Notre Dame, IN: The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art has opened its latest Teaching Gallery
exhibition, partnering with faculty across campus to integrate the Museum’s permanent
collection into coursework and research.
This semester, the Gallery features works of art selected by faculty members who teach classes
and lead programs in theology, art history, global affairs, the Initiative on Race and Resilience,
and the Moreau First-Year Seminar.
By displaying works of art currently not on view, the gallery bridges academic scholarship and
visual art. The diversity of works of art and classes represented make the dynamic,
interdisciplinary learning at Notre Dame visible both to campus visitors and the public.
“The Raclin Murphy welcomes faculty from any discipline to select works of art that support
their specific course goals,” said Bridget Hoyt, curator of education for academic programs. “It
allows us to use our collection as a core teaching resource while giving all visitors a window into
how art intersects with history, theology, human rights, and literature.”
The current installation highlights three distinct academic partnerships:
Professor of Migration Amy Hsin selected works of art that complement coursework examining
legal status as a primary axis of social stratification for her class in the Keough School of
Global Affairs. These works explore U.S. immigration policy from the 19th-century era of mass
migration to modern climate displacement. This section challenges students to examine the
human drivers of mobility—economic necessity, state violence, and human rights—to place
legal frameworks alongside personal, lived experiences.
The Raclin Murphy is thrilled to partner again with the Initiative on Race and Resilience by
displaying works of art selected by Lauren Francis-Sharma, the Initiative’s 2026–2027 artist-in-
residence. This section of the installation features works geographically connected to the
Caribbean, the setting of her acclaimed novels ’Til the Well Runs Dry (2015) and Book of the
Little Axe (2020). The selections explore the artistic, translinguistic, and cultural dimensions of
racial and ethnic hierarchies in the region. During her residency, Francis-Sharma will use these
works to inform her historical fiction and lead workshops for campus and community writers.
Anchored by the work of Brazilian photographer Marc Ferrez (1843–1923), Professor Tatiana
Reinoza chose a focused case study for examining imperial and modern Brazil in her Latin
American and Latinx Photography course. Students will analyze how photography shaped
ideas about nationalism, modernity, and migration, placing Ferrez in dialogue with artists from
the nineteenth century to the present whose work also speaks to race, class, gender, and other
social issues.
The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art extends a special thanks to faculty and partners Neil Arner,
Lauren Francis-Sharma, Amy Hsin, Emily Normand, Tatiana Reinoza, and Elyse Speaks for
their collaboration on this semester’s installation.
The Teaching Gallery is open to all during Museum hours throughout the academic semester.
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. The renowned
permanent collection contains more than 31,000 works representing many cultures and periods in world art history.
Through its collections, exhibitions, and programs, the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art serves
and welcomes all to engage in wonder, spiritual reflection, inquiry, and research. For more
information, visit raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.
Media contact:
Gina Costa
Communications Program Director
Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
574-631-4720, gcosta@nd.edu