The Rahr-West Art Museum is a City of Manitowoc facility that preserves and enhances its collections and historic mansion. The museum's purpose is to engage the dynamic learning opportunities in the visual arts, and enrich life in the area by serving as a cultural resource.

The museum combines a visitor friendly atmosphere with a beautifully constructed late 19th century Victorian mansion and extends to a 20th century art exhibition wing added by Ruth and John West, who were prominent figures of the shipbuilding industry as owners of Manitowoc Company. Works in the museum collection include such notables as Picasso, a Georgia O'Keeffe, Andy Warhol; or even Mary Cassatt. Visitors can see a replica of a Sputnik fragment, which mysteriously fell through the atmosphere to earth and landed in Manitowoc just outside the museum.

Museum exhibitions rotate approximately eight times per year, offering local, regional and nationally recognized art organized from the museum collections or from other collections.