The John P. Murphy Foundation

When the John P. Murphy Foundation became the presenting sponsor of Renaissance to Runway: The Enduring Italian Houses last fall, their gift represented the foundation’s most significant investment in the museum’s programs to date. Established in 1960 by John P. Murphy and his wife, Gladys, the foundation has long championed community, higher education, and arts and culture organizations, the latter accounting for nearly half of all grants awarded by the foundation in the past five years.

This enduring commitment includes decades of support to the CMA, including crucial funding for the museum’s Transformation Campaign and blockbuster presentations Degas and the Laundress: Women, Work, and Impressionism (2023–24) and Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors (2018). In light of the foundation’s legacy of giving to the CMA, we asked Nancy McCann, John P. Murphy Foundation president and longtime supporter of the arts, to reflect on the foundation’s giving and the role of arts and culture in our community. 

For McCann, the impact of art is undeniable. “The John P. Murphy Foundation believes that art and culture are essential components to not only personal growth and creativity but also community development,” she explains. “Supporting the arts in Cleveland adds to the benefit of the entire community as a whole.” This philosophy is deeply rooted in the legacy of John P. Murphy himself, who served for many years as CEO of the Higbee Company. His connection to fashion makes the foundation’s recent sponsorship of the CMA’s largest-ever fashion exhibition especially fitting. As McCann notes, “Mr. Murphy had always seen the importance of fashion from his days at Higbee’s, bringing fashion into the community. The fashion world is heightened by the exposure of art museums. Fashion is an art form that will never go out of style.” 

Although fashion represents a relatively new curatorial focus for the CMA, its historical and cultural importance—particularly as a medium for individual artistic expression—makes it an ideal area of study for the museum. McCann, whose ties to fashion include her tenure at Higbee’s and her role as a founding member of the Kent State University Fashion Museum, shares that she hopes visitors have been left with a deeper appreciation for Italian early modern art and its enduring influence on contemporary fashion. As for her and the foundation’s response to the exhibition: Eccellente!