Racine Art Museum announces sizzling slate of summer events
The Racine Art Museum (RAM) and its Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts (Wustum) campus will present a packed schedule of summertime fun, inviting creatives of all ages to explore their artistic side and engage with art in meaningful ways as they participate in new opportunities and returning beloved events.
New in 2026, the Twilight Garden Series at Wustum combines cocktails, creativity, and curiosity with new engaging themes each night. Attendees can enjoy thematic cocktails and mocktails while working on their own creative projects or participating in the variety of activities provided. Additionally, Wustum staff will be offering exciting art making opportunities for shoppers at the new Racine Farmers Market in downtown Racine on May 30, June 20, and July 25.
Along with hosting sensational events and exhibitions, Wustum is also home to one of the largest museum-based studio arts programs in Wisconsin, offering dozens of weeks-long classes and one-day workshops for kids and adults each season. Throughout the summer, participants can learn a new medium or refine their skills with more than 60 unique options in ceramics, drawing, glass, fiber, jewelry, painting, paper arts, and more.
The summer event lineup at RAM and Wustum includes:
Free First Friday
Friday, June 5, 10:00 am – 8:00 pm, at RAM
Enjoy free admission, extended hours, make-and-take art activities inspired by current exhibitions, artist demonstrations, DJ-curated tunes throughout the galleries, and special sales in the RAM Museum Store.
Free event.
Master Workshop with Liandra Skenandore: Black Ash Plaited Basket
Saturday, June 6, Noon – 4:00 pm, at Wustum
Use a prepared kit of black ash splint material to create a small plaited basket. Artist Liandra Skenandore, whose work was recently featured in the Wustum exhibition RAM Showcase: Indigenous Baskets, will teach checker work weaving techniques for the basket base and diagonal plaited weaving for the walls. Then, finish the basket by tucking the uprights into the basket body.
Ticketed event.
Kids Day: Art “250”
Friday, June 12, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm, at Wustum
Families can explore exhibitions, hands-on projects, scavenger hunts, and games inside and outside the museum—all inspired by Handcrafted: RAM Community Art Show and 250 years of creativity.
Free event.
The Twilight Garden Series: Luna and Lunar
Tuesday, June 16, 6:00 – 8:30 pm, at Wustum
Inspired by the upcoming summer solstice, the inaugural Twilight Garden Series event combines lantern-lit paths, glowing moth art, and moon-inspired rituals to transform the garden into a luminous, sensory celebration of nightfall. Attendees can participate in a paid paper arts workshop with artist Laura Gillespie, or enjoy other free hands-on making opportunities.
Free event with paid drink and workshop options.
The Twilight Garden Series: Mahjong, Music, and Making
Tuesday, June 23, 6:00 – 8:30 pm, at Wustum
Experience the rhythm of art, music, and play, with wind-inspired flavors and movement weaving throughout the garden like shifting energy in the air. Craft your own mahjong tile using clay and pressed herbs, then play a game—or learn how to play—with game host and coach Amy Schaal. Music throughout the evening provided by DJ EzE.
Free event with paid drink options.
City Movie Night
Thursday, June 25, Evening, at Wustum
Bring the whole family for a special outdoor screening of Lilo & Stitch (2025). Inspired by the movie’s setting, Wustum and City of Racine Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Services are bringing the beach directly into the museum’s gardens with a variety of sandy activities, tropical mocktails, and inflatable lounge furniture.
Free event.
The Twilight Garden Series: Botanical Apothecary
Tuesday, June 30, 6:00 – 8:30 pm, at Wustum
Rooted in summer herbs and natural wonder, the Wustum gardens come alive at this event with plant-based learning. Press flowers to make special keepsakes, then join plant expert Kara Kading from Milaeger’s for a Holistic Happy Hour, where you will create a summertime cooling spray using essential oils.
Free event with paid drink options.
Free First Friday
Friday, July 3, 10:00 am – 8:00 pm, at RAM
Enjoy free admission, extended hours, make-and-take art activities inspired by current exhibitions, artist demonstrations, DJ-curated tunes throughout the galleries, and special sales in the RAM Museum Store.
Free event.
The Twilight Garden Series: Summer Refresh
Tuesday, July 14, 6:00 – 8:30 pm, at Wustum
Enjoy a self-care night in the garden exploring aura, energy, and mindful practices in a calm, restorative outdoor setting. Craft intention cards, affirmation buttons, and miniature decorated journals, then join AR Healing Arts for sound garden drumming. Live music throughout the evening performed by keyboardist Lo Glo.
Free event with paid drink options.
Shadow Puppetry Showcase Featuring Myra Su
Saturday, July 18, Noon and 2:00 pm, at RAM
Join Myra Su, an artist featured in the RAM exhibition Cut It Out: Papercutting Traditions and Beyond, for a series of immersive shadow puppetry performances and behind-the-scenes demonstrations. Both performances—at noon and 2:00 pm—last 35 minutes and are followed by a 15-minute demonstration of the artistic process.
Free event included with paid museum admission.
Community Sewing Days
Tuesday, July 21 – Friday, July 31, throughout Racine
Artist Amanda Browder invites individuals of all ages and abilities to help create a collective project that will adorn the exterior walls of RAM in the fall. No sewing experience is necessary, so everyone is welcome to drop in for a short visit or stay all day to sew, trim, pin, and chat with fellow creatives. Each Community Sewing Day is hosted at a different location in Racine; the full schedule of events is available at ramart.org.
Free events.
The Twilight Garden Series: The Golden Hour
Tuesday, July 21, 6:00 – 8:30 pm, at Wustum
A sultry escape where sunset skies, yacht rock rhythms, and chic lake-inspired creativity set the stage for a postcard-perfect summer vibe. Sketch the sunset to adorn a postcard, then create a take-home piece using pieces of lake glass. Music throughout the evening provided by DJ Summer Sunset.
Free event with paid drink options.
Groov’n in the Garden
Thursday, July 23, 6:00 – 9:00 pm, at Wustum
An outdoor cultural experience blending live music, visual arts, and community gathering in a relaxed garden setting. Presented in partnership with Mahogany Black Arts & Cultural Center, this event features soulful sounds ranging from R&B and neo-soul to funk and jazz alongside live art making and mouthwatering food truck offerings.
Ticketed event.
Full Steam Ahead
Saturday, August 8, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, at Wustum
Witness an over-the-top spectacle as more than a dozen regional artists collaborate and use a steamroller as a massive printing press. Watch gigantic prints come to life while creating make-and-take projects and enjoying lunch from local food trucks.
Free event with paid food options.
The Twilight Garden Series: Victorian Mash-Up
Tuesday, August 11, 6:00 – 8:30 pm, at Wustum
Steampunk ingenuity meets gothic romance in a whimsical world of gears, tea, and dark romance charm. Sample a variety of teas and paired baked goods with Tea Scout Troop 881, then capture your silhouette portrait using velvet paper.
Free event with paid drink options.
The Twilight Garden Series: Stillwater Studio Night
Tuesday, August 18, 6:00 – 8:30 pm, at Wustum
The Wustum gardens transform into an open-air art studio at twilight, offering a creative escape for all. Reflect on the landscape during a guided sketching experience around the calming koi pond. Live music throughout the evening performed by keyboardist Lo Glo.
Free event with paid drink options.
Master Workshop with Tanya Crane: Repetitive Patterns in Enamel
Thursday, August 20, and Friday, August 21, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, at Wustum
Learn a variety of techniques for creating patterns on enamel surfaces in this two-day workshop with Tanya Crane, an artist currently featured in the RAM exhibition Tanya Crane: Embodied Histories—Exploring the Legacy of African Jewelry. Create handmade stencils, layer store-bought stencils, make marks using the sgraffito technique, and repeat patterns with enamel ink and a quill pen.
Ticketed event.
The Twilight Garden Series: The Witching Hour
Tuesday, September 1, 6:00 – 8:30 pm, at Wustum
A spellbinding night of enchantment throughout the gardens, featuring floating candles, tarot card reading, potion (cocktail) making, and more magical activities. Music throughout the evening provided by the Witches of Wustum.
Free event with paid drink options.
The Twilight Garden Series: Embers and Echoes
Tuesday, September 8, 6:00 – 8:30 pm, at Wustum
Wind down the summer with a nostalgic, firelit evening by the campfire—where glowing embers, campfire songs, and classic fireside treats warmly welcome the arrival of fall. Craft backlit flame-inspired artwork with tissue paper and vellum, capture the constellations in a painting with ink and gold leaf, and treat yourself at the delectable S’mores Station.
Free event with paid drink options.
Following a busy summer at both RAM campuses, the museums will kick off fall with In/Between, a new 10-day visual and performing arts festival taking place throughout Racine in late September. More information about In/Between and other upcoming events will be shared at ramart.org and on RAM’s social media channels soon.
Find more press releases HERE.