Looking After

Art and Care in Education Across Kansas
August 18, 2026–January 10, 2027

Sam & Connie Perkins Central Court, The Estelle S. & Robert A. Long Ellis Foundation Gallery, Dolph Simons Family Gallery

Three white women draw on a paper taped to a wall
Painting of a golden field with trees in the background

Looking After invites you to explore the many ways that art can facilitate learning. For more than 50 years, the Spencer Museum of Art has served kindergarten through high school (K–12) teachers and students with artful education experiences that spark creativity supporting the academic standards of Kansas. This exhibition highlights key artworks from the Spencer’s collection that we use in education initiatives, such as our statewide Partners in Education Across Kansas (PEAK) program. 

By looking after the wellbeing of our visitors and collaborators in education, this exhibition makes connections with past experiences and knowledge, opens conversations, and encourages curiosity.

Looking After is co-curated by Rachel Straughn-Navarro, School & Educator Engagement Coordinator, and Kristina Walker, Director of Education & Interpretation.

Painting of a golden field with trees in the background
Painting of a golden field with trees in the background
William Alexander Griffith
Daisy Field, [west KU campus]
circa 1908–1910
Ceramic sculpture of an Oreo cookie with a green frog in the middle
Ceramic sculpture of an Oreo cookie with a green frog in the middle
David James Gilhooly
Oreo Cookie Frog
Print with strips of orange, blue, and green with multi-colored swirls and blue clouds in the center
Print with strips of orange, blue, and green with multi-colored swirls and blue clouds in the center
Clifton Karhu , Stanton Macdonald-Wright , Clifton Karhu , Stanton Macdonald-Wright
Cruel heat, my mind in a whirl, I listen to the thunder rumble
1965–1967
Sculpture with two blue cylinders with blue sticks like spokes on a wheel and an hourglass-shaped bundle of yellow sticks
Sculpture with two blue cylinders with blue sticks like spokes on a wheel and an hourglass-shaped bundle of yellow sticks
Nathalie Miebach
Antarctic Surveyor II - Tracking Solar and Lunar Transitions
2008
A white man speaks to a room full of adults sitting at tables
A white man speaks to a room full of adults sitting at tables
A vertical print of a figure standing on a boat passing below a tall bridge at night with lights in the distance
A vertical print of a figure standing on a boat passing below a tall bridge at night with lights in the distance
Hasegawa Takejirō , Kobayashi Eijirō , Hasegawa Takejirō , Kobayashi Eijirō
High Bridge by Night
1915–1920, Taisho period (1912–1926)
A blue notebook with a black spine and the word "Composition" across the front made from yarn
A blue notebook with a black spine and the word "Composition" across the front made from yarn
Candace Hicks
This
2010

Supporters

The exhibition and related programs are funded by a lead gift from Jeff and Mary Weinberg, with additional support from the Estelle S. and Robert A. Long Ellis Foundation, the Linda Inman Bailey Exhibitions and Programming Fund, Tim and Jerrye Van Leer, Denise Stone, the Douglas County Community Foundation, KU Student Senate, 2026 One Day One KU donors, and Friends of the Art Museum. Sponsored in part by the State of Kansas through the Kansas Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Logos for the Douglas County Community Foundation, KU Student Senate, and the Kansas Department of Commerce

Related Events

August 25
Activity
Colors of Emotions
12:00–3:00PM
August 29
Activity
Constellation Art Cards
1:00–4:00PM
September 3
Social
Friends of the Art Museum Fall Reception
5:30–7:00PM
September 12
Activity
Animal Portraits
1:00–4:00PM
September 18
Talk
A Conversation with Nathalie Miebach
5:30–6:30PM
September 27
Talk
Looking After: Art and Care in Education Across Kansas
1:00–2:00PM
September 27
Talk
Oxford Dictionary: Bird Definition
2:00–3:00PM
October 10
Activity
Transforming Language
1:00–4:00PM
October 25
Talk
Looking After: A panel discussion with K-12 educators
1:00–2:00PM
October 25
Talk
Nocturnal Passage
2:00–3:00PM
November 14
Activity
The Art of Color
1:00–4:00PM
November 22
Talk
Aloha
2:00–3:00PM
December 10
Talk
Art and Care in Education Across Kansas
10:15–11:00AM

Exhibition Resources

View full exhibition record

Explore this exhibition in our online collection to find a complete object list, label text, and additional images.

Register for the Looking After K–12 Teacher Conference

The Spencer will host a free conference open to any K–12 teacher in Kansas on September 18–19, 2026. Artist Nathalie Miebach will give a keynote talk on September 18 that is also open to the public. Learn more and register with this form.