Saralyn Reece Hardy and Mary Kate Connor provided an update on the Spencer Art Gallery, located on the campus of Kansas University. The Spenser is a living archive that facilitates engagement and the study of the arts. Hardy has Directed the institution since 2005 and Connor is a student assistant. Hardy presided over a resent renovation of the Spenser that updated the presentation of the collection, provided a multi-use object study room, expanded the teaching gallery and storage and research areas. The project was also intended to present a more diverse representation of the arts than in the past. Hardy acknowledged the importance of tradition in the arts, but emphasized the need to relate to the present. She stressed the museum’s role in teaching, learning and research and relating to other disciplines. Hardy expects more immersive art experiences to be in the museum’s future.The Spenser is a unique institution with over 47,000 art pieces and places in the top ten of university art museums.
