Gallery – Special Collections & The Gallery

WALSH GALLERY EXHIBIT SUPPORTS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Matter + Spirit exhibit supports experiential learning

Object Care students discuss caring for objects in an exhibition setting — Professor David Bonner visits the Walsh Gallery with his graduate level class, “Object Care.”

Undergraduate students in Professor Christine Lhowe’s course “Typography I” and graduate students in Professor David Bonner’s “Object Care” recently visited the exhibition Matter + Spirit at the Walsh Gallery. Both visits enabled students in two distinct disciplines to apply their knowledge of graphic design and museum collections care using the exhibition as a case study. Students conversed with gallery staff, asking questions, making observations and connecting theory with experience. Prior to their engagement with staff, students viewed the exhibit independently. The variety of materials employed by the artists range from pieces with AR (augmented reality) components that immerse viewers in additional layers of experience, LED light sculptures powered by Arduino microcontrollers and kinetic installation art in addition to other media.

Visiting on February 21, students in Professor Lhowe’s “Typography I” were briefed on the overall theme of the exhibition with a discussion of some highlights. The conversation articulated the main points

undergraduate students studying graphic design using exhibits as a case study — Professor Christine Lhowe (far right) visiting with her “Typography I” students

of the exhibition, enabling students to critique the branding, typography, layout and overall design components chosen by the organizers and designers of this traveling exhibit from Taylor University of Indiana. In this manner, Matter + Spirit became an immersive backdrop through which to review how graphic design contributes to the function, communication and aesthetics of the exhibition, preparing students to produce similar projects for clients when they enter the field.

Students in David Bonner’s Museum Professions graduate course, “Object Care” similarly used Matter + Spirit to apply to their knowledge of caring for museum objects, exhibition planning and installation techniques. Conversations centered on the challenges of traveling exhibitions and the necessity of planning, flexibility, good communication and coordination among gallery staff, contractors and exhibition organizers. Other challenges discussed included the care of unusual and delicate materials, troubleshooting hardware components and planning for the unexpected while staying on deadline.

After the gallery conversation, students were then given a behind-the-scenes tour by Collections Manager Laura Hapke who showed students the preservation lab where staff actively work on collections prior to exhibitions, preservation or cataloguing tasks. A variety of objects were on view so that students could see first-hand the way materials age and how the aging process is abated by specific collections care strategies. This conversation was followed by a visit to the storage areas where students saw how objects were stored for long-term care when not on view to the public. Students saw painting racks, rolled and hanging textile storage, compact shelving and map cases, among other storage furniture options

students in "Object Care" get a tour of the storage vault for collections — Collections Manager Laura Hapke shows students the object storage vault

for museum art and artifacts. The different types of storage allow the Walsh Gallery to care for objects in the best manner possible to meet both professional and ethical standards for care.

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Since 1994, the Walsh Gallery has enhanced classroom learning for a variety of graduate and undergraduate students using exhibitions as an interdisciplinary educational tool. If you would like to visit Spirit + Matter with your group or you’d like to know more about how experiential learning can enhance your classes, contact us at 973-275-2033 or walshgallery@shu.edu to make a research appointment. The gallery is located on the 1st floor of the Walsh Library and is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Groups of 8 or more must make an appointment prior to visiting.

STUDENTS EXPERIENCE ‘SPIRIT + MATTER’ EXHIBIT THROUGH PAINTING, MUSIC AND CREATIVE WRITING

On Monday, January 23^rd, the Walsh Gallery opened its first exhibition of 2023, “Matter + Spirit.” The show features Seton Hall University’s Lauren Schiller, Professor of Fine Arts, whose finely detailed oil paintings grace the entry to this group show. Curated by Rachel Taylor of Calvin University, the exhibition stems from a residency that brought together a cohort of artists from North America that traveled to China in 2018 to engage with colleagues in that country. The show is a sort of visual dialogue resulting from this two week program which acquainted participants with the current art scene in China while focusing their attention to the place of spirituality in contemporary life. On the afternoon of the opening reception, Professor Schiller discussed her experiences in China in a presentation attended by students in her Painting I class, faculty and retired faculty. This was followed by a visit to the gallery to view the exhibition and Schiller’s paintings. Schiller also made remarks at the opening reception to the larger group of attendees later that afternoon.

Lauren Schiller discusses her time in China with students in Painting I

After Professor Schiller’s remarks at the opening reception, which coincided with the Lunar New Year, students studying Chinese Language (Mandarin) with Dongdong Chen, Asian Studies, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures welcomed the Year of the Rabbit with a chorale performance of songs in Mandarin to an enthusiastic crowd.

“Matter + Spirit” was later visited by Professor Nathan Oates’ creative writing class. Students were given a brief talk on the formation and theme of the exhibition before exploring the show independently. They then settled in to write an assignment based on an object they selected from the 44 artworks on display. Some students were attracted to traditional forms of art such as painted scrolls featuring panoramic landscape imagery, while others were drawn to a multi-media installation featuring LED lights, kinetic elements, and drawing, while other students preferred to investigate AR (augmented reality) artworks that are activated with a mobile phone app they can download to their cellphone.

