PCCC Meets The Met
Just a short bus ride from PCCC’s campus in historic downtown Paterson stands one of the world’s most revered cultural institutions, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where a group from PCCC, guided by faculty from our Fine and Performing Arts program, spent an exciting April afternoon touring galleries, sketching masterpieces, strolling through Central Park, and learning about internships and career opportunities.
Fine arts professor Azadeh Amiri, who also teaches at the Met, led the day with support from Professors Jill Sluka (Graphic Design), Karla Williams (Art History), Walter Behr (Media and Communications / Chair of the Fine and Performing Arts program), and Ms. Lorraine Hicks, staff assistant extraordinaire.
The enthusiastic group included 26 students, some art majors, some not. Right off the bus on New York City’s famed Fifth Avenue, our group gathered for the requisite photo on the iconic stone stairway leading to the entrance of the magnificent Met.
After a quick orientation, we divided into two smaller groups, with some choosing to tour galleries with Professor Williams while others went with Professor Amiri on a whirlwind gallery tour that started with the carvings of the ancients and ended with experimental contemporary works, followed by an hour of sketching sculptures.
“Notice that he is not anatomically realistic,” said Professor Amiri, as her group studied a marble statue of a young man carved in Greece around 590-580 BCE. She contrasted that with a powerful and physically realistic Roman statue of Hercules from the first century CE.
Viewing the ancient Egyptians mummies, Professor Amiri described the mummification process in which all body organs were removed to prevent decay, except for the heart. “The heart was allowed to remain in the body, because the ancient Egyptians believed it was the center of a person’s identity,” she explained.
Professor Amiri’s tour took us to a well-preserved bedroom from Pompeii, the ancient Italian city that was destroyed in the year 79 CE by the eruption of the volcano Mt. Vesuvius. We also viewed the front of the original Wall Street Bank on display in the American Wing, and made several stops through the galleries of European paintings, contemplating works by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, David, Monet, and various contemporary artists.
“My favorite paintings are by the Impressionists,” said Alicia Alcala, a business major who has always loved art. “Their use of light and color makes me feel peaceful.”
Our gallery tour concluded with a drawing session in Gallery 548 which houses a stunning display of European sculptures. Professor Amiri completed her own drawing, then strolled among the students offering feedback.
Despite the chilly weather and light drizzle, some of us ventured outdoors – grabbing a hot dog or coffee from the trucks that line up in front of the Museum -then followed Professor Amiri on a short trek through Central Park to visit the astonishing Cleopatra’s Needle, an ancient Egyptian granite obelisk that dates to the 15th century BCE and is now located behind the Museum.
Standing nearly 70 feet high and weighing about 200 tons, the obelisk, Professor Amiri explained, was carved from a single piece of stone and is inscribed with hieroglyphics. A gift from Egypt to the United States, the Needle was installed in 1881 in its current place in Central Park.
The final item on our itinerary was a private meeting with two Museum representatives who described their fulfilling careers at the Met and provided information to the students about internships and career opportunities there. In fact, Professor Amiri began her Met career in 2013 as an intern and continues there as a part-time educator offering workshops.
Ari Crosby, an art major who also works at PCCC as a Supplemental Instructor in the Studio Art program, took a special interest in this part of the visit. “I plan to become an art instructor,” he said. “An internship here at the Met is something I would look into.”
PCCC is grateful to the dedicated professors and staff who devote their time and talent to ensure that students enjoy these enriching experiences. This trip was funded by a US Department of Education Title V grant
Written and photographed by Linda Telesco
PCCC Media and Communication
Back to News