January 20

Talk

12PM – 1:30PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, JACK AND LAVON BROSSEAU CENTER FOR LEARNING, 318

Artists are invited to apply for Rocket Grants and attend an informal and candid discussion with Rocket Grants Program Coordinator Julia Cole, 2018 juror Shannon Criss, and 2018 award recipient John Sebelius. Julia discusses the application process, budget tips, and the types of projects the program funds; Shannon shares insights into the jurying process; and John shares his experience developing an application, presenting to the jury, and implementing the award. All three speakers look forward to answering your burning questions. Light refreshments provided and free parking on Mississippi St and directly behind the Museum. Rocket Grants provide direct support for innovative, artist-driven projects in surprising places. The application period is open Monday, January 14 through Monday, March 11, 2019. Funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the program awards grants of up to $6,000 to individuals or collaborative groups working across all disciplines and media. Learn more at http://rocketgrants.org/.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, Charlotte Street Foundation

January 24

Talk

7PM – 8:30PM
LIBERTY HALL, 644 MASSACHUSETTS ST

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and a leading voice for the human rights of immigrants, Jose Antonio Vargas shares his own story and the struggles of countless other undocumented immigrants in America to explore one of the most divisive questions facing our country today: how do you define “American”? Vargas is a founder and chief executive officer of Define American, the nation’s leading nonprofit media organization that fights injustice and anti-immigrant hate through the power of storytelling. A book-signing for his new memoir "Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen" (HarperCollins, 2018) follows the program. Reserve free tickets at www.thecommons.ku.edu. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: The Commons

January 26

Activity

1PM – 3:30PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, LARRY AND BARBARA MARSHALL FAMILY BALCONY, 404

The Art Cart is a drop-in activity station where children and grown-ups enjoy hands-on art projects together, taking inspiration from original works of art on view. Explore various types of still life prints and drawings and create your own. Staff members from KU’s Natural History Museum will bring specimens to add to a still life display. The Art Cart is supported by: Midco

Sponsored By: Natural History Museum, Spencer Museum of Art

January 27

Talk

2PM – 3PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, 20/21 GALLERY, 405

Slow down at the Spencer on the last Sunday of each month and spend time getting to know one great work of art. Slow Art Sunday features one work for visitors to contemplate and converse about with Museum staff. For January, get to know "July" by Fairfield Porter. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

January 29

Talk

3:30PM – 4:30PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, JOHN AND LINDA STEWART GALLERY, 406

This program is primarily geared towards new, mid-year students, but the University community is welcome to join us and explore ideas about art and exile in the 2018-19 KU Common Book "Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work" by Edwidge Danticat and through the KU Common Work of Art "Marie Laveau" by Ulrick Jean-Pierre. The program is designed for those students and faculty who were not able to participate in fall discussions and for those who want to carry-on the conversations that began in the fall. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Office of First-Year Experience

February 05

Performance

7PM – 8:30PM
LIBERTY HALL, 644 MASSACHUSETTS ST

Co-editors of the anthology "Halal If You Hear Me" Fatimah Asghar and Safi Elhillo present a poetry reading in two acts. Asghar’s debut collection of poems is "If They Come For Us" (2018) and she writes for Brown Girls, an Emmy-nominated web series. Elhillo is the author of "The January Children" (2017), a Pushcart Prize nominee, and a recipient of the 2015 Brunel International African Poetry Prize and the 2016 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets. Reserve free tickets at www.thecommons.ku.edu. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: The Commons, The Raven Book Store, Office of First Year Experience, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, Office of Research, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Office of the Provost

February 08

Class

2PM – 3:45PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART

University in the Art Museum introduces graduate students to the many opportunities for object-based teaching, learning and research through collaborative partnerships with the Spencer Museum of Art. The spring 2019 University in the Art Museum: Technology and Collaboration will include discussions led by graduate students based on their own experiences with classes in the museum. To RSVP to this event please follow this link: https://spencerart.ku.edu/uam.

February 15

Talk

4PM – 5:30PM
THE COMMONS, SPOONER HALL, 1340 JAYHAWK BLVD

Red Hot Research brings together scholars from different disciplines to deliver six-minute flash presentations about their research. Audience members are encouraged to connect with the speakers and one other during breaks.

