University in the Art Museum: A Model for Museum-Faculty Collaboration

The Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art is the art museum of the University of Kansas. Its mission is to educate and enrich the lives of the students at the University of Kansas and the broadest audience possible through the collection, study, and presentation of works of art (Spencer Museumof Art, n.d. a). Because the Museum serves as a resource for the teaching and study of art history, fine arts, and the humanities, its collection is comprehensive in nature and comprises more than 22,000 works of art. It spans the history of European, NorthAmerican, and East Asian art. Areas of strength include medieval art; European and American paintings, sculpture, and prints; photography; Japanese Edoperiod painting and prints; and 20th-century Chinese painting. Seven galleries display selections from the permanent collection, and four additional galleries feature temporary or traveling exhibitions (Spencer Museum of Art, n.d. b).