Art and the Museum as Instruments of Hope: A Conversation with Barbara Jatta

As part of the Sesquicentennial Celebration of the University of Notre Dame Art Museum, join us for an inspiring conversation exploring the intersections of the arts, faith, history, and education, and the role of the museum in contemporary life.

The discussion between Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, and Heather Hyde Minor, R.L. Canala Professor of Art History at Notre Dame, honors the legacy of connection between the Vatican Museums and campus art museums that began when Notre Dame Founder Rev. Edward F. Sorin, C.S.C., invited Vatican artist Luigi Gregori to campus, forever shaping Notre Dame’s visual identity and giving rise to one of the nation’s oldest and most esteemed university art museums. Examine the Vatican Museums’ global mission and its implications for our own artistic endeavors, and hear insights on art as a source of hope and human connection.

Opening remarks are provided by University of Notre Dame president Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. This Notre Dame Forum event was co-sponsored by the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art.

To read a recap of the event, click here.

Since its establishment in 2005, each year the Notre Dame Forum invites campus-wide dialogue about issues of importance to the University, the nation, and the larger world.

This year’s theme is Cultivating Hope. In a world where hope is too often in short supply, our goal is to invite reflection about how each of us can be “seekers of truth, sustainers of hope, and builders of bridges.”

To learn more about the Notre Dame Forum 2025-26, please visit the Forum website.