Sponsored By: The Commons

February 20

Activity

4PM – 5PM
LAWRENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY, 707 VERMONT ST

Explore themes of magic in the book A Tangle of Knots and create artwork inspired by optical illustions and magic as part of the Read Across Lawrence series. Designed for kids age 7–11.

Sponsored By: Lawrence Public Library, Spencer Museum of Art

February 21

Talk

10:30AM – 12PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, SAM AND CONNIE PERKINS CENTRAL COURT, 317

Moderated by Curator Susan Earle, these are the first two in a series of dialogues with artists featured in the exhibition "The Power of Place: KU Alumni Artists." The first dialogue takes place from 10:30 to noon. The second dialogue takes place from 1:30 to 3:00. Join us for the third dialogue on Wednesday, March 27 at 5:30PM. Check back for participating artists and other details. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

February 22

Class

2PM – 4PM
309 AUDITORIUM, SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, SAM AND CONNIE PERKINS CENTRAL COURT, 317

All students are invited to explore how any major can lead to a career in a cultural organization. A panel of museum professionals will share their personal experiences, followed by a networking reception and behind-the-scenes tours of KU’s museums. This year’s panelists include Jancita Warrington (Haskell Cultural Center and Museum), Jade Powers (Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art), and Karen Griffin (American Jazz Museum). Advance registration through the Museum’s website is required by February 15th, 2019. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate. To RSVP to this event please follow this link: https://spencerart.ku.edu/career-closeups.

February 23

Activity

1PM – 3:30PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, JOHN AND LINDA STEWART GALLERY, 406

The Art Cart is a drop-in activity station where children and grown-ups enjoy hands-on art projects together, taking inspiration from original works of art on view. Learn about traditional Australian Aboriginal bark painting and the belief of “Dreamtime,” then paint your own story with symbols and dots. The Art Cart is supported by Midco.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

February 24

Talk

2PM – 3PM

Slow down at the Spencer on the last Sunday of each month and spend time getting to know one great work of art. Slow Art Sunday features one work for visitors to contemplate and converse about with Museum staff. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

February 28

Talk

5:30PM – 6:45PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART

Join staff from the Lawrence Public Library and Spencer Museum to explore ideas in this year’s Read Across Lawrence book, "Sourdough" by Robin Sloan, through works of art on view in the galleries, then continue the conversation over complimentary soup and sourdough. Call 785.864.0126 or email aduke@ku.edu to RSVP or request an alternate date to bring your own book club. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Lawrence Public Library, Spencer Museum of Art

March 01

Talk

4PM – 5:30PM
THE COMMONS, SPOONER HALL, 1340 JAYHAWK BLVD

Red Hot Research brings together graduate researchers from different disciplines, speaking for six minutes each. Audience members are encouraged to connect with the speakers and one other during breaks.

Sponsored By: The Commons

March 02

Class

10:30AM – 12:30PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, RECEPTION ROOM, 307

Are you an artist applying for a Rocket Grant? Get your questions answered at a free one-on-one coaching session with Program Coordinator Julia Cole. Come prepared with your application materials on a laptop, tablet, or jump drive, and your written materials typed in a text-based program. Reserve a 30-minute timeslot between 10:30 and 12:30 by emailing rocketgrants@charlottestreet.org. For details on Rocket Grants, visit www.rocketgrants.org.

Sponsored By: Charlotte Street Foundation, Spencer Museum of Art

March 02

Talk

2PM – 3PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, KEMPER FAMILY FOUNDATIONS BALCONY, 408

Get to know the history of the Eric Gustav Carlson WWI Collection and explore the surprising selection of works concerning camouflage with Curator Steve Goddard. Up Close gallery talks reveal the personal stories behind exhibitions. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

March 03

Performance

3PM – 5PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, SAM AND CONNIE PERKINS CENTRAL COURT, 317

Liszt-o-mania returns to the Spencer Museum with a talk about the art of piano arrangement by preeminent Franz Liszt scholar Alan Walker, and KU’s own Steven Spooner performing Liszt’s Bel Canto paraphrases and more on a piano custom-made in 1885-86 for the great master himself. Seating for this free program is first come, first served. RSVPs are requested for planning purposes. Call 785-864-4710 or email fam@ku.edu to RSVP. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

