The collection at the Fordham University Museum of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Art grew last week upon the arrival of items on long-term loan from the Brooklyn Museum and the Hispanic Society of America. Several of these antique collections come from Roman Spain and are now housed in the Walsh Family Library. The museum attracts students, faculty and staff on a weekly basis, several of whom are student curators assisting in the museum. The Fordham museum is one of the most extensive collections in the Bronx.
The mind behind the museum is Jennifer Udell, Ph.D., the Walsh Library curator of university art and professor in the art history department. Udell joined the Fordham faculty in 2007 following her employment with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
While the objects provided are not permanent to the Walsh Library, they will be housed in the museum for several months for students, faculty and staff to view. “The objects are on loan from the Brooklyn Museum and the Hispanic Society of America, meaning, we do not own them, but they will be at Fordham for at least two years,” said Udell. Among the collections are 11 items archived from Roman Spain.
“These arrangements usually begin with the Curator at the requesting institution, in this case, me, writing the curators of the lending institution with a proposal,” said Udell. “More often than not, such proposals are accepted.” The museum serves as more than just a casual viewing collection, rather an educational moment for faculty at Fordham.
Udell often brings her museum studies course students into the museum to enrich them with the culture it has to offer. Students are encouraged to visit the museum on their own accord as well as to generate knowledge from firsthand experience with antiques.
The team of student curators assists in the museum’s daily operations, including unboxing and setup of new exhibits. Many of these students also assist in arranging the items throughout the floor space.
“I’m so excited about the new additions,” said Grace Monteith, FCRH ’25, a student curator at the museum. “The Brooklyn Museum has always been my favorite in New York City, and so when I heard we were getting some loans from there, I was ecstatic. The objects are beautiful, it was like Christmas morning when I first walked into the museum and found new pieces staring back at me.”
Monteith also described day-to-day in detail about her job as a student curator. “We have student-curated shows, where a group of students works with Dr. Udell to choose objects, as well as how to display them and write the object labels,” she said..
Monteith also attested to art history courses bringing students to the museum, in addition to those taught by Udell. “I wasn’t even a declared art history major when I first started working with the museum, but during my time there, I discovered what I was most passionate about, and the experience introduced me to what I’ll be pursuing in graduate school and my future career,” she said.
“In addition to this, I and a few other students helped with unpacking the museum when it reopened in the spring of 2023,” said Monteith. “This consisted of unpacking the objects and installing the cases, which is basically exhibit design. I also had the privilege of having a piece of work I made displayed in the museum for a few months.” Monteith also emphasized the importance of her job, since so many of the objects carried by the museum are thousands of years old, across different geographical locations and materials.
“I’ve visited the museum in almost every single one of my art history classes,” said Monteith. “The museum is my favorite space on campus and my involvement with it, inside and outside of class, has been truly a highlight of my time at Fordham.”
