spencer museum of art

Many universities have art museums but the Spencer is a great family venue with changing art exhibitions in different genres.

Spencer is a high quality museum with many different types of art. We especially enjoyed the modern art. It is easy to get around. Some of the displays are changed. Well worth the time.

Seeing the Diane Arbus exhibit was thrilling. Very well done! Spencer museum always has great shows with great artists!!

If you are in Lawrence and have the time, head to the Spencer Museum of Art. It is a wonderful university art museum. During the next year, it will be undergoing some renovation. Can't wait to see the new and improved version.

Nice small museum. Good collection. Local regional. Hidden gem . Up on KU campus. Have go here for years. Highly recommend.

Paid parking available in garage across the street. Located near the football stadium - use this for orientation. Typical university art museum - worth 60 minutes. KU campus is not especially beautiful - apparently flowers or other landscaping doesn't fit a low tax state.

We made a special effort to see the James Turrell installation, Gard Blue, on this visit. There is a lot of good art in this university museum. There was a special exhibit of quilts; the regular collection is arranged by topic instead of period. A great place to visit in Lawrence.

Good educational collection with a wide range of styles, themes, and artists represented. I liked the way that the major permanent exhibits were arranged thematically--"empire of objects" and other installations made much more sense than if just arranged chronologically. Helpful staff, too--I would love to return.

The museum has a modest collection but an interesting one for present or former Kansans. The building itself is attractive and it sits on a lovely hillside north of the main KU campus.

It's simply a fantastic little museum - with its constantly rotating content and marvelous collections upstairs, you'll never be disappointed. Free admission, too. Absolutely awesome.

Really enjoyed the James Turrell exhibit, and the Comanche exhibit, linked to Dyche- was great. A high quality museum experience.

A gem of a museum. The collections range from ancient Greece and Rome to the "it" artists of today. Dutch masters, renaissance painters, French and American impressionists, abstract expressionism, pop art. It's all there. Vassari, Monet, Benton, Homer, Warhol etc…Also the Spencer has an extensive Asian collection. Be sure to check out the current exhibits - usually on the cutting edge to appeal to university students and to enhance their academic experience.

I actually work at the Natural History Museum at KU, which sits just across the street from the Spencer--one of my favorite things to do at lunch is to hop across the street and stroll around in the Spencer galleries. It is not a huge museum, but it is a really good size, with a surprisingly diverse collection (including a wonderful American Indian grouping). Their European and American paintings are an absolute treasure, and they are very strong in art from the Renaissance. They seem to do a good job of keeping the temporary exhibits moving through, so nothing gets stale, but those seem to favor modern art over any other type. Even though Lawrence is a town that really prides itself on its art and artists, it doesn't seem like a lot of folks are aware of what this museum has to offer. It does offer classes and workshops for the public, but it is just a great place to stroll around and take in the art. The building itself is also very pretty, and it sits on the edge of campus, so visitors don't have to fight their way through the parking booths and pedestrian traffic. On the weekend, the small lot behind the building may have some parking available, but really the easiest thing to do is park in the Mississippi Street garage and cross the street.

I've been to the Spencer museum a few times, their exhibits are interesting, and not your typical displays. I don't think, small children would enjoy it. Something that can take up an afternoon when tge weather is bad.

The Spencer is located on the University of Kansas. They have a wonderful collection. If you have time when you are in Lawrence it is must see!!