March 05

Performance

7PM – 8:30PM
LIBERTY HALL, 644 MASSACHUSETTS ST

Hieu Minh Nguyen is the author of "This Way to the Sugar" (2014), a finalist for both the Minnesota Book Award and the Lambda Literary Award. A queer Vietnamese-American poet, Nguyen is a Kundiman fellow and a poetry editor for Muzzle Magazine. Reserve free tickets at www.thecommons.ku.edu. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: The Commons, Raven Book Store, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, Office of Research, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Office of the Provost

March 14

Talk

10:15AM – 11:15AM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, LARRY AND BARBARA MARSHALL FAMILY BALCONY, 404

Neal Long, DMA candidate in vocal performance and Spencer Museum tour coordinator, illuminates the art of World War I on view with a recital of wartime songs. Senior Sessions are designed for senior citizens but open to everyone. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

March 20

Performance

12PM – 1PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, SAM AND CONNIE PERKINS CENTRAL COURT, 317

Susan Goldenberg, a violinist with the Kansas City Symphony, and William Goldenberg, distinguished professor of piano at Northern Illinois University, perform a selection of music from around the world to complement current exhibitions, including works by Jean Loeillet, Antonin Dvorak, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, and Leonard Bernstein. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Kansas City Symphony Community Connections Initiative (CCI), Spencer Museum of Art

March 22

Talk

4PM – 5:30PM
THE COMMONS, SPOONER HALL, 1340 JAYHAWK BLVD

Red Hot Research brings together scholars from different disciplines to deliver six-minute flash presentations about their research. Audience members are encouraged to connect with the speakers and one other during breaks.

Sponsored By: The Commons, Office of Research

March 23

Activity

1PM – 3:30PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, SAM AND CONNIE PERKINS CENTRAL COURT, 317

The Art Cart is a drop-in activity station where children and grown-ups enjoy hands-on art projects together, taking inspiration from original works of art on view. Learn about artist Edgar Heap of Birds, and create a puzzle-like mixed media artwork with decorative paper that connects environmental and human elements in our world. The Art Cart is supported by Midco.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

March 27

Talk

5:30PM – 7PM
317, SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, SAM AND CONNIE PERKINS CENTRAL COURT, 317

Moderated by Curator Susan Earle and Art History Professor and Department Chair David Cateforis, this is the third in a series of dialogues with artists featured in the exhibiton "The Power of Place: KU Alumni Artists." This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Kress Foundation Department of Art History

March 28

Talk

10:15AM – 11:15AM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, SAM AND CONNIE PERKINS CENTRAL COURT, 317

Portrayals of place can provoke emotions, personal stories, forgotten histories, and more. How have numerous important artists who earned degrees at the University of Kansas thought about the power of place? Join Curator Susan Earle for a look at works that answer this question in a major exhibition on view. Senior Sessions are designed for senior citizens but open to everyone. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

March 31

Talk

2PM – 3PM

Slow down at the Spencer on the last Sunday of each month and spend time getting to know one great work of art. Slow Art Sunday features one work for visitors to contemplate and converse about with Museum staff. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

April 05

Talk

4PM – 5:30PM
THE COMMONS, SPOONER HALL, 1340 JAYHAWK BLVD

Red Hot Research brings together graduate researchers from different disciplines, speaking for six minutes each. Audience members are encouraged to connect with the speakers and one other during breaks.

Sponsored By: The Commons, Office of Research

April 06

Activity

12PM – 9PM
LIED CENTER OF KANSAS, 1600 STEWART DR

Celebrate Native American culture and enjoy children’s activities, food and craft vendors, presentations, workshops, and demonstrations led by Indigenous artists, scholars, and craftspeople, including Navajo muralist Steven Grounds and Seminole-Muskogee filmmaker Sterlin Harjo. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: First Nations Student Association, Lied Center of Kansas, Haskell Cultural Center and Museum, Spencer Museum of Art, Office of Multicultural Affairs, KU Native Faculty-Staff Council, KU Film and Media Studies, KU Indigenous Studies

