Poetry & art orgs plan Dec. 5 takeover of Racine

RACINE, WI — Oct. 21, 2026 — A massive literary and visual arts takeover hits Racine on Saturday, Dec. 5, with the launch of the first-ever mid(we)st art + lit fest. The immersive, citywide extravaganza will transform local galleries, studios, and museums into hubs for ekphrastic poetry, creative workshops, and performances that promise to inspire and engage the creative impulses of writers, artists and patrons alike.

Aiming to highlight the city as a regional literary arts tourism destination, the festival will bring Wisconsin Poet Laureate Brenda Cárdenas and renowned Chicago artist Barbara Cooper, in addition to sparking collaboration between more than 60 artists and writers from throughout the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor and the larger Lake Michigan region.

Attendees can enjoy exhibits, readings, and creative activities for the whole family. Vendors will also have pop-up booths at studios, galleries, museums and other key locations throughout Racine, where they’ll find the perfect artistic and literary gifts for their creatively minded loved ones this holiday season.

“We want to showcase the incredible creative ecosystem in the Chiwaukee corridor,” said Nicholas Ravnikar, coordinator for The Poetry Movement, a nonprofit focused on literary regional infrastructure that has previously installed poems on the City of Racine’s Ryde public transportation fleet. “By pairing poets with visual artists across Racine’s iconic gallery spaces, we are turning the entire city into a canvas for a weekend.” 

The art and literature destination event has partnered with 16th Street Studios’ 30th Anniversary Open House to pair resident artists with poets, who will write poems in response to featured visual artworks. Those collaborations will be on display in the Racine Business Center studios during the open house. 

“We weren’t sure there would be an open house this year,” Joseph Vignieri said. Vignieri is lead figure model and owner of Draw Joseph Studio at the Racine Business Center. “But once I heard the idea of bringing poets together with visual artists, I knew it was exactly what we needed to celebrate 30 years of 16th Street art studios.”

Additional collaborations from other pairs of artists and writers will appear at more partner locations throughout the city. Current partners include: Arnett and Son Books, Artists Gallery, Hotel Verdant, Racine Public Library, Racine Art Museum, OS Projects Gallery, Spectrum Art Gallery, and Vintage & Modern Books. Other partner organizations include Donovan Scherer’s Studio Moonfall and Daniel Thompson’s Saint of Sixth promotions, both of Kenosha.

The totally free creative retreat unofficially kicks off Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, at 6pm with a poetry open mic at Arnett and Son Books. It continues all day on Saturday, Dec. 5. 

Wisconsin’s poet laureate Brenda Cárdenas will present workshops on writing ekphrastic poetry in response to visual art, and participants will get a chance to read their work publicly. Cárdenas is also collaborating with Chicago artist Barbara Cooper, whose work will appear at OS Projects, a contemporary art gallery in downtown Racine.

“I write ekphrastic poems because the artworks that inspire them draw me in and won’t let me go,” Cárdenas said. “They spark admiration, curiosity, critical thinking, relation. Some send me immediately into the memory of a personal experience. Sometimes the artist’s medium, perspective, or approach intrigues or astonishes me. Often, I wish I could talk with the artist, and on the occasions that I’ve been able to do so, a fruitful exchange has developed. The same has been true when artists have created works in response to my poems. It has always been a gift.”

At 7:30pm, the Hotel Verdant ballroom will host a catered reception and performance showcase late into the evening. That event is geared toward more mature audiences, and there will be a cash bar. 

An up-to-date event schedule with all venue addresses appears on the mid(we)st art + lit fest webpage: thepoetrymovement.org/midwest-lit-fest. While attendance is free, space is limited. Registration will go live for the general public on Nov. 1. 

Anyone interested should register quickly for ticketed access to the reception showcase and event activities. Advance registration at no cost is also required for the writing workshops, vendor tables, and performance slots. The festival organizers will accept proposals for additional activities through the registration page until Nov. 15. 

Registrants also gain access to discounted rates at Hotel Verdant, the exclusive hospitality provider of the event.

Current sponsors of the event include the Osborne & Scekic Family Foundation and Hotel Verdant. Businesses and organizations interested in making tax-deductible donations to help cover catering or transportation shuttle costs for the event can email info@thepoetrymovement.org to discuss branding partnerships. The Poetry Movement is fiscally sponsored by the Racine Arts Council, a federally recognized nonprofit.

About The Poetry Movement 

Founded in 2023, The Poetry Movement focuses on building the literary arts infrastructure for the Chiwaukee corridor and the Lake Michigan-adjacent region. It seeks to foster a thriving poetic economy that weaves poems into everyday life by promoting public poetry projects, establishing a network of regional poetry resources through its database, and building pipelines to publication for established and emerging poets.

The nonprofit has installed poems on the city of Racine’s RYDE public transportation fleet since 2025 and regularly releases an email magazine and video podcast through its Paper Knives publishing imprint. 

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Nicholas Ravnikar, The Poetry Movement coordinator
info@thepoetrymovement.org

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