This fall, visitors to the Spencer Museum of Art will encounter more than a new exhibition—they’ll encounter inspirations for a statewide collaboration that has been years in the making. “Looking After: Art and Care in Education Across Kansas” will highlight the impact of Partners in Education Across Kansas (PEAK), a professional development program for K-12 teachers.
Rooted in the Spencer Museum’s six decades of partnership with Lawrence schools, PEAK has grown into a statewide network reaching more than 90 teachers in a range of disciplines, who in turn have shared the program’s benefits with about 76,000 Kansas schoolchildren.
Art, the teachers learn in PEAK seminars during the yearlong program, can become a tool that enhances any educational experience.
“PEAK is a professional development program for educators, and one that is tailored to their needs,” says Celka Straughn, the Spencer Museum’s deputy director for public practice and curatorial. “Rather than out-of-the-box programs that are conceived nationally, these are tailored to the very specific needs of Kansas teachers.”
PEAK “Art Breaks,” two virtual workshops each month, present online arts-integrated lessons inspired by the Spencer’s collection. Once each semester, PEAK teachers, who receive stipends for their participation, gather for in-person workshops that explore arts resources in their communities. An annual institute brings the Kansas educators to the Spencer, where they immerse themselves in the collection and experience the depth and breadth of art-based learning. K-12 lesson plans created by PEAK participants are available free on the Spencer Museum of Art website.
Just as important, PEAK fosters community. Teachers from rural and urban districts alike exchange ideas, build relationships and learn from each other’s approaches, creating what organizers describe as a “community of practice” grounded in shared experience.
The program’s expansion was fueled in 2021 by a five-year U.S. Department of Education grant. When the fifth year of the grant was not renewed, Spencer administrators rallied to inspire private giving that allowed the program’s administrators—Rachel Straughn-Navarro, the Spencer’s school and educator engagement coordinator, and Kristina Mitchell Walker, f’91, g’97, director of education and interpretation—to continue in their roles. PEAK was also the focus of the Spencer’s One Day One KU campaign in April, generating more than $79,000.
“To have built up something so rich and important and vital,” Straughn says, “we did not want to lose that momentum and rebuild from scratch.”
PEAK’s impact will be on full display this fall. “Looking After: Art and Care in Education Across Kansas,” which runs from Aug. 18 through Jan. 10, showcases works from the Spencer’s global collection that have inspired Kansas teachers and students for more than 50 years, most recently as part of PEAK instruction.
In that sense, the exhibition is less a conclusion than a continuation—one more step in a growing effort to connect art, education and community across the state.
Chris Lazzarino, j’86, is associate editor of Crimson & Blue.
