Spencer Museum of Art

SMA Auditorium
The Auditorium is located on the main floor of the Spencer. The room is available for lectures, symposia, and meetings. The Auditorium has 260 fixed seats with room for 30 additional folding chairs. Its stage is approximately six feet deep at the center and 24 feet wide. The Auditorium is equipped with a stationary, lighted podium with remote-control slide projection switches and a microphone. The Auditorium is reserved for KU classes Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Food and beverages are not permitted.

Central Court
The Central Court is located on the main floor of the Spencer. The space is available for dinners, receptions, and music performances. The Central Court can accommodate 380 persons standing, 125 folding chairs, or 120 seated at tables. Food and beverages permitted.

Reception Room
The Reception Room is located on the main floor of the Spencer. The room is available for meetings, luncheons, or dinners. The Reception Room is suitable for groups of 25 or fewer. Food and beverages permitted.

The Spencer galleries will remain open to the public during regular hours. Special arrangements can be made to open galleries after museum hours. Fees will apply.

Gallery hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 10-5;
Thursday 10-9;
Sunday 12-5;
Monday closed

Closed January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving Thursday and December 25.

Admission to the Spencer Museum of Art is free; donations are welcome.

Office hours:
Monday-Friday 8:30-5

Events may not be scheduled on Mondays or Thursday evenings.

To facilitate the closing of the Spencer to the public at 5 p.m., we request that evening events begin no earlier than 5:30 p.m.

Contact smarental@ku.edu for additional times available.

The Spencer has a wide variety of audio/visual and presentation equipment available for event functions. It is the responsibility of the event sponsor to obtain and pay for any additional equipment not listed below. The sponsor must inform the SMA Facility Rental Coordinator of the arrangements made. The Spencer has the following equipment available:

• Slide projectors, 35 mm (2)
  • Data projector
  • DVD player
  • VCR
  • Overhead Projector
  • Wireless microphone
  • Compact Disc Player
  • Portable lectern with microphone
  • Six-foot folding rectangular tables (4)
  • Folding chairs (60)
  • Camp stools (50)
  Piano
  There is a grand piano available for authorized use only. The sponsor must request use of the piano in advance. The piano is located in the northeast corner of the Central Court. The piano may only be moved or handled by authorized Spencer staff members. If tuning is required for an event, the sponsor is responsible for contacting the piano tuner associated with the University. The sponsor is responsible for the piano-tuning fee.

Rental fees are determined by the event category, location, staff time, and equipment use. The categories are university-affiliated events and non- university affiliated events. Security and event staff is required at every event. The minimum charge for staffing is two hours. Additional personnel time will be charged as worked, in half-hour increments. The sponsor must arrange and pay directly for all equipment and staffing not provided by the Spencer. The Spencer will not be responsible for payment of any expenses incurred by an outside group/organization hosting an event at the Spencer.

FACILITY USE - KU Departments & Organizations	FEE
Auditorium or Central Court - Departmental and public lectures, symposia, music performances and other educational activities	No charge
Central Court - Receptions and social events	$250.00
Central Court and Galleries - Receptions and social events	$350.00
Reception Room - Reception and social events (University affiliated groups or Spencer Museum of Art members included)	$100.00

FACILITY USE - Non-University Groups (must be co-sponsored with Spencer or be Spencer member at the Benefactor level)	FEE
Central Court - Reception and social events	$400.00
Central Court and Galleries - Reception and social events	$600.00
Reception Room - Reception and social events	$150-200.00

STAFF	FEE
Security	$25.00 per hour
Audio/Visual Assistant	$10.00 per hour
Events Assistant	$10.00 per hour
Administrative fee	$30.00

EQUIPMENT USE	FEE
Use of museum audio/visual equipment	$25.00
Use of museum serving tables, coverings and chairs for receptions	$60.00
Piano tuning	Event sponsor to pay by direct billing.

Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance to avoid a no-show minimum charge of $25.00.

For University departments, fees will be billed after the event, based upon actual services provided. Three payment options are available: SOV, Endowment funds, or KUEA Fund transfer. If paying with state funds, departments must submit an SOV number with the estimated fee for the event. If paying with KU Endowment funds or other funds, an invoice will be sent to the sponsor. For non-university and student groups, an invoice will be sent prior to the event, and fees must be paid in advance.

Food and beverages are permitted only in the Central Court and Reception Room. Food and beverages are not permitted in galleries. If food or beverages are to be served at an event, the Spencer must approve all arrangements in advance. The event sponsor is solely responsible for compliance with all state and University regulations regarding catering, food preparation, and beverage service. Contact KU Catering at www.jayhawks.com/food/catering.html. The sponsor is responsible for the clean up of all kitchen and dining equipment and removal of all food, beverages, supplies and equipment not owned by the Spencer. If this requirement is not met a $50.00 fee with be applied.   Event sponsors should consult with the SMA Facility Rental Coordinator for assistance in these arrangements.

