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.

December 14

Talk

RHYTHM AND BRUSHSTROKES: MUSIC AND ART

10:15AM – 11AM

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 21

Talk

DIRECTOR’S WINTER SOLSTICE TOUR

2PM – 3PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 315 Long Ellis Gallery, 316 Simons Gallery, 317 Perkins Central Court, 401 Loo Gallery, 405 Michaelis Gallery, 406 Stewart Gallery, 407 Kress Gallery

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

December 21

Talk

DIRECTOR’S WINTER SOLSTICE TOUR

4PM – 5PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 315 Long Ellis Gallery, 316 Simons Gallery, 317 Perkins Central Court, 401 Loo Gallery, 405 Michaelis Gallery, 406 Stewart Gallery, 407 Kress Gallery

Sponsored By: Spencer Museum of Art

February 14

Talk

ONE HISTORY, TWO VERSIONS

11AM – 12PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Perkins Central Court, 317

Join Curator Sydney Pursel for a discussion of the exhibition "One History, Two Versions," which features art by contemporary Black artists, and how it connects to themes in the traveling exhibition "Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See."

February 20

Talk

CONVERSATION 1: A GIFT AND A PURCHASE

5:30PM – 6:30PM
Lawrence Public Library Auditorium, 707 Vermont St

Join Curator Sydney Pursel for a discussion of the exhibition “One History, Two Versions,” which features art by contemporary Black artists, and how it connects to themes in the traveling exhibition “Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See.”

March 20

Talk

JACOB LAWRENCE AND THE LEGEND OF JOHN BROWN

12PM – 1PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Marshall Balcony, 404

Join Curator Kate Meyer and graduate intern Claire Cox as they discuss the history and continued relevance of Jacob Lawrence's prints depicting the life and death of abolitionist John Brown.

March 28

Talk

THE TRANSFORMATION OF LACE FROM HAND-MADE TO MACHINE-MADE

10:15AM – 11AM
Spencer Museum of Art, Brosseau Center for Learning

During the 19th century, making lace transitioned from a hand process to a machine process as part of the Industrial Revolution. Retired textile professor Tess van Groll discusses this shift using examples from the Spencer's collection.

April 25

Talk

THE INSPIRING STORY OF A VANDALIZED SIGN

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

Learn the true story of a sign that was stolen, throw in a river, replaced, shot, replaced again, and shot again. Follow the sign as it travels from rural Mississippi to the Smithsonian to the White House to Lawrence with KU Professor Dave Tell, author of the 2019 book "Remembering Emmett Till."

May 01

Talk

ARTIVISM AND AFROFUTURISM

11AM – 12:30PM
Spencer Museum of Art

B.L.A.C.K. Lawrence members Alex Kimball Williams and Anthony Boynton share their research and its relationship to art displayed in the exhibition “One History, Two Versions.” Williams will speak about police brutality and protest art and Boynton will discuss Afrofuturism.

May 23

Talk

A GOTHIC MARVEL

10:15AM – 11AM
409 Lee Study Center, Spencer Museum of Art

Experience the splendor of the Spencer's iconic "Tympanum with the Lamentation (Pieta)." Graduate intern and art history doctoral candidate Sarah Dyer explores the history, original location, function, and style of this impressive portal sculpture once placed over the entrance of a Late Gothic Spanish church.

June 13

Talk

JACOB LAWRENCE AND JOHN BROWN

10:15AM – 11AM
Spencer Museum of Art, Marshall Balcony, 404

Curator Kate Meyer leads a tour of the exhibition "Jacob Lawrence and the Legend of John Brown," discussing the artist and his series of prints as well as John Brown and his ties to Kansas.