Each day thousands pass the classic old buildings that sit unused or under-used on the streets of Uptown Racine. Most of the buildings feature airy retail/work space on the first floor and loft apartments above. With some care and attention, they offer perfect work/live opportunities for artists. These are the building blocks of the new Uptown Racine Arts District. Many are for sale, or will be soon. And Racine wants to help artists buy and rehab them through its innovative Artists Relocation Program.

Racine is a great place for art. It's a great place to make art, sell art, buy art, be in the arts, and just enjoy art. For a city its size, Racine has an incredible array of arts groups, galleries, schools, museums, working artists, and art fairs. The Uptown Racine Arts District will be a natural and welcome addition to this already lively scene. READ MORE

ARTISTS IN UPTOWN: ALIVE, WELL & BUILDING COMMUNITY IN SIXTEENTH STREET STUDIOS

You don't have to look far to see artists already hard at work in the Uptown Racine Arts District.  Just one block south of Washington Avenue, you will find a thriving community of artists in a multi-tenant business incubator.

The Racine Business Center is home to creative arts professionals of every stripe - from sculptors and painters to jewelers - who make up almost one-third of the nearly 75 tenants. In its recent report on Racine, Artspace Projects, Inc., a Minneapolis arts and development consulting firm, exclaims, "This building is another amazing resource for individual artists in a community of Racine's size, pointing to its deserved reputation as being a Midwestern hotbed for the arts." www.racinebusinesscenter.com

The appeal for artists of the 600,000 square foot amalgam of buildings, some dating to the Civil War era, is no mystery to Arthur Montgomery, Vice President-Facilities for Racine Industries, Inc., the Business Center's owner. He calls your attention to the aged and beautiful wood floors, brick walls, high ceilings, and natural light that pours in through large windows.

"(They love) how the space looks and feels; love the idea of being in one location and being a community. They love the building," says Montgomery. READ MORE

CALL TO ALL ARTISTS: COME TO RACINE.
CREATE ART.

Racine is on a mission to create a vibrant arts district in its historic Uptown neighborhood that will expand the city's reputation as a destination for collectors and art tourists. And the city is offering a helping hand to artists who want to move here, check out the properties that are available. Click here

Racine, Wisconsin, is a classic Midwestern city with a diverse population of 80,000 people that value family, hard work, education, the arts, and the Green Bay Packers, although not necessarily in that order. Racine is located in the southeast corner of the state on the pristine shores of Lake Michigan. Ninety minutes to the south is Chicago. Thirty minutes to the north is Milwaukee. And ten minutes to the west is postcard-perfect farmland, quaint little towns and dozens of small recreational lakes that make up Racine County. READ MORE

In the 1930s, architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the new corporate offices and research buildings for the Johnson Wax Company (now named S.C. Johnson). These were the first of several magnificent buildings and homes Wright designed in the Racine community. All of Wright's structures remain lovingly cared for and visiting Racine to see and tour them has become a pilgrimage for his many fans. READ MORE