Alcoholic beverage service is available only at private events sponsored by University departments. The Chancellor must approve the serving of alcoholic beverages at such events. Requests must be made in writing and submitted to the Provost no less than two weeks before the event using a form supplied by Provost office. The Alcohol Use Guidelines and request form are available at www.provost.ku.edu

The event sponsor must provide the Spencer with copies of the completed and signed Event Booking and Alcohol Beverage Request forms prior to the event. If the completed and signed forms are not on file at the Spencer Museum of Art the event cannot take place.

Parking for events at the Spencer is available in Lot 91 north of the museum, and in the Visitor Parking Garage on Mississippi Street next to the Kansas Union. Between 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon through Fri, parking in Lot 91 is available only for those with red or yellow parking permits. After 5 p.m. and on weekends (except home football games), the lot is available for public parking. The Visitor Parking Garage is free on Saturdays and Sundays, but Monday through Friday there is a fee of $1.00 per hour. Event sponsors should contact KU Parking Services at 864-7275 to determine what parking will be available and any requirements for visitor passes, and should inform participants of those details in advance of the event. The Spencer has no control over the availability of parking spaces or enforcement of parking regulations.

All areas of the Museum building are accessible to persons with physical disabilities. There is a drop-off lane with two handicapped parking spaces at the Mississippi Street (east) entrance to the building (where ground level is the 3rd floor,) and persons using wheelchairs should use that entrance when it is open. There is a doorbell at the east entrance to alert staff if assistance is needed. The east entrance is used for normal weekday hours and evening and weekend events on the 3rd and 4th floors. There are also two, handicapped parking spaces and a ramp to an entrance with a doorbell on the west side of the building, for access to the art library (1st floor) and art history department (2nd floor) when the east entrance is closed. Vehicles with handicapped permits may also park free in any parking space on campus except loading zones. The Spencer has two wheelchairs and several canes for visitor use.

The safety of visitors and collections will not be compromised for any event. At least one member of the Spencer's security staff and the SMA Facility Rental Coordinator or a SMA representative must be present for all events; additional security staff may be required in proportion to the spaces to be used and the number of participants expected. Sponsors and participants must immediately comply with all instructions of the Spencer staff regarding safety and security. Spencer staff members are authorized to expel individuals who violate Museum policies.

Smoking is prohibited in the Museum building. Photography is allowed only in accordance with the Museum's written policies. Visitors may not touch the works of art, sculpture or collection furniture. Visitors may not touch, lean upon or place things on walls, podiums or cases. Food or beverages are not allowed in the Galleries. Children may not be left unattended. Running and other play activities are not allowed. Any types of paints are not allowed. Umbrellas are not allowed. Large group tours may not wear backpacks within the gallery.

A Security Officer will be on duty at the specified time to provide access for delivery and set-up. A Security Officer will open the museum's main entrance to set up for public events thirty minutes before the scheduled beginning time. Physical preparations for the event must be approved in advance. No Spencer fixtures or objects, including the piano, may be moved except by the Spencer staff. The sponsoring organization may not install decorations except under the direct personal supervision of a member of the Spencer staff. All decorations and equipment must be approved in advance by a member of the Spencer staff.

All items not belonging to the Spencer must be removed by the sponsor immediately after the event or as scheduled with the SMA Events Coordinator. The sponsor must be financially responsible for any damage to Spencer property.

The Spencer welcomes the opportunity to provide guided tours of the museum, its collections, and exhibitions to groups renting space. Tours are given by museum education department staff or docents. Tours may be arranged by contacting the Docent Programs and Tours Coordinator at 785-864-0125 or arttours@ku.edu at least two weeks in advance of the event.

Requests for the use of the Spencer facility must be made to the SMA Public Programs Coordinator, by telephone, in writing, or email at least sixty days in advance of the proposed event. The Spencer's Public Programs Committee will review the request. If approved, the Spencer will send an Event Booking form showing the necessary fees and obligations of the sponsor. This form must be signed by the sponsor's contact person and returned to the SMA Public Programs Coordinator within ten days of receiving the form in order for the event to be officially scheduled. If the form is not returned within 10 days, the date will no longer be reserved for your event.

One contact person should be designated to make the arrangements for the sponsor in order to avoid any conflicts or miscommunication. The contact person will need to be familiar with all aspects of the event and must be present during the function. The contact person must arrive 30 minutes prior to the event to check in with the museum representative and review arrangements.   Event sponsors may not use the name of the Spencer Museum of Art in connection with the event, except as the location, without the express written consent of the Museum. Advertising and publicity naming the Spencer Museum of Art as the location may not begin until the event has been approved and the signed forms returned to the SMA Public Programs Coordinator.

To reserve the Spencer, contact:
Amanda Martin-Hamon
Public Programs Coordinator
smarental@ku.edu
785-864-0170