April 07

Talk

2PM – 3PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, LARRY AND BARBARA MARSHALL FAMILY BALCONY, 404

What does a collection of photographs used in Esquire magazine tell us about the political, racial, and cultural climate at a particular moment in American history? Join Curator Kate Meyer for a fresh look at selections from the Esquire collection. Up Close gallery talks reveal the personal stories behind exhibitions. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

April 11

Talk

10:15AM – 11:15AM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, SAMUEL H. KRESS FOUNDATION GALLERY, 407

Curator of Asian and Global Contemporary Art Kris Ercums discusses the recent acquisition Zen Temple of Techno by Chinese artist Du Kun. This painting is part of a series that portrays contemporary musicians as embodiments of East Asian religious temples and grottos. Senior Sessions are designed for senior citizens but open to everyone. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

April 17

Social

6PM – 8PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, RM 320, FLEX SPACE, SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, GALLERY 317, SAM AND CONNIE PERKINS CENTRAL COURT

This event, planned for and by KU students, celebrates the opening of the 2019 Student Juried Art Show. Enjoy an evening of art, music, refreshments, and good times with friends. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Student Advisory Board, Spencer Museum of Art

April 19

Talk

4PM – 5:30PM
THE COMMONS, SPOONER HALL, 1340 JAYHAWK BLVD

Red Hot Research brings together scholars from different disciplines to deliver six-minute flash presentations about their research. Audience members are encouraged to connect with the speakers and one other during breaks.

Sponsored By: The Commons, Office of Research

April 25

Talk

10:15AM – 11:15AM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, JOHN AND LINDA STEWART GALLERY, 406

Join museum educator Rachel Straughn-Navarro for a discussion of a bust of a woman in the Spencer’s collection, focusing on its original context and what it can tell us about funerary practices in ancient Palmyra (present-day Syria). This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

April 25

Performance

6PM – 7PM
317

Inhabiting the exhibition "The Power of Place: KU Alumni Artists", choreographer and KU alumna Cathy Patterson and members of her Point B Dance Company present an evening of dance, including the premiere of a new piece, that opens new ways of sensing place. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

April 27

Activity

1PM – 4PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART

Explore creative processes in different disciplines and awaken your creative side. This community event includes performances, demonstrations, and hands-on activities that celebrate creativity. Free and fun for all ages. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

April 28

Talk

2PM – 3PM

Slow down at the Spencer on the last Sunday of each month and spend time getting to know one great work of art. Slow Art Sunday features one work for visitors to contemplate and converse about with Museum staff. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

May 09

Talk

10:15AM – 11:15AM
318

Join Curatorial Intern Katelyn Trammell to discover the history of the Spencer Museum's 8,000 works of global indigenous art through the lens of a collection of dolls. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

May 18

Activity

1PM – 3:30PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, LESTER "DUSTY" LOO GALLERY, 401

The Art Cart is a drop-in activity station where children and grown-ups enjoy hands-on art projects together, taking inspiration from original works of art on view. Celebrate International Museum Day with staff from the Spencer and KU Natural History Museum by learning about a 16th-century ceramic platter from France that is covered with plants and reptiles cast from real critters. Then create your own platter from clay. The Art Cart is supported by Midco.

Sponsored By: Natural History Museum, Spencer Museum of Art

May 23

Talk

10:15AM – 11:15AM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, KEMPER FAMILY FOUNDATIONS BALCONY, 408

Join curator Kate Meyer for a discussion about the Spencer's extensive collection of art used in Esquire magazine, and the ways this archive reveals intriguing aspects of American attitudes toward race, celebrity, and history. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.

May 24

Activity

10AM – 12PM
THE PANORAMA, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, DYCHE HALL, 1345 JAYHAWK BLVD

Join Spencer staff for an Art Cart at Large in the Panorama of the KU Natural History Museum during their Discovery Day.

Sponsored By: Natural History Museum, Spencer Museum of Art

June 09

Talk

2PM – 3PM
SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART, SAM AND CONNIE PERKINS CENTRAL COURT, 317

Experience the exhibition “The Power of Place: KU Alumni Artists” through the eyes of curator Susan Earle and explore how place powers artists' imaginations. Up Close gallery talks reveal the personal stories behind exhibitions. This is a qualifying program for students pursuing an Arts Engagement certificate.