Feitler Center

Academic Inquiry at the Smart Museum

The Feitler Center for Academic Inquiry promotes in-depth engagement with the Smart Museum’s collections and exhibitions by supporting the use of art as a pedagogical resource, developing curricular exhibitions, and providing a range of unique student opportunities, both undergraduate and graduate.

The Feitler Center advances connections—across academic fields and disciplines—through which all students and faculty can powerfully experience and study works of art. The Feitler Center fosters interdisciplinary scholarship, highlights the many ways that art can animate that scholarship, and supports the University’s core commitment to free and open discourse.

The Feitler Center was established in 2018 and is named for Joan and Robert Feitler in recognition of a $5 million gift and decades of service to the University and the arts.

Request a Class Visit or Individual Research Appointment

Class visits to our study room and galleries, as well as individual research appointments, can be requested here. For questions about this form, or to discuss integrating Smart collections and exhibitions into your teaching and research, please contact Cooper Long, Museum Educator, Academic Initiatives at cooperlong@uchicago.edu.

New Scheduling System Coming AY2025-2026

In order to meet the rising demand for academic engagements, the Feitler Center will introduce an application system for study room visits beginning in Autumn Quarter 2025. Applications will be due one week before each quarter begins. Learning experiences in our galleries, as well as individual research appointments, will remain open for scheduling throughout the quarter on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to availability.