September 24

Talk

2PM – 3PM

Experience the special exhibition Black Writing with co-curators Joey Orr (Spencer Museum of Art) and Ayesha Hardison (History of Black Writing). They will discuss how the artwork presented in the exhibition connects with History of Black Writing’s mission to preserve and archive Black storytellers.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, Department of English

September 28

5PM – 7:30PM
Spencer Museum of Art

Lowrider artist Erik Erazo speaks about connections between lowrider aesthetics and U.S. Chicanx and Mexican-American histories, and visual artist Tommy Lomeli shares the influence of lowrider aesthetics on his work. View Erazo’s featured lowrider, samples of Lomeli’s work, and Luis Jiménez’s sculpture “Howl,” on display in the Kress Gallery. Presentations will be live-streamed with overflow seating available.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, Department of American Studies -Latinx and Chicanx Studies Program, Department of Latin American Studies, and Department of Spanish and Portuguese

September 28

Talk

5:30PM – 6:30PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Rm 211, 1301 Mississippi St

KU art history alumna and 2023 Franklin D. Murphy Distinguished Alumni Lecturer Patricia Fidler presents an overview of her career in art book publishing, from her initial experiences at the Spencer Museum of Art to her current role at Yale University Press.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, Kress Foundation Department of Art History

September 29

Activity

10AM – 4PM
305 Goddard Study Center

Your art wish is our command. Visit the Goddard Study Center on Fridays to request works of art on paper not currently on view or share your interests and let our staff select works for you. You can also drop in to enjoy works requested by other visitors. The Goddard Study Center is open to all during gallery hours with a break from 12-1PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

September 30

Talk

1PM – 2PM
Kansas Union, Mallott Room, 1301 Jayhawk Blvd

Yukio Lippit (Harvard University) highlights techniques being used in Japan to create replicas from the Shoso-in, an imperial treasury in Nara, Japan, that houses over 9,000 objects and ancient documents dating to the eighth century or earlier. A reception follows at the Spencer Museum of Art. This program is made possible through support from the National Association of Japan-America Societies, Kyoto Bunka Kyokai and the United States-Japan Foundation (USJF).

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, Kress Foundation Department of Art History, Center for East Asian Studies, Heart of America Japan-America Society

October 03

Talk

5:30PM – 7PM
Kansas Union, Mallott Room, 1301 Jayhawk Blvd

Artist Janine Antoni and Professor of the Arts Carol Becker (Columbia University) discuss the creation of "here-ing" and its significance to cultural and environmental dialogues.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, Kress Foundation Department of Art History, Department of Visual Art

October 03

5:30PM – 7PM
Kansas Union, Mallott Room, 1301 Jayhawk Blvd

Artist Janine Antoni and Professor of the Arts Carol Becker (Columbia University) discuss Antoni’s recent project "here-ing", a walking labyrinth located at the KU Field Station.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, Kress Foundation Department of Art History, Department of Visual Art

October 05

4PM – 6PM
Spencer Museum of Art

Gather with graduate students from across campus to connect, relax, and find community. Learn about wellness resources and opportunities at KU and participate in short tours of the galleries led by Spencer Museum graduate interns. Enjoy gallery activities, free hors d’oeuvres and drinks, plus prizes and swag.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, The Commons, KU Office of Graduate Studies, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs

October 05

Talk

6PM – 7PM
Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop, 804 Massachusetts St.

Learn more about the process of creating "here-ing," with the artist and presenters Melinda Adams (KU Geography & Atmospheric Science and Indigenous Studies), Joey Orr (Spencer Museum of Art), Sheena Parsons (KU Field Station), and Keith Van de Riet (KU School of Architecture & Design).

