A woman sits in a lawn chair and holds a piece of paper, four adults crouch around her looking toward the paper

Arts Research Integration

Our Arts Research Integration (ARI) program embeds artists into research happening across the sciences and humanities at the University of Kansas. The resulting interdisciplinary exhibitions, programs, and projects establish new pathways for discovery, dialogue, and community engagement with subjects that are central to our daily lives and the shape of our future.

ARI Jump Links

Research areas
Featured project
History

Research areas

ARI’s interdisciplinary collaborative projects bring together artists, researchers, professors, and students to explore subjects relevant to our communities and develop deep connections with the Museum and its global cultural resources. You can learn more about specific projects in the following research areas.

A group of people with their backs to the camera walk single file through a field of tall brown grass surrounded by green trees

Environment and Ecology

Grid of four black-and-white photos of nude male chests and upper arms which are outstretched

Health and the Human Body

Four large screens in a dark room, each show a different colorful image; two face left and two face right

Science and Technology

Two balding men sitting across from each other, both crochet at either end of a long pink tube draped on the floor

Social Histories

Featured project

Overhead view of a path in the shape of a human ear in bright green field

This is a test caption.

here-ing | 2021–present

here-ing is a walking labyrinth—created by Janine Antoni in partnership with the Spencer Museum, the Kansas Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research, and the DesignBuild Studio in KU’s School of Architecture—in the shape of the anatomy of the human ear. At the heart of the project is an invitation for the public to return to their bodies through intimately relating to the land.

You can explore here-ing for free on any day between sunrise and sunset. It is located adjacent to the Roth Trailhead at the KU Field Station. Find here-ing on Google Maps.

The 2-mile roundtrip path takes about 1 hour to walk. Elevation change is minimal, but the path is not ADA accessible. We recommend wearing closed-toe shoes with long pants tucked into socks. Bug spray can help avoid ticks. Hats, sunscreen, and water are highly encouraged.

Learn more about here-ing
A man and a woman sit in a lab and look into the eyepieces of a large microscope, a man stands over them

History

ARI builds on a long history of interdisciplinary initiatives at the Spencer, including the Arts Research Collaboration (2011–2015), which catalyzed collaborations between the Museum and KU’s faculty, staff, and students. The success of the initiative laid the groundwork for ARI, which launched in 2016 with support from Mellon Foundation. Through generous private philanthropy, ARI has since been endowed, allowing the Museum to expand and continue the critical work of making art central to the study and manifestation of ideas.