Raclin Murphy Museum of Art receives $2.5M Lilly Endowment grant – Inside INdiana Business

The University of Notre Dame has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. to enable the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art continue to deepen engagement and scholarship on religion, spirituality and faith.

Made through Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, the grant will be used to improve the public understanding of religion, fostering greater knowledge of and respect for diverse religious traditions, the university said.

The 70,000-square-foot Raclin Murphy Museum of Art opened in December 2023 and features 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 showcases 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,” Notre Dame Provost John McGreevy said in a news release. “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 is the second grant the university has received from Lilly Endowment through this initiative. A 2020 grant for a similar amount helped support the university’s efforts to explore the role of religion, spirituality and faith in its extensive collection of art and artifacts.

Notre Dame said the new grant will allow it to expand the museum’s capacity to engage its core constituencies in exploring, deepening and challenging ideas of religion and spirituality through its collections and exhibitions.

“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,” the museum’s director and curator of sculpture, Joseph Antenucci Becherer, said. “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.”

The Raclin Murphy’s collection has grown into one of the most significant and extensive collections of any academic museum in the country, the release said. Dating back to 1875, the museum’s works represent many of the principal cultures and periods of world art history. 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.”

Admission to the museum is free for all guests. For more information on hours of operation, exhibits and special events, click here.

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