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.”


Marc Ferrez (Brazilian, 1843–1923), Panorama of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, ca. 1880, Gelatin silver print on printing-out paper. Bequest of Mary Frances Mulholland Fund, 2005.039.014

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.