Current Exhibits

ON LOAN FROM ART BRIDGES

June 7 - September 13, 2020
This summer, two contemporary art works will be on loan from the organization Art Bridges: Terry Adkins’ Native Son (Circus) and Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ Untitled (L.A.). Art Bridges’ mission is to share outstanding works of American Art with those that have limited access to our country’s most meaningful works. This mission is achieved by partnering with institutions of all sizes on projects that deeply engage communities.

Ron StokesRON STOKES: RETROSPECTIVE

June 7 - August 9, 2020
Join us for an exhibition of the works of Ron Stokes. An avid watercolor artist, he also liked to experiment in various other mediums. Ron was a lifelong art educator, with more than 30 years with the Manitowoc Public School District.

Check back soon for information regarding a reception for this exhibit.

WHAT THEY WERE WEARING

 A collaboration with InCourage

June 7 - August 9, 2020

An exhibit developed by InCourage and being exhibited at the Rahr-West Art Museum explores the stigma associated with victims of sexual assault attached to clothing. The exhibit What They Were Wearing will be on display at the Rahr-West Art Museum from June 7 through August 9, 2020.

In the United States, one in three women and one in six men have experienced some sort of contact sexual violence in their lives, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, and none of them were asking for it. Despite that, a common refrain when talking to victims of sexual assault is to ask, “What were you wearing?” The implication being that what one is wearing could in any way invite a sexual assault. The real question people are asking, “were you asking for it?”

This installation is designed to show that sexual assault and rape do not discriminate based on what a person is wearing by presenting the outfits worn by victims when they were assaulted. Sexual assault and rape are about power and control, and that knows no age, no sex, no race, religion, or clothing style. The clothes in this exhibit are representative of what actual, Manitowoc County victims were wearing during their sexual assault. The victims were willing to share this incredibly personal information with InCourage and the Museum to demonstrate to the people of Manitowoc County that what they were wearing does not matter.