtext of race and heritage, even if these issues are not directly addressed in their work. RAM Showcase: Storytellers, with all artwork drawn from RAM’s collections, spotlights artists of color who use photography to tell their stories in their voices, and coincide with other exhibitions that celebrate and support voices of color via photographic imagery.

RAM Director of Exhibitions Lena Vigna states she is happy to continue showcasing photography at the museum, especially since photographs play such a large role in the organization’s history.

“This exhibition reflects RAM’s extensive works on paper collection and long-term support of photography,” says Vigna. “It was one of the first media welcomed into the collection—with over 40 photographs among the initial artwork gifts in 1943. Photographs are regularly featured in numerous exhibitions, including Wisconsin Photography—a juried competition for artists from the state that is held regularly at RAM’s Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts (Wustum). In fact, three of the photographs featured in RAM Showcase: Storytellers are acquisitions from past Wisconsin Photography exhibitions.”

Wisconsin Photography 2024 is currently on display at Wustum through November 23, 2024. Multiple artists featured in past Wisconsin Photography exhibitions also have work present in RAM Showcase: Storytellers, including René Amado, a Racine-based photographer also featured in the RAM Windows on Fifth Gallery exhibition, Low: René Amado. Milwaukee-based artist Nicole Acosta has a series of portraits on display in Nicole Acosta: HOOPS—Beyond the Aesthetic Lies the Story, a solo exhibition at Wustum presented concurrently with Wisconsin Photography 2024.

Owing to the award of a United Way Equity Innovation Fund grant, RAM has organized three different exhibitions and multiple community outreach programs throughout 2024 that feature Mexican American artists Nicole Acosta and René Amado. Both artists use their work to address cultural identity—often centering a multidisciplinary approach that highlights their perspectives as artists of color and offers a dynamic platform to examine and reframe personal, social, and cultural issues.

Lena Vigna believes that programs like these are vital to the community because they spotlight significant voices of color and encourage all to learn more about and explore the world of contemporary craft and photography.

“Acosta and Amado speak to their heritage while adding to the dynamism of the contemporary art landscape and offering perspectives that can potentially engage those not otherwise inclined to visit contemporary art museums. Additionally, these two regional artists reflect the strength of creativity in the area. With RAM Showcase: Storytellers in particular, the work of Acosta and Amado is presented alongside established international photographers—with distinctive perspectives, all of the artists offer individual stories, yet nuanced and varied meaning can be derived from juxtapositions within the exhibition.”

RAM Showcase: Storytellers is on display through February 22, 2025. Further information about this exhibition can be found on RAM’s website, ramart.org.

Exhibitions at Racine Art Museum are made possible by: Platinum Sponsors—The Estate of Karen Johnson Boyd, David Charak, Judith and David Flegel Fund, Ron and Judith Isaacs, Racine Community Foundation, Barbara Waldman, Windgate Foundation, United Way of Racine County; Diamond Sponsors—Ruffo Family Foundation, Ruth Foundation for the Arts; Gold Sponsors—Anonymous, Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation, Reliance Controls Community Fund, Trio Foundation of St. Louis, W.T. Walker Group, Inc., Wisconsin Arts Board; Silver Sponsors—Anonymous, Baird, Beta Diagnostic Labs, A.C. Buhler Family, Ben and Dawn Flegel, Friends of Fiber Art, International, Sharon and Tom Harty, Horizon Retail Construction, Inc., Johnson Financial Group, Dorothy MacVicar, Jan Serr and John Shannon; Bronze Sponsors—Dave’s Wine Garage, Educators Credit Union, Express Employment Professionals, Lucy G. Feller, Hitter’s Baseball, Bill and Debbie Keland, Susan Manalli, Norbell Foundation, JoAnna Poehlman, Rasmussen Diamonds, Twin Disc; Media Sponsor—Radio Milwaukee

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.