During one of our recent museum trips, we visited the Racine Art Museum. The museum’s latest exhibit is called New, Novel and Never Shown Before 2008: Recent Gifts to the Collection. The exhibit is on display through August 10.

The Racine Art Museum added nearly 500 works to its collection during the past two years. The Museum celebrates donations each year by curating an exhibit featuring recent acquisitions.

We saw a lot of different kinds of art during our visit. Some were bizarre, and some were funny. Museum staff placed works in the exhibition in thematic groupings. When you visit, try to identify these themes.

One of the themes that I found interesting was artwork based on drinking tea and coffee. It included a teapot, a photograph of a café, and Robert Arneson’s ceramic work, sinking Cup-a-coffee. I really liked this piece because a teacup was rising or disappearing while I was looking at it. I found myself making up a story about how this was happening.

The Racine Art Museum is full of unusual and interesting things to see. Many of the pieces we saw captured our imagination. There were strange shapes, and beautiful and matching wonderful colors. It’s really amazing to see the different ways artists work.

I also think it’s cool that people actually donate these interesting and valuable pieces of art. These recent gifts include a heavy concentration in ceramics and fibers, strengthening two areas in which the museum is becoming internationally known.