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 meaningfully 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
The Feitler Center supports several types of academic engagements for university classes and researchers. Read more about these opportunities below and request an academic engagement using our online form.
1. Class Collections Visit in the Education Study Room or Collections Research Lab
Teach with objects from the Smart Museum’s collection in one of two classroom-style spaces: the Education Study Room and the Collections Research Lab.
Teaching with the collection for the first time? An FAQ for instructors can be found here.
Scheduling: Requests should be submitted at least one week before the academic quarter begins and will be reviewed by members of the Feitler Center education team to ensure that the visit is a productive learning experience for students. Requests for Autumn Quarter 2025 will be accepted until Monday, September 22, 2025.
2. Class Exhibitions Visit in the Galleries
Teach with objects currently on view in the Smart Museum’s exhibitions.
Scheduling: Booked throughout the academic quarter on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to space availability and staff capacity.
3. Individual or Small-Group Research Visit
Conduct original research on objects from the Smart Museum’s collection.
Scheduling: Booked throughout the academic quarter on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to space availability and staff capacity.
Whichever type of academic engagement you choose, Feitler Center staff are eager to collaborate on tailoring the experience to your specific learning goals or research questions. To start a conversation about teaching and research at the Smart, please contact Cooper Long, Museum Educator, Academic Initiatives at cooperlong@uchicago.edu.
Interested in an academic engagement for younger learners? Information about the Smart’s K-12 school visit program can be found here.
