Spencer leading digital initiative for university art museums

LAWRENCE — Spencer Museum Director of Academic Programs Celka Straughn is one of three investigators leading the College Art Association project Resources for Academic Art Museum Professionals (RAAMP). RAAMP recently received $132,600 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the development of a free, publicly accessible website that will collect, store and share resources for professionals in college and university art museums.

Straughn initiated RAAMP with N. Elizabeth Schlatter, deputy director and curator of exhibitions at the University of Richmond Museums in Virginia. Straughn said they are excited to work with colleagues to develop a resource that reflects the many innovative activities happening at academic art museums, including the Spencer.

“College and university art museums advance teaching and research at their parent institutions,” Straughn said. “RAAMP will allow museum professionals to more easily exchange ideas and strategies for scholarly engagement with student and faculty audiences.”

Straughn said RAAMP will help the Spencer to continue strengthening its integration with the KU academic community.

The RAAMP website will serve as a dynamic repository of resources as well as function as a site for news and information that promotes discussion among museum professionals. RAAMP will specifically benefit users seeking publications, information, research, case studies, professional development and networking opportunities relevant to academic art museums.

CAA Executive Director Linda Downs said RAAMP addresses the needs of academic art museums to share resources and better integrate museum collections into interdisciplinary study.