Lawrence, KS, July 31, 2012 – From 1972 to 1976, when her husband, Harry Hughes, was a Public Affairs Officer for the American Embassy in Haiti, Mary Lou Vansant Hughes developed a deep admiration for the nation’s art. During their time there, the couple met and befriended many of the artists, eventually establishing a collection of nearly 100 Haitian works. Now, 40 years after they first arrived in Port-au-Prince, the Hughes, both of whom are University of Kansas alumni, have given their collection to KU’s Spencer Museum of Art.

Lawrence, KS, June 20, 2012 – In honor of Alan Turing’s upcoming centenary, the Spencer this Wednesday evening will screen Codebreaker, a critically acclaimed docu-drama about the highs and lows of Turing's fascinating life. Before the Spencer screening, curator Steve Goddard will speak briefly about Turing (1912-1954) and the SMA exhibition Cryptograph: An Exhibition for Alan Turing.

Lawrence, KS, June 25, 2012 – A new exhibition on view through July 8 on the Spencer Museum of Art’s fourth floor, features highlights from a private collection of Turkish Kilims, an amazing group of weavings that encapsulate Turkish history, culture, and tradition into astonishing designs for rugs. These Kilims all came from small villages throughout Anatolia and the Kurdish regions of Turkey, and they range in date from late 19th century through the 1960s.

Lawrence, KS, June 27, 2012 – A squadron of snuggly snails currently occupies a bench near the Spencer Museum of Art's front entrance. While "snuggly" and "snails" may seem contradictory terms, in this case they're not--these snails are of the subgenus Helix soft and crocheted. And they fit right in with the colorful yarn flowers currently blooming in the Museum's central greenspace.

Lawrence, KS, June 29, 2012 – On Wednesday, July 4, the Spencer will close in observance of the national holiday. Have a happy and safe Independence Day!

Lawrence, KS, November 16, 2012 – The Spencer Museum of Art will remain open to the public throughout the fall and winter holiday season except on dates that are holidays. Our hours on other days will be unaffected. Specific dates and hours during holiday weeks are listed below. Happy holidays!

Lawrence, KS, June 22, 2011 – An $11,000 grant from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian and a $7,900 grant from the Kansas Humanities Council will provide critical funding for two fall 2011 exhibitions at the Spencer Museum of Art that feature contemporary and historical Native American art, respectively: Heartland Reverberations (October 15, 2011-January 15, 2012) andPassages: Persistent Visions of a Native Place (September 10, 2011-January 15, 2012).

Lawrence, KS, December 3, 2012 – Dr. Marilyn Stokstad, a renowned art historian, University of Kansas distinguished professor emerita of art history, and former art museum director, has made a lead gift to create an endowed directorship at the Spencer Museum of Art.

Lawrence, KS – For more than two years, North Carolina-based sculptor Patrick Dougherty’s The Bedazzler, a temporary sculpture commissioned by the Spencer Museum of Art for a 2009 exhibition about trees, has anchored the corner of 14th Street and Jayhawk Boulevard in front of Spooner Hall.

Lawrence, KS – On Sunday, September 11 at 5 PM, the Spencer Museum of Art and the KU School of Music will present Mexican-American lyric tenor Genaro Méndez, a KU associate professor of voice, and accompanist Robert Hiller, a KU alumnus and university voice coach in Germany, performing a program that celebrates music and art from the 16th to 19th centuries, featuring composers Beethoven, Dowland, Liszt, and Tosti.