Events Calendar
Events are free and take place in a variety of locations and formats. The Museum is committed to accessibility for all visitors. Our efforts are ongoing. To request an accommodation for an upcoming event, please contact the Museum in advance at spencerart@ku.edu or 785.864.4710.
September 28
Talk
FRANKLIN D. MURPHY LECTURE SERIES ENDLEAVES TO EPUBS: ADVENTURE OF AN ART BOOK EDITOR
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
OPEN FRIDAYS
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
SHOSO-IN IMPERIAL TREASURES AND THEIR REPLICAS
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
TO GROW AN ARTWORK
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
TO GROW AN ARTWORK
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
Talk
COMMUNING WITH THE LAND: HOW THE ARTS, ECOLOGY, AND ARCHITECTURE MEET ALONG THE PATH
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
OPEN FRIDAYS
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
IN HONOR OF THE LAND
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
IN HONOR OF THE LAND
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
OPEN FRIDAYS
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
OPEN FRIDAYS
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
ART CART
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
FRANKLIN D. MURPHY LECTURE SERIES UNSTABLE BOUNDARIES: NATURE AND INDUSTRY IN ANNA ATKIN'S CYANOTYPES
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
Activity
SLOW ART SUNDAY THE CONQUEROR WORM
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
"MINAMATA"
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
AILEEN SMITH ON THE ART AND LIFE OF W. EUGENE SMITH
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
OPEN FRIDAYS
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
ART CART
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
SENIOR SESSION "BLACK WRITING"
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
OPEN FRIDAYS
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
OPEN FRIDAYS
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
SLOW ART SUNDAY
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
KU COMMON BOOK MARATHON READING
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
KU COMMON BOOK MARATHON READING
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
ARTIST TALK: FAHAMU PECOU ON CREATING "OYA'S DREAM"
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
OPEN FRIDAYS
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
ART CART TAILS AND TRADITIONS: FAMILY FESTIVAL
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
"READING THE WORLD" ARTIST CONVERSATION
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
OPEN FRIDAYS
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
SENIOR SESSION RHYTHM AND BRUSHSTROKES: MUSIC AND ART
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
OPEN FRIDAYS
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
DIRECTOR’S WINTER SOLSTICE TOUR2PM – 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
DIRECTOR’S WINTER SOLSTICE TOUR4PM – 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