One thing all Fordham students have heard at one point or another is “Fordham is my school, New York is my campus.” Yet, how does Fordham make the connection to New York beside just the virtue of its location in New York? There is one program which I have discovered that more students should really take advantage of. If you have any interest in art, history or just looking at something besides Fordham, definitely head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. One of the major art institutions in the country, the Met houses a wide ranges of art in regard to both what kind of art it is as well as what culture and period it is from, stretching from Ancient to Modern. Since the Met is so large, it is easy to get lost amongst the art (which I highly recommend doing at one point). If you are looking to get more out of the experience, Fordham’s Art History program has got you covered. They offer a program called Museum Fridays, something that someone who took Intro to Art History might know about. The basic gist is that you get to the Met by 5pm on Friday and there you will meet one of the professors from the department. The professor then gives you a tour of their specialty area. The event lasts about an hour and is free for students, but you do need to get a ticket through eventbrite. I find this program to be a great way to do something different on Fridays but still have time to hangout with friends later.
I have to admit the first time I went to a Museum Friday it was for class. The professor did not show up, so I ended up just standing in the lobby waiting the entire hour with a little hope that he would show. Fortunately, he is not leading a tour this semester and I have utmost confidence that the professors for this semester will make it. The second time I went I got led on a tour by the department chair in Ancient American Art, something I would not have gone to see if not for this tour. The tour was a lot of fun, the professor was interesting and she even carried a little Fordham flag in a way like Miss Ungermeyer in the Lizzie McGuire Movie. I even spoke about that tour in an interview. It is a great alternative answer to the question “what do you do in your free time?” to what the answer in reality is, napping.
The tour gets you a ticket to the Met so something I also recommend doing is staying to explore the museum after. The place really transforms when it’s dark outside and barely anyone is there. I am not going to lie, it has a little bit of a creepy vibe. You are there alone with a whole bunch of statues or in a period room from another place and time or the eyes of the painting seem to follow. Nevertheless, it’s a different experience than going in the day and is worth the time.