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

October 06

Activity

10AM – 4PM
305 Goddard Study Center

Your art wish is our command. Visit the Goddard Study Center on Fridays to request works of art on paper not currently on view or share your interests and let our staff select works for you. You can also drop in to enjoy works requested by other visitors. The Goddard Study Center is open to all during gallery hours with a break from 12-1PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

October 06

Activity

5PM – 7PM
Roth Trailhead, KU Field Station, E 1600 Rd

Join Janine Antoni and other project members for immersive experiences at "here-ing," featuring music, poetry, movement, stone carving, ecology, and more. This event will take place on two days, with the second session on October 8 from 1PM-3PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

October 08

Activity

1PM – 3PM
Roth Trailhead, KU Field Station, E 1600 Rd

Join Janine Antoni and other project members for immersive experiences at here-ing, featuring music, poetry, movement, stone carving, ecology, and more. This event will take place on two days, with the first session on October 6 from 5PM-7PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

October 13

Activity

10AM – 4PM
305 Goddard Study Center

Your art wish is our command. Visit the Goddard Study Center on Fridays to request works of art on paper not currently on view or share your interests and let our staff select works for you. You can also drop in to enjoy works requested by other visitors. The Goddard Study Center is open to all during gallery hours with a break from 12-1PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

October 20

Activity

10AM – 4PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 305 Goddard Study Center

Your art wish is our command. Visit the Goddard Study Center on Fridays to request works of art on paper not currently on view or share your interests and let our staff select works for you. You can also drop in to enjoy works requested by other visitors. The Goddard Study Center is open to all during gallery hours with a break from 12-1PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

October 21

Activity

1PM – 4PM
Spencer Museum of Art

This drop-in activity station rolls into the galleries each month for children and grown-ups to create hands-on art projects together, taking inspiration from original art on view.

October 26

Talk

3:15PM – 4PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Brosseau Learning Center

KU Professor of American Studies Araceli Masterson-Algar showcases a selection of works that speak to U.S. history from Mexican and Mexican-American experiences. The talk will discuss the themes, motifs, and stories we can access through these works and how they invite viewers to consider the experiences of underrepresented populations.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

October 26

Talk

5:30PM – 6:30PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Rm 211, 1301 Mississippi St

Anna Atkins’s cyanotypes, or blueprint photography, featuring algae and ferns do not disclose much about the social and political upheavals of the mid-19th century. In this talk, Siobhan Angus (Carleton University) shows how the materiality of Atkins’s work reflects industrial growth, linking cotton, paper mills, the railway, and plantation slavery.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, Kress Foundation Department of Art History

October 29

1PM – 3PM
Spencer Museum of Art

Join members of B.L.A.C.K. Lawrence as they share music and poetry in conversation with works on display in the exhibition “Black Writing.” This event fusing classical and contemporary Black writing includes an interactive open mic and a black-out poetry activity.

October 29

Activity

3PM – 4PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 407 Kress Gallery

Spend time getting to know one great work of art through relaxed contemplation and guided conversation. In October, get to know Claude Buck's "The Conqueror Worm."

November 01

6PM – 9PM
Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St

The Center for East Asian Studies hosts a showing of the 2020 film “Minamata,” which follows the struggles of photographer W. Eugene Smith and his spouse and partner Aileen Smith as they bring public attention to Minamata disease and the effects of mercury poisoning on residents of Minamata, Japan. Q&A with Aileen Smith will follow the screening. No tickets required.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, Center for East Asian Studies

November 02

Talk

6PM – 7:30PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 409 Lee Study Center

Photojournalist Aileen Smith speaks about the life and career of her spouse and partner, photographer W. Eugene Smith. Her discussion will cover Eugene’s retrospective exhibition “Let the Truth Be the Prejudice” and his last photo essay on Minamata disease. Seating is limited. Register for a free ticket online: https://kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8ic2sxulJZoy7eS

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, Center for East Asian Studies

November 03

Activity

10AM – 4PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 305 Goddard Study Center

Your art wish is our command. Visit the Goddard Study Center on Fridays to request works of art on paper not currently on view or share your interests and let our staff select works for you. You can also drop in to enjoy works requested by other visitors. The Goddard Study Center is open to all during gallery hours with a break from 12-1PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

November 04

Activity

1PM – 4PM
Spencer Museum of Art

This drop-in activity station rolls into the galleries each month for children and grown-ups to create hands-on art projects together, taking inspiration from original art on view.

