RACINE - As Johnny Depp brings John Dillinger to life in local theaters in the film "Public Enemies," the Racine Art Museum is hosting its own telling of the legendary gangster's story. "The Scene of the Crime: Warrington Colescott Depicts Dillinger," an exhibit on display at the RAM, features prints based on Dillinger's exploits, created by Colescott.

The RAM is an especially appropriate venue for such an exhibit, as Dillinger once stood inside the building that now houses the art museum. On Nov. 20, 1933, the depression-era outlaw robbed the bank that then occupied the building at 441 Main St.

For added interest, "The Scene of the Crime" is displayed in a space adjacent to one of the bank's original vaults, which is still intact inside the RAM and rarely seen by the public. The Colescott exhibit will be on display there through Sept. 6.

Colescott is a Wisconsin-based print-maker whose work is internationally recognized. A California native, he was a professor of art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1949 to 1986. Known for his complex print making techniques and innovative approach to intaglio printing, Colescott has work in the permanent collections of museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art, Milwaukee Art Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and the Tate Modern, just to name a few.

Colescott's etchings of Dillinger's exploits were created in the 1960s, based on stories he'd heard about the gangster. Those being shown in the RAM exhibition are part of an extensive collection of his work held by the Racine museum. For more information, go to:

http://www.ramart.org