Artwork by Deana Harvey, a featured artist at Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery. Artwork provided by Deanna McCammon.

By Darla McCammon and guest author Darlene Romano

Visiting the Snite Museum of Art in Notre Dame is a treat for the whole family. There is a long history of collecting and displaying artwork at Notre Dame University. The history of public art at Notre Dame started in 1874 when Vatican artist Luigi Gregori was hired to teach art and decorate the interiors of the Main Building and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

By 1917 the art collection had grown enough to fill four galleries in the newly built library, Bond Hall. As the collection of art continued to grow through donations, in 1952 Ignatius A. O’Shaughnessy funded the construction of O’Shaughnessy Hall, which included the construction of the O’Shaughnessy Art Gallery. This was followed by a donation of $2 million dollars in 1976 from the Snite Foundation to fund a new building on campus, the Snite Museum of Art. The new museum includes 70,000 square feet for art exhibitions and with over 25,000 permanent pieces of art, is considered one of the finest university art museums in America. There are eleven permanent collection galleries and five special galleries, that change periodically, on display in the museum. The permanent collections are as follows:

Recent Acquisitions

• African
• American
• Decorative Arts
• European Painting and Sculpture
• Mesoamerican
• Modern and Contemporary
• Native North America Arts
• Photography
• Prints and Drawing
• George Rickey Sculpture Archive

Deana Harvey’s acrylic art will be on display at the Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery from Jan. 11 through the end of March. Artwork provided by Darla McCammon.

In 2017 the lead gifts for the construction of a new art museum were announced. The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art of Notre Dame will be a prominent element of the University’s new arts district that brings art and architecture together on the south end of campus. The museum will be built on the corner of the Charles B. Hayes Family Sculpture Park and joins the Matthew and Joyce Walsh Hall of Architecture and a future new home for the Department of Art, Art History & Design. The new Raclin Murphy Museum of Art was scheduled to be completed in June 2022 but is not yet finished. The school’s website has not been updated with any new information on a completion date.

The Snite Museum is located on the south edge of the University of Notre Dame campus in Notre Dame. The museum has activities, especially for families and children. There are interactive tours and hands-on activities to keep children engaged and interested. The museum offers “A Look & A Book,” which is a tote bag that focuses on a work of art in the museum and includes questions, a picture book and an in-gallery activity. Snite Bingo is offered for children of all ages and challenges observation skills as children try to find artworks that match the descriptions on the card.

The Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and until 7:30 p.m. every Thursday. Admission to the museum is free. For more information, call (574) 631-5466, which is staffed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. The website for the museum is sniteartmuseum.nd.edu.

Honeywell Arts and Entertainment Call for Artists Show: The entries for the Honeywell Arts and Entertainment contest will be on display Jan. 5 – Feb. 12 at the Honeywell Centers Clark Gallery in Wabash. For more information, call (260) 274-1411 or visit honeywellarts.org.

Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery: Artist Deana Harvey will be displaying her acrylic artwork beginning Jan. 11 through the end of March. Make sure you stop by to view her work! To exhibit at Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery, contact Darla McCammon, curator, by leaving a message at (574) 527-4044 or by emailing [email protected]