The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to enable the Museum to continue to deepen engagement and scholarship on religion, spirituality, and faith. The grant was made through Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, which aims to improve the public understanding of religion and in doing so foster greater knowledge of and respect for diverse religious traditions.

The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art opened in December 2023 as a new, 70,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility featuring 23 galleries and numerous public spaces including classrooms, a chapel, a cafe, and a bookshop. Situated at the corner of Eddy Street and Angela Boulevard, the museum serves as the entrance to the University’s Arts Gateway and encompasses more than 30,000 objects.

“We are deeply appreciative of this Lilly Endowment grant, which will help advance our mission as the leading global Catholic research university,” said John T. McGreevy, Notre Dame’s Charles and Jill Fischer Provost. “It aligns with many of the goals in our strategic framework, including University-wide research initiatives in the arts and global Catholicism and a commitment to deepen our engagement with South Bend and the region. This generous support for the museum will enhance the lives and well-being of others across campus and throughout our community.”

This is the second grant the University has received from Lilly Endowment through its national Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. A nearly $2.5 million grant in 2020 helped support the University’s strategic efforts to explore the role of religion, spirituality and faith in its extensive collection of art and artifacts.

This new grant will allow Notre Dame to expand the Raclin Murphy’s capacity to engage its core constituencies in exploring, deepening, and challenging ideas of religion and spirituality through its collections and exhibitions. The museum will do so with three key objectives in mind: strengthen and diversify holdings related to religion and spirituality through strategic acquisitions; provide opportunities for research and scholarship on museum holdings related to religion and spirituality; and conserve existing museum holdings related to religion and spirituality. A primary component of the grant will be used to support the acquisition of new objects.

“On behalf of all at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, I am profoundly grateful to all those at Lilly Endowment who have made this extraordinary grant possible,” said Joseph Antenucci Becherer, the museum’s director and curator of sculpture. “With great care and insight towards the understanding, scholarship, and growth of our collections, this grant spotlights critical areas for the museum, including research, conservation, and strategic acquisitions.”

With origins that date to 1875, the Raclin Murphy’s collection has grown into one of the most significant and extensive collections of any academic museum in the country, with works representing many of the principal cultures and periods of world art history. Its paintings, sculptures, ceramics, prints, drawings, textiles, baskets, and decorative arts offer visitors a broad view of global proportions. The museum will celebrate its sesquicentennial in 2025.

“We’ve witnessed how important conservation is and what astonishing things can result,” Becherer said. “We’ve also committed ourselves to significant acquisitions in the sesquicentennial campaign, 150 for 150, and this gives us a great boost. We’ve also recognized the need for research support to live out this aspect of our being, and this is our first necessary step forward.”

Admission to the museum is free for all guests. For more information on hours of operation, exhibits, and special events, visit raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.

About the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

With origins dating to 1875, the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art (formerly Snite Museum of Art) is one of the oldest and most highly regarded university art museums in America. Founded on the principle that art is essential to understanding individual, shared, and diverse human experiences and beliefs, the Museum encourages close looking and critical thinking. Experiences with significant, original works of art are intended to stimulate inquiry, dialogue, and wonder for audiences across the academy, the community, and around the world—all in support of the University of Notre Dame’s Catholic mission. The renowned permanent collection contains more than 30,000 works that represent many cultures and periods of world art history. For more information, visit raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.

For more information on the new building, visit raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu..

Media contact:

Gina Costa
Communications Program Director
Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
574-631-4720
gcosta@nd.edu

Originally published by Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu on July 22, 2024.