November 09

Talk

10:15AM – 11AM
Spencer Museum of Art, 317 Perkins Central Court

Spencer Curator for Research Joey Orr discusses the special exhibition "Black Writing", which explores the power, politics, and complexities of language in contemporary Black culture. The exhibition is a collaboration with the KU research center History of Black Writing.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

November 10

Activity

10AM – 4PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 305 Goddard Study Center

Your art wish is our command. Visit the Goddard Study Center on Fridays to request works of art on paper not currently on view or share your interests and let our staff select works for you. You can also drop in to enjoy works requested by other visitors. The Goddard Study Center is open to all during gallery hours with a break from 12-1PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

November 17

Activity

10AM – 4PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 305 Goddard Study Center

Your art wish is our command. Visit the Goddard Study Center on Fridays to request works of art on paper not currently on view or share your interests and let our staff select works for you. You can also drop in to enjoy works requested by other visitors. The Goddard Study Center is open to all during gallery hours with a break from 12-1PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

November 19

Activity

2PM – 3PM
Spencer Museum of Art

Spend time getting to know one great work of art through relaxed contemplation and guided conversation.

November 29

Activity

10AM – 5PM
Spencer Museum of Art

Participate in a live marathon reading of Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower” taking place over two days at the Spencer Museum. Experience Butler's world-building within the visually inspiring “Black Writing” exhibition. Copies of the book will be available.

Sponsored By: J. Wayne and Elsie M. Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction, KU Common Book Program, Spencer Museum of Art, History of Black Writing, Department of English

November 30

Activity

10AM – 3PM
Spencer Museum of Art

Participate in a live marathon reading of Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower” taking place over two days at the Spencer Museum. Experience Butler's world-building within the visually inspiring “Black Writing” exhibition. Copies of the book will be available.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, Hall Center for the Humanities, Department of English, KU Common Book Program, History of Black Writing

November 30

Talk

4PM – 5PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 317 Perkins Central Court

Join artist Fahamu Pecou as he discusses his painting “Parable of the Sower: Oya’s Dream,” this year’s KU Common Work of Art. Commissioned by the Spencer Museum, the work symbolizes the new beginnings that emerge when one embraces the inevitability of change.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art, History of Black Writing, Department of English, KU Common Book Program

December 01

Activity

10AM – 4PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 305 Goddard Study Center

Your art wish is our command. Visit the Goddard Study Center on Fridays to request works of art on paper not currently on view or share your interests and let our staff select works for you. You can also drop in to enjoy works requested by other visitors. The Goddard Study Center is open to all during gallery hours with a break from 12-1PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

December 02

Activity

9AM – 2PM
Watkins Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St

Visit the Watkins Museum to create and celebrate holiday traditions with your family at this free annual event. The Spencer Museum will be on hand to lead a special art activity.

Sponsored By: Watkins Museum of History

December 07

Talk

5:30PM – 6:30PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 404 Marshall Balcony

Kansas-based artists Lisa Grossman, Lilly McElroy, Marie McInerney, and Erin Wiersma discuss their work in the exhibition “Reading the World” with Spencer Curator for Research Joey Orr.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

December 08

Activity

10AM – 4PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 305 Goddard Study Center

Your art wish is our command. Visit the Goddard Study Center on Fridays to request works of art on paper not currently on view or share your interests and let our staff select works for you. You can also drop in to enjoy works requested by other visitors. The Goddard Study Center is open to all during gallery hours with a break from 12-1PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

December 14

Talk

10:15AM – 11AM
Spencer Museum of Art, 405 Michaelis Gallery

Spencer intern and PhD candidate in musicology Sara McClure explores the intersections between visual art and music. We'll examine several music-related works on display and hear musicians perform a piece inspired by art.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

December 15

Activity

10AM – 4PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 305 Goddard Study Center

Your art wish is our command. Visit the Goddard Study Center on Fridays to request works of art on paper not currently on view or share your interests and let our staff select works for you. You can also drop in to enjoy works requested by other visitors. The Goddard Study Center is open to all during gallery hours with a break from 12-1PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

December 21

Talk

2PM – 3PM

Join Spencer Museum Director Saralyn Reece Hardy for a tour and discussion of darkness, light, and winter/time. We’ll savor this shortest day of the year in the company of art and community. The tour is offered at 2:00PM and 4:00PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

December 21

Talk

4PM – 5PM

Join Spencer Museum Director Saralyn Reece Hardy for a tour and discussion of darkness, light, and winter/time. We’ll savor this shortest day of the year in the company of art and community. The tour is offered at 2:00PM and 4:00PM.

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art