KU Department of Visual Art

10/22/2026

📍Stop by the Career Center table in the cafe area of Chalmers to discover career development resources, receive guidance on resume preparation, and learn about opportunities in creative industries. Stacey will be here from 11a-2p with tons of info, opportunities, and insight! ✨️
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University Career Center (UCC)

10/22/2026

⚡KU Visual Art Visiting Artist Talks: Part 2!⚡
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Juana Estrada Hernández | https://www.instagram.com/juanaseemyprints/
MON, OCT 26 | 6PM | MARVIN HALL FORUM
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Angela Dufresne | https://www.angeladufresne.org/
TUE, OCT 27 | 5:30PM | CHALMERS HALL, RM 421
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Jacklyn Brickman | https://www.jacklynbrickman.com/
MON, NOV 9 | 5:30PM | MARVIN HALL FORUM
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Chris E. Vargas: Talk & Book Signing | https://www.chrisevargas.com/
TUE, NOV 10 | 7PM | LIBERTY HALL
Presented by KU WGSS
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Josh Goering | https://www.instagram.com/joshgoering/
MON, NOV 16 | 5:30PM |THE COMMONS at KU
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Spencer Museum of Art Lawrence Arts Center University of Kansas College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

10/09/2026

✏🖌 Here we goooo! Our LaunchKU Student Materials Fund crowdfunding campaign is now live! Help us help students with the increasing cost of materials and supplies! As we have seen first-hand, truly, any amount helps. From the student asking for just $50 to replenish paints and paper, to the student needing a few hundred dollars to complete their senior year solo show, your tax-deductible donation will go directly towards our student artists furthering their creative studies (often with the added bonus of helping local businesses like Wonder Fair as a beloved provider of many of our required art needs). 🎨
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Our goal is $6,000 in the next 31 days and we thank you for any support and sharing you can give. Let's do this!

According to Grady Newsource from the University of Georgia, “College students, especially those from low-income families, face a wide range of financial obstacles on campus. For those majoring in art, one of the biggest obstacles might be the cost of supplies and other materials necessary for cla...

10/07/2026

Can you feel the excitement in the air? Our Backyard Bash is only one week away!💥
Get your comic book and superhero costumes ready for a celebration of art, nature, and science in KU’s historic Marvin Grove directly behind the Spencer Museum! Free and open to all! 🌳🏛️🌳

10/01/2026

The Five State Photography Exhibition is a juried, competitive exhibition open to any photographer living in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Colorado.  

09/30/2026

Artist Talk: Josh Goering, BFA '21 | The Commons
MON, NOV 16 | 5:30PM
"Goering is a Ceramic artist whose work hinges on his environmental disposition, an inquisitive nature surrounding materials, an adoration of process, and a study of historical pots. His current work involves a dialogue with the landscape using local clays and rocks, as well as hand-building forms that reference objects involved in his process. Goering holds a BFA and BA from KU and an MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln."
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Supported by the KU Departments of Visual Art and Earth, Energy & Environment, the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum - Archaeology Division, (KU Natural History Museum) KU Field Station and The Commons at KU
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Events held in Spooner Hall are offered in hybrid form by request while work to ensure compliance with NAGPRA is ongoing. If you require virtual attendance or another accommodation, please email [email protected].

09/29/2026

Applications for the Annual Scholarship Show are now open!
Each year the Department of Visual Art awards scholarships to continuing students majoring in Visual Art. This is an important opportunity for students to exhibit their work and possibly earn a scholarship. Participating students are required to submit a body of work for the jurying process in the form of an exhibition. The exhibition will also be open to the public and students are encouraged to invite friends and family. Visitors are invited to tour all the studios to see the exceptional quality and variety of creative work being made at KU. At the same time, graduate and undergrad studios will be open. The Scholarship Show is open to all media.
Eligibility:
- Visual Art Major
- Self-nominated
- 3.0 overall GPA (more info will be provided at the information meeting)
- Full-time student 2027-28
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Schedule & Important Dates:
FRI, FEB 12, 2027 | Online application form due by 11:59pm (CST)
TUE, FEB 23 | Mandatory Information Meeting, Chalmers, Room 421 | 5:30p - 6:30p (CST)
**please note, participating students are required to either help set up, or take down the exhibition. More information on this will be given at the mandatory information meeting.
For more info and to submit your application go to our website then Academics > Scholarships & Funding Opportunities or visit our IG for link in bio. Any questions, send them to [email protected]
We hope your semester is going well!
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09/29/2026

Emeritus Faculty Event!
"Join us at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Thursday, October 1, from 6-7 p.m. for an artist talk for "Norman Akers Navigates the Space Between", with a reception to follow. This talk will be moderated by Dr. David Cateforis. This event is free; livestream option is available. RSVP requested." You can RSVP at the link below.

