Infrastructure Improvements to the Spencer Museum of Art's Collection Storage, Freight Elevator, and Galleries
FAIN: CHA-261952-19
University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc. (Lawrence, KS 66045-3101)
Saralyn Reece Hardy (Project Director: March 2018 to present)
Improvements to an art museum, including the purchase of compact shelving for a collection storage area housing two-dimensional framed works of art and three-dimensional objects; mechanical repairs to a freight elevator; and renovations to two long-term exhibition galleries.
To support the a two-stage facility enhancement project that will build capacity for sharing the Spencer Museum of Art's global collection of more than 45,000 objects. Space-maximizing changes to collection storage will improve access to objects as well as their safety, while sustaining continued, responsive development of the collection. Modifications to the freight elevator will ensure safe transportation of collection objects and staff between storage and galleries. Renovation and re-installation of two long-term exhibition galleries will refresh these spaces with relevant installations that are pertinent to current humanities scholarship and contemporary audiences.
Media Coverage
Spencer Museum of Art's new redesign brings a 'broader range of voices' to Lawrence (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Julie Denesha
Publication: KCUR
Date: 1/24/2023
URL: https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2023-01-24/spencer-museum-of-arts-new-redesign-brings-a-broader-range-of-voices-to-lawrence
Spencer Museum to unveil $4M redesign and collection reinstallation (Media Coverage)
Author(s):
Publication: ArtDaily
Date: 2/3/2023
URL: https://artdaily.com/news/154124/Spencer-Museum-to-unveil--4M-redesign-and-collection-reinstallation#.Y-vEg8fMKUk
The Best Photos of the Day (Media Coverage)
Author(s):
Publication: ArtDaily
Date: 2/3/2023
Abstract: selection of photos by Spencer photographer Ryan Waggoner
URL: https://artdaily.cc/?date=02/03/2023#BestPhotosOfTheDayStart
Spencer Museum of Art invites community to see renovated spaces, featured artists (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Chansi Long
Publication: Lawrence Times
Date: 3/3/2023
URL: https://lawrencekstimes.com/2023/03/03/spencer-levelup-event/
At Spencer Museum of Art, poetry invites the public into redesigned, more diverse galleries (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Julie Denesha
Publication: KCUR
Date: 3/3/2023
URL: https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2023-03-03/at-spencer-museum-of-art-poetry-invites-the-public-into-redesigned-more-diverse-galleries
Associated Products
Art on the Move (Article)
Title: Art on the Move
Author: Elizabeth Kanost
Abstract: You might imagine that reinstalling an entire floor of collection galleries requires moving a lot of art. What you might not realize is just how much art we needed to move for our Phase II renovation and reinstallation that won't necessarily be displayed in our new exhibitions. For the past year and a half, our collections and exhibitions teams have been hard at work moving art for this major undertaking.
Year: 2022
Access Model: open access
Format: Other
Periodical Title: View
Publisher: Spencer Museum of Art
Collections Assistant (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)
Name: Collections Assistant
Abstract: The Spencer Museum of Art located on the University of Kansas main campus cares for a collection of over 48,000 artworks from around the globe and from over 5000 years of human history. The Collection Assistant will work closely with collection staff to reorganize and move a sizable portion of the collection into new, high-density storage furniture in the primary collection storage area. The Collection Assistant will work with a team of collection managers and interns to relocate, three-dimensional works, textiles, and scrolls, in a manner that will optimize storage space and enable more efficient access to the collection. Part of relocating and safely storing the collection will include using the museum’s collection management database, MuseumPlus, to accurately document each work. This is a limited term, two-year position to begin no earlier than September 5, 2023.
Year: 2023
Delta Designs 01A (Equipment)
Name: Delta Designs 01A
Description: Sixteen Museum Storage Cabinets (01A) 49" W X 81 1/2" H X 32" D with adjustable shelves and drawers
Location: Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, KS
Year: 2023
Delta Designs 01B (Equipment)
Name: Delta Designs 01B
Description: Sixteen Museum Storage Cabinets (01B) 49" W X 49" H X 32" D with adjustable shelves
Location: Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, KS
Year: 2023
Delta Designs 02A (Equipment)
Name: Delta Designs 02A
Description: Eight Museum Storage Cabinets (02A) 29" W X 81 1/2" H X 32" D with adjustable shelves and drawers
Location: Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, KS
Year: 2023
Delta Designs 02B (Equipment)
Name: Delta Designs 02B
Description: Eight Museum Storage Cabinets (02B) 29" W X 49" H X 32" D with adjustable shelves
Location: Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, KS
Year: 2023
Delta Designs 06 (Equipment)
Name: Delta Designs 06
Description: Two Museum Storage Cabinets (06) 84" W x 72" H x 60" D with oversized trays
Location: Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, KS
Year: 2023
First-year Honors Seminar: Inside Museums (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: First-year Honors Seminar: Inside Museums
Author: Celka Straughn
Abstract: Museums are considered trusted cultural institutions. Why, and perhaps why not? This course will look beyond surface displays and into the “cracks” to examine some of the ways museums function and for what purposes. We will also explore some of the ways those inside, outside, and at the thresholds of museums can open up museums as civic spaces for building community. Sessions will include site visits to campus museums and other cultural organizations.
Year: 2022
Audience: Undergraduate
Museum Studies - The Nature of Museums (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Museum Studies - The Nature of Museums
Author: Celka Straughn
Abstract: The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the kinds of museums, their various missions, and their characteristics and potentials as research, education, and public service institutions responsible for collections of natural and cultural objects. Prerequisite: Museum Studies student, Indigenous Nations Studies student, or consent of instructor.
Year: 2022
Audience: Graduate
Phase II renovation and fourth-floor gallery reinstallation (Article)
Title: Phase II renovation and fourth-floor gallery reinstallation
Author: Elizabeth Kanost
Abstract: When our galleries close on May 16, the Museum will embark on exciting renovations and installation changes for our fourth-floor galleries that will increase our capacity for teaching, learning, and research.
Year: 2021
Access Model: distributed to Museum members
Format: Other
Periodical Title: View: Spencer Museum of Art newsletter, Spring 2021
Publisher: Spencer Museum of Art
Debut Preview and Renovation Reveal (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Debut Preview and Renovation Reveal
Abstract: Enjoy X-ray vision for a night at this behind-the-scenes preview of the exhibition Debut and renovations currently underway inside the Museum. This twist on a gallery talk takes place outdoors with projections of art and what’s happening inside the galleries lighting up the exterior of the building. Spencer Museum interns take the mic to share their research on works soon-to-be-exhibited for the first time in Debut, and Deputy Director Celka Straughn brings you into the construction zone of the Lee Study Center and all-new collection galleries. No hard hat required!
Author: Celka Straughn
Author: Sadie Arft
Author: Adina Duke
Author: Ying Zhu
Author: Rachel Quist
Author: Sara Johnson
Date: 09/22/2021
Location: Spencer Museum of Art
Revisioning the Museum (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Revisioning the Museum
Abstract: Be the first to hear plans underway for four all-new exhibitions of the Museum’s collections and the addition of the new Lee Study Center. This major renovation and reinstallation project, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, strives to rebalance the collection galleries and reflect the Museum’s growing emphasis on social justice. Join us to learn how we are testing new collaborative strategies for exhibition development and meet our new Head of Exhibitions Trang Nguyen. Ask us the hard questions to inform new ways of displaying and interpreting museum collections. Your ideas and input are welcome and appreciated.
Author: Adina Duke
Date: 07/08/2021
Location: online (Zoom)
Hard Hats & Hardwoods (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Hard Hats & Hardwoods
Abstract: Prepare to be floored by the features of the Museum’s Phase II renovation. Friends of the Art Museum are invited into the construction zone for a tour with Director Saralyn Reece Hardy and other key project leaders. Be the first to wander the gleaming new white oak floors and learn what’s in store for four all-new collection galleries and the Lee Study Center.
Author: Ryan Waggoner
Author: Saralyn Reece Hardy
Author: Adina Duke
Author: Jennifer Talbott
Author: Celka Straughn
Date: 03/30/2022
Location: Spencer Museum of Art
Spencer renovation and reinstallation (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Spencer renovation and reinstallation
Abstract: Presentation of progress on the gallery renovation and reinstallation project to Lawrence civic leaders.
Author: Celka Straughn
Author: Jennifer Talbott
Date: 06/15/2022
Location: Maceli's Banquet Hall & Catering, Lawrence, KS
Collective Curating--Collaboration and Community (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Collective Curating--Collaboration and Community
Author: Joy Beckman
Author: Celka Straughn
Author: Michelle Sunset
Author: Beth Watkins
Abstract: Presenters will share four case studies from institutions across the country about working with collaborators outside of their staff to design exhibitions that share new voices and different perspectives. These projects are diverse in how community and collaboration shaped the resulting exhibitions--from working with contemporary artists to campus partners, students, and community members--but are united by their mission to shift curatorial practice to be more inclusive and accessible. Presenters will share planning, logistics, successes, and lessons learned. Presenters and participants alike should walk away with new ideas and insights for curating more collaboratively.
Date: 06/13/2023
Conference Name: Association of Academic Museums and Galleries annual conference
Renovation, Reinstallation, & Conservation at the Spencer Museum of Art and KU Libraries (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Renovation, Reinstallation, & Conservation at the Spencer Museum of Art and KU Libraries
Author: Whitney Baker
Author: Sofia Galarza Liu
Author: Trang Nguyen
Abstract: Whitney Baker (Head of Conservation Services, KU Libraries), Sofía Galarza Liu (Head of Collections, Spencer Museum), and Trang Nguyen (Head of Exhibitions, Spencer Museum) tell all in this two-site tour of recently renovated library and museum spaces that increase access for both public and staff/collections care needs. From 10-11AM, participants will visit Conservation Services in the Kenneth Spencer Research Library to view current projects and initiatives in the book and paper conservation lab and audiovisual preservation labs which were renovated in 2018 and serve all KU libraries. At 11AM, we will wander through Historic Marvin Grove to arrive at the Spencer Museum of Art for a tour of the renovated galleries and tips for strong staff collaboration on major projects like reinstalling the collection galleries and introducing an all-new study center. The path through Marvin Grove includes stairs. Please include requests for accessibility accommodations in your registration.
Date: 06/12/2023
Conference Name: Association of Academic Museums and Galleries annual conference
Empowering Collective Curiosity with a Field Guide Approach to Interpretation (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Empowering Collective Curiosity with a Field Guide Approach to Interpretation
Author: Rebecca Blocksome
Author: Raechel Cook
Abstract: Field guides are designed to facilitate encounters with the unknown—to encourage exploration beyond the borders of familiarity. Negotiating the space between the tangible objects in museum collections, and intangible social goods like trust and social responsibility, requires new approaches to interpretation that prioritize interdisciplinary thinking and creative analysis. This fun, interactive workshop seeks to explore how democratic agency can be infused into interpretive processes. Participants will co-create a field guide to artwork in the Spencer Museum of Art’s (SMA’s) galleries, using their collective curiosity and knowledge. The field guide will be e-published and made available to all conference attendees.
Date: 06/13/2013
Conference Name: Association of Academic Museums and Galleries
Effective Strategies for Jumpstarting Close Looking (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Effective Strategies for Jumpstarting Close Looking
Author: Danielle Raad
Author: Sydney Skelton Simon
Abstract: This workshop will focus on high-impact, low-barrier-to-entry activities to jumpstart close looking and critical thinking with museum objects. These activities, which have been successful in our university-level teaching at the Yale University Art Gallery, are especially useful for getting students who are not yet accustomed to learning in the museum comfortable with and confident in their capacity to engage with works of art and material culture. Participants will have a chance to share out and brainstorm other approaches to overcoming barriers to engagement, encouraging cross-disciplinary connections, and fostering a sense of belonging in campus museums.
Date: 06/14/2023
Conference Name: Association of Academic Museums and Galleries annual conference
Spencer Museum of Art: Renovation, Reinstallation, Reimagining (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Spencer Museum of Art: Renovation, Reinstallation, Reimagining
Abstract: KU’s Spencer Museum of Art is a local and regional treasure. Much of the museum has been closed for the past year for a major gallery renovation. The project also included the creation of a second study center for class visits, research, and temporary installations. In early November, both levels of exhibition space will be open to the public, with innovative reinstallations of works from the permanent collection. Susan Earle, curator of European and American art, will provide an overview of the changes and a preview of what to expect the next time you visit this leading academic art museum. She will respond to questions and comments.
Author: Susan Earle
Date: 10/13/2022
Location: Kansas Memorial Union, Lawrence, KS
New Generations Society of Lawrence Tour (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: New Generations Society of Lawrence Tour
Abstract: Susan Earle of the Spencer Museum of Art gave NGSL a tour of the newly renovated and installed fourth floor. The renovations include beautiful new flooring and redesigned lighting. Much more art is on display, and several old favorites are back. The renovation is divided into four spaces called Intersections, Empowerment, Displacement and Illumination. Also included in the fourth floor renovation is a beautiful new large study center.
Author: Susan Earle
Date: 03/30/2023
Location: Spencer Museum of Art
A New Blueprint for Learning, Research, and Community (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: A New Blueprint for Learning, Research, and Community
Abstract: Join Director Saralyn Reece Hardy and Phase II project leaders for brunch in the galleries and revelations about the evolution of our architectural program and new exhibitions, as well as a preview of what's to come.
Author: Saralyn Reece Hardy
Date: 04/22/2023
Location: Spencer Museum of Art
Get to Know the Spencer Museum of Art (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Get to Know the Spencer Museum of Art
Abstract: Drop in for any part of this open house to learn about the Museum’s next steps for improving access, inclusion, and belonging based on community input and explore our new collection galleries through tours or self-guided activities. Fun for all ages and light refreshments provided.
Author: Rebecca Blocksome
Author: Elizabeth Kanost
Author: Sydney Pursel
Date: 05/11/2023
Location: Spencer Museum of Art