“We are in the midst of reality responding with joy.”
So reads Jenny Holzer’s welcoming and inspiring monumental carved text panel on the front facade of the new Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, now open to the public. A global icon herself, Holzer has taken the classical or classically inspired tradition of carving text on a building and has innovatively transformed it into a meaningful work of art whose message resonates with us all.
Tradition and innovation, a waltz between the classic and the contemporary, form the conceptual fabric of the Raclin Murphy as much as brick and limestone, terrazzo and wood constitute the physical fabric. Now home to one of the nation’s oldest and most-esteemed university art collections, this new building offers unique contexts to (re)consider the past and imagine the future. A distinctive feature of the Museum is its prominent placement at the entrance to one of the great Catholic educational and research institutions – the University of Notre Dame. Truth, character, discovery, beliefs, and the majesty of the visual arts converge.
In reflecting on his visits to the University of Notre Dame and its unique mission and position in the world, sculptor Jaume Plensa conceived of Endless, the monumental sculpture at the entrance to the Museum. The critically acclaimed international artist said, “Our search for knowledge is endless, it joins the earth and sky.” Perhaps more than a sculpture, Endless is a beacon for the arts, self-discovery, and the future – a metaphor for the Museum and University. With my cherished, hard-working museum colleagues, I say welcome to what is and what can be. We have built a building and filled its spaces, but only together can we give the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art the soul it merits.
Until we greet you here on campus to visit the Raclin Murphy in person, we are pleased to virtually share many works from our collections and behind the scenes peeks at how your new museum came together with our friends here on ThinkND.
With open doors,
Joseph Antonucci Becherer, PhD
Director and Curator of Sculpture, Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
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