Join us at the Nerman Museum this Thursday, October 1, from 6-7 p.m. for an artist talk for Norman Akers Navigates the Space Between, with a reception to follow. This talk will be moderated by Dr. David Cateforis. This event is free; livestream option is available. RSVP requested: https://www.nermanmuseum.org/calendar/events/2026-10-01-norman-akers-artist-talk.html

Norman Akers earned his Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL; a certificate in Museum Studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM; and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO.

David Cateforis is professor and chair of the Kress Foundation Department of Art History at the University of Kansas, where he has taught since 1992. He is the author of Modern Art: A Global Survey from the Mid-Nineteenth Century to the Present (Oxford University Press, 2023).

Norman Akers Navigates the Space Between will be on view in the Nerman Museum’s Kansas Focus Gallery, First Floor, through December 6, 2026.

This project is part of the initiative Home Is Where We Are: Art of First Americans. Spanning institutions across the Great Plains, it marks a coordinated focus on contemporary Indigenous art. Each organization presents a distinct project contributing to a collective that amplifies Indigenous perspectives. Participating institutions include the Chapman Center for Rural Studies; Kansas Studies Institute; Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art; Mid-America All-Indian Museum; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art; Salina Art Center; Ulrich Museum of Art; and Volland, A Place for Art and Community — positioning the region as a destination for experiencing the art of First Americans.

📷: Norman Akers. Photo: Cody Hammer/Osage News

09/25/2026

⚡ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT⚡Justin Marable, BFA: Printmaking '05
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Q: What would you like to share with current and future Visual Art students?
"Creating art with integrity is an enduring and patient process. Pushing beyond the boundaries of what is expected, seeing the undersides of social structures, and interpreting those patterns is key to making honest art that is truth seeking. Remain true to your vision, trust your intuition, and respect others who are here to help and guide in the journey. There is a certain amount of isolation that comes with sustaining a prolific studio practice but know that you can’t do it alone. Collaboration and remaining open to others’ help and feedback is key to personal and creative growth as well as retaining your inner child’s sense of play and curiosity.

As a creator, there’s always internal and external resistance to practicality that comes with pushing into new frontiers, but creating systems to keep track of time, tasks, and money management is vital. Being vulnerable, honest, and compassionate will help provide perspective to interpret the often paradoxical nature of human experience and expression. To interpret mystery with confidence and clarity takes time to develop and burnout will inevitably happen. Just remember to remain steady, persistent, and grounded in the creative flow state that ebbs and flows. Take action, practice patience, let go, and opportunities through change will emerge."
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Read more of our inspiring Q & A with Justin here: https://art.ku.edu/justin-marable-bfa-printmaking-05......... or via our website under Alumni > Alumni Stories. https://justinmarable.com/
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KU Alumni University of Kansas College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

09/25/2026

🏆 Congrats to all of our Visual Art students!! And thank you to University of Kansas Libraries for continuing this fantastic program!
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"Ted Gard, a visual arts major from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, who earned Best in Category in Printmaking, said one of LibArt’s greatest strengths is the way it brings together students from a wide range of backgrounds and interests.

“It invites everyone, not just artists, not just printmakers, not just whoever's doing art on the daily. It's just people who like to make it,” Gard said.
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Well put, Ted. There's so many Visual Art students in the award list, but also various other majors showcasing their artistic talents. Great to see more art on campus in general and remember...many of our classes are open to non-majors! 😉😁

(pictured: Bella LeJuerrne, a 2026 graduate from Topeka)

KU Libraries’ LibArt program, a year-round, juried exhibition of student art displayed throughout library spaces, celebrated a diverse exhibit of student work and recognized award recipients Sept. 17 at a reception in Watson Library.