Students performing for Lunar New Year — Students in the Chinese Program perform at the opening reception

Professor Nathan Oates discusses the exhibit with students in Creative Writing I

The Walsh Gallery welcomes visits for personal enjoyment and enrichment. We also welcome scheduled group visits with that use the exhibitions or university’s collections for pedagogy and research. If you would like to inquire about how the gallery and special collections can support your teaching and learning experience with objects and/or exhibitions, please contact us at walshgallery@shu.edu

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The Walsh Gallery has a considerable collection of fine art, artifacts and archeological specimens for use by faculty, students and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, contact us at 973-275-2033 or walshgallery@shu.edu to make a research appointment. Now on view in the Walsh Gallery: “Matter + Spirit” through Friday, May 12th. The gallery is located on the 1st floor of the Walsh Library and is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Groups of 8 or more must make an appointment prior to visiting.

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BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE!

Students in Dr. Laura Wangerin's "VIKINGS!" class discuss a replica of the Gundestrup Cauldron from the university's collections

This semester, students experienced history first-hand through object-based learning (OBL), an approach that adds value to classroom studies. In OBL, students learn via engaging in conversation and discourse using artworks, artifacts, archival materials, or digital representations of unique objects as catalysts to foster a sense of wonder, awe and curiosity. Object-based learning prioritizes critical thinking inspired by close observation to connect objects to concepts learned in the classroom.

Dr. Laura Wangerin’s “VIKINGS!” class visited the Archives and Special Collections recently to view the university’s replicas of the Gundestrup Cauldron and Book of Kells in a conversation guided by the student’s thoughts, questions and observations – relating the imagery back to what was learned through readings and coursework. Students were taken by the scale of the work, the construction of the cauldron, and the high relief imagery which is visible 360 degrees around. Engaging objects via the senses connects students to the past while making connections to the present. Objects are powerful tools for learning, especially when students realize they are standing in the presence of an object made by people or cultures from long ago. In this sense, objects can become almost like time machines, bringing us back to pivotal moments in human or natural history.

Noticias Summarias das Perseguições da missam de Cochinchina, principiada, & continuada pelos Padres da Companhia de Jesu. (OCLC #: 16077971)

In Dr. Kirsten Schultz’s course “Religion and Society in Early Latin America” students visited to see rare books published around the time of the Counter-Reformation to enhance their understanding and appreciation of the issues at stake as they discussed the role of the Church in colonial society. Conversation centered on the adventencia pages of the “Noticias Summarias,” which served as an agreement that the book could be published. The volume is an important account of the Portuguese mission in Cochinchina and Tonkin, today’s Vietnam.

The Walsh Gallery and Archives and Special Collections care for the university’s various collections and make them available for study, research, exhibitions and related programs. Objects include materials from world cultures and span from the neolithic era to the present. Highlights of the collection include Byzantine and Greco-Roman coins and artifacts; Native American basketry, ceramics and beaded crafts along with tools and leather goods; Japanese toys and 19^th century woodblock prints; 3,000-year-old Chinese ceramics and metalwork; contemporary Chinese art; 17^th and 18^th century European engravings; and documents dating to the founding of the Newark Diocese and Seton Hall College. There are also significant collections from New Jersey politicians such as Brendan Byrne – the state’s 47^th governor and Donald M. Payne, New Jersey’s U.S. representative who served the 10^th congressional district from 1989 until his death in 2012.

A portion of the university’s collections can be viewed on Google Arts and Culture and you can view scholar Dr. Caterina Agostini’s recent digital exhibition, “Currency Culture” which uses coins from the Ron D’Argenio Collection of Coins and Antiquities to discuss notions of power and politics as conveyed on minted coins from the Byzantine and Roman Empires.

Dr. Caterina Agostini presents her research on coinage — Dr. Caterina Agostini, D’Argenio Fellow at Seton Hall University presents her research on the university’s collection of coins to students in the Italian Studies Program.

Those interested in viewing the Gundestrup Cauldron can view it through the end of the semester on the first floor of the Walsh Library in the display windows outside the Archives and Special Collections. If you would like to make an appointment to use the collections for research, class visits or other scholarly pursuits, please contact us. We would love to hear about your projects and how we can work together to illustrate your ideas!

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The Walsh Gallery has a considerable collection of fine art, artifacts and archeological specimens for use by faculty, students and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, contact us at 973-275-2033 or walshgallery@shu.edu to make a research appointment. Now on view in the Walsh Gallery: Seton Hall Re/Collects through Friday, December 9^th. The gallery is located on the 1^st floor of the Walsh Library and is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Groups of 8 or more must make an appointment prior to visiting.

PETROGLYPH FEATURED IN TRAVELING EXHIBITION

On the second floor of the Walsh Library is a rare petroglyph – a prehistoric rock carving – made between 3000-1000 B.C.E. The petroglyph generates numerous research requests each year due to its unique nature. One of those requests was made by the National Scenic Visitors Center/Earthwalk USA of Zionsville, Pennsylvania for their Earthwalk Explorer multi-media interactive exhibition. They requested a visit to the petroglyph to do a 3D scan which was written about in a previous blog post roughly two years ago.

petroglyph being scanned — the petroglyph being 3D scanned in preparation of the replica

This traveling exhibit pairs maps, topography, history, culture, written and spoken language and storytelling in an immersive experience that projects videos onto a topographical map of the East Coast of the United States. The looped video begins by revealing the original Lenni Lenape trails that eventually became the highways and busy roads we use today; facets of Lenape history and culture, and other fascinating information about the region’s forests, parks and borders. The National Scenic Visitors Center worked closely with Chief Demund of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania who offered this blessing which opens the video program:

“Grandfather, sacred and holy father, you whose breath we hear in the four winds. I say thank you for the wingeds, the four leggeds, the fish people, the creepy crawlers, the plants, the trees, the grandfathers. I say thank you for the breath of life and for all my relations.”

– Chief Demund, Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania

Adjacent to the exhibit is an activity area featuring a reproduction of the petroglyph. Visitors learn about the glyphs – their conjectured meaning, what they depict and how the words are pronounced in Lenape. The project relied on the Lenape Talking Dictionary for some of the interpretations. Professor Sean Harvey of Seton Hall University discussed the petroglyph’s significance in a video produced last year for Native American Heritage Month.

The petroglyph was located on Rudyard Jennings’ property along the Delaware River in Walpack Township, New Jersey until 1968 when it was moved to Seton Hall University by Herbert Kraft, a field archaeologist specializing in Lenni Lenape people and culture. Kraft was also a renowned professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at the university. At the time of the move, Kraft sought to preserve the petroglyph which was at risk due to a plan by the Army Corps of Engineers to dam the river which would have flooded the area: submerging the petroglyph. Plans to build the Tocks Island Dam were never realized, but the petroglyph had already been moved by the time the project was abandoned. The petroglyph is the only one discovered along the Delaware River, making it a unique resource that offers tantalizing glimpses into the life and values of the Lenni Lenape people.

Gallery Director Jeanne Brasile recently visited the Earthwalk Explorer which is on view at Northampton Community College in Easton, Pennsylvania to see how the petroglyph was integrated into the exhibit and interpreted for visitors. Brasile met with Mary Ellen Snyder, Executive Director of the National Scenic Visitors Center and Amy Hollander, Strategic Consultant at Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor who developed the educational programs and much of the content. Joining them were two student docents, Alexander Almonte and Alejandro Zuniga who enthusiastically and expertly guided the experience for visitors. Almonte described how his interest in GIS (a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface) and geography drew him to this work but the exhibit also stirred more of a connection to his own lineage which is partly indigenous Peruvian on his mother’s side. The exhibition uses the concept of geography and topography as a jumping off point for discourse on issues such as colonialism, land stewardship, respect and migratory patterns.

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Activity area features Lenape glyphs and language

The First In-House 3D Model

By Jeanne Brasile and Jacquelyn Deppe

Walsh Gallery is delighted to announce its first use of in-house 3D modeling in its current exhibit, Seton Hall Re-Collects.

Screenshot of the Pope John XXIII Medal for the Opening of Vatican II Council (1st session) being edited in Blender.

For our first model, the Pope John XXIII Medal for the Opening of Vatican II Council (1st session), a gift of Peter Ahr, was used. The medal was scanned in the TLTC’s Digital Scanning Lab using the KIRI Engine app and later edited in Blender to create the final file. By uploading the file into a 3D viewer plugin on WordPress, it allows visitors to rotate and zoom in on the front of the medal while appreciating the back displayed by its physical counterpart. Using 3D technology has allowed us to display both the front and back of the medal simultaneously!

Image of the reverse side of the Pope John XXIII Medal for the Opening of Vatican II Council (1st session).

Medal
Pope John XXIII Medal for the Opening of Vatican II Council (1st session)
C. After
gold plated metal
2″
1965
Gift of Peter Ahr
2021.01.0015

Make sure to stop by and check out Seton Hall Re-Collects in the Walsh Gallery, a crowd-sourced exhibition featuring the university’s collections. Objects on display were selected by those who have worked with them, collected them or used them for research. Participants include students, faculty, staff, interns, volunteers, donors and scholars from other institutions – each contributing a label written in their unique voice which describes their interest in the object(s) they chose. The show includes of a wide array of art, artifacts and rare books including Japanese toys, historic 19th century ledgers, 17th century engravings, Roman and Byzantine coins, a print by Salvador Dalí and a medal from the Second Vatican Council – among other items. The show is on view September 12 – December 9, 2022.

The show’s inspiration draws on a series of exhibits organized by the Art Department in the 1980’s titled Seton Hall Collects. Each exhibition highlighted a related group of objects; traditional Japanese prints, Modern paintings and contemporary American prints. This reboot similarly highlights the collections though the selections are not limited to any one medium or type of object to emphasize the breadth and scope of the university’s holdings. Labels reflect the writers