The Spencer Museum of Art, or SMA, is an art museum on the campus of University of Kansas

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

 in Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...

. While admission is free, donations are accepted. Also located inside the Spencer Museum of Art are the Kress Foundation Department of Art History, and the Murphy Library of Art & Architecture.

It is named for Helen Foresman Spencer, whose husband, Kenneth A. Spencer

Kenneth A. Spencer

Kenneth Aldred Spencer was a Kansas coal mine owner who transformed a government surplus factory into the world's biggest ammonium nitrate producer...

, owned the Pittsburg and Midway Coal Company in Pittsburg, Kansas

Pittsburg, Kansas

Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...

. Spencer also built the Jayhawk Ordnance in Galena, Kansas

Galena, Kansas

Galena is a city in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,085.-History:The city was named after the lead ore galena found here in 1877. The city was originally platted by the Galena Mining and Smelting Company and was to be known as Cornwall...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 to create ammonium nitrate. After the war he acquired it from the government for his Spencer Chemical Company. Philanthropies at the University of Kansas include the Kenneth Spencer Research Library and the Kenneth Aldred Spencer Memorial Chapel at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

SMA is also the location of most Art History classes at KU. It is located on Mississippi Street, just across from the back of the Kansas Union, and is closed Mondays.

Mission (as of March 2009)

The Spencer Museum of Art sustains a diverse collection of art and works of cultural significance. It encourages interdisciplinary exploration at the intersection of art, ideas, and experience. The Spencer strengthens, supports, and contributes to the academic research and teaching of the University of Kansas and is committed to serving communities of learners across Kansas and beyond.

External links

• SMA official Kansas University website
  • SMA - Digital library
    Digital library
    A digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats and accessible by computers. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks...
    
    initiative
  • Exhibitions
  • Collection
  • Recent Acquisitions
  • Museum Shop