The Mission

To showcase the diversity and vitality of the Racine/Kenosha visual arts community by supporting the professional development of its artists.

The Goal

To distinguish the region as a place that values the arts, and enhance the area’s desirability as a place for artists to work and live.

2024 Jurors

Photography: Courtesy of the Artist

A Milwaukee Bronzeville native, Mutòpe J. Johnson has been deeply involved in the visual arts, while simultaneously producing art in the interest of the African Diaspora, African American History, and the preservation of culturally relevant built environments. Johnson currently serves as Director of Creative Engagement and Partnerships for Bronzeville Center for the Arts, where he helps shape the organization as an artist and cultural leader. A nationally recognized figurative painter, Johnson’s body of work elevates historical traces of African American individuals and culture through imagination, archival research, and creative storytelling. He is also a former arts educator at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater in the arts + communications department.

Johnson has been commissioned by corporations, private collectors, and museums, and has exhibited his work extensively throughout the country.

Photography: Vaughn Larson

Nirmal Raja is an interdisciplinary artist living and working in Milwaukee, She had lived in India, South Korea, and Hong Kong before immigrating to the United States thirty years ago. She holds a BA in English Literature from St. Francis College in Hyderabad, India; a BFA from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She has participated in solo and group shows in the Midwest, nationally, and internationally. She is the recipient of several awards including “Graduate of The Decade” from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Raja received the Mary L. Nohl Fellowship for individual artists for the year 2020 and the Mildred L. Harpole Artist of the Year 2022 award from the Milwaukee Arts Board. She is currently an artist-in-residence at the 2023 John Michael Kohler Arts Center Arts/Industry Residency Program. She collaborates with other artists and strongly believes in investing energy into her immediate community while also considering the global. She is a mentor for the Milwaukee Artists Resource Network and periodically curates exhibitions that bring people from different cultures and backgrounds together.

Photography: Camela Langendorf, Varitay Studios

Lena Vigna is currently Director of Exhibitions at the Racine Art Museum, where she curates and oversees the production and implementation of 10-15 exhibitions per year and heads the department. Vigna has a particular interest in the contemporary fields of adornment, sculpture, fiber, and installation.