Spencer Museum Of Art

Apart from feminine hygiene products in the Men's room (who are these really for? Imho, if a man is bleeding out of his holes he's got serious medical problems), the museum is a pretty nice place to visit.

Very comfortable museum, well laid-off with an interesting variety of changing exhibits. I could only spend one hour here and barely scratched the surface. I'm easily distracted and drawn in to any exhibit that captures my attention and imagination. Some names I recognized, some new to me but hey, that's the fun of it as long as I keep an open mind. Great staff, plenty of security and parking in the garage across the street was simple. Must return!

We visited the museum today - and for a university art museum, it has a good collection. There are even a few pieces by renowned artists, and also a few pieces by two well-known NYC artists who I'm acquainted with. The guards were all very friendly, and one of them told us the museum only has enough space to exhibit about 5% of its collection at any one time.Admission is free, and there's inexpensive parking available at a garage across the street.

When thinking of The University of Kansas; basketball of course comes to mind and the enormous financial impact that it has on the economy and the pride that the community of Lawrence feels to be placed on the national stage so often for a city of its relatively small size. I can't help but feel that The Spencer Museum of Art is also one of these big fish in a small sea. The Spencer is not of the same caliber as the Nelson Atkins in Kansas City, but it does outshine The Kemper and Nerman in KC as well as Wichita, Omaha, and Des Moines Art Museums. A great collection of big name artists, emerging artists, and many pieces representing art from around the globe and past centuries. Admission is free and rotating exhibits of traveling art such as the Korean wall art or locally curated themed exhibits such as a the one I saw exploring the idea of America - strengths and shortcomings. Powerful stuff.Another jewel in Lawrence Kansas's Jayhawk ball cap!

There are some notable museums in Lawrence, among them KU's Spencer Museum Of Art with its eclectic and impressive collection, including works by Andy Warhol, Angelo Bronzino, Albert Bierstadt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Édouard Manet, Frederick Remington, and John Singer Sargent just to name a few.The museum is not very large, but the building has recently reopened after an extensive renovation. Unlike many museums, the new floor plan lends itself very well to a continuous and simple path on which you can view every piece without having to bounce around from side to side or room to room. The vast majority of the collection is on the second floor.The Spencer lacks many of the more famous artists and some of my favorites, including Rembrandt, Monet, Renoir, Lautrec, VanGogh, PIcasso, and Dali. However, for a rather small museum, the Spencer has an impressive collection and is well worth a visit, particularly considering that entry is free.Having been to some of the world's greatest museums, including the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay and l'Orangerie (Paris), the British Museum and Tate Modern (London), the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Guggenheim (NYC), the Vatican Museums, Galleria dell'Accademia and Galleria degli Uffizi (Italy), Museo del Prado and Museo Picasso Málaga (Spain), and the Philadelphia Museum of Art to name just a few, I must compare the Spencer to them when considering a rating. Although not on the same level as any museum listed above, the Spencer is impressive on several levels, an excellent value, and entertaining way to spend two to three hours.CombatCritic Gives KU's Spencer Museum Of Art 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

An under-appreciated gem that makes Lawrence a great small town for the arts, the Spencer is a wonderful space to spend an hour or two seeing works you won't expect the first time through the door.Haven't been? The company is very good. Ansel Adams, Georgia O'Keeffe, Grant Wood, Édouard Manet, Andy Warhole, Dale Chihuly, Claude Monet, Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, Robert Sudlow, Paul Gaughan, Frederic Remington and more.There are new traveling exhibits every few months. Today it was the sublime work of light and space legend James Turrell taking up most of the main gallery on the ground floor entrance.Upstairs there are usually a couple of multi-media presentations with a place to sit and reflect. Two smaller galleries rotate smaller exhibits, some owned by the museum, some visiting.You won't see the grandest of paintings and sculptors by the masters here, but you will see some of their fine lesser known works. The fact that the museum even has pieces by these legendary artists is quite frankly mind blowing for a town and museum of this size. Outside of Kansas City, you'll need to travel to Denver, St. Louis or Chicago and pay a handsome admission fee and stand in line to get in to experience this kind of quality.Admission: free.

Unlike its natural history counterpart, the Spencer Museum of Art has a significant amount of change from visit to visit. Plenty of events happen here and a great deal of fun and interesting things to see. If you're going through Lawrence, this is a stop you must make. I have never been there twice where the exhibits have all been the same. Sure, there are staples of the collection, but there are always changes across the museum. They also have had artists in residency and big events that happen all the time. They did a ton of stuff during Occupy and they have lectures and things to do all the time.

Wonderful art museum with wide range of kinds of art. Great changing exhibits. Museum also hosts events and films. Family oriented weekend Art Cart has a new theme every month. Catch a tour with the director when they are offered--well worth the time. Open later on Thursday night. Best of all, it is FREE!

My wife and I had a day-date last week and we chose the Spencer Art Museum. Have not been there in over 20 years, but definitely not disappointed, it's been too long since I have been back.It provided a wonderful time and great to find such a gem in Lawrence, worth the trip in many ways. Collections are varied and provides a good trip out, with both established collections, as well as newer, more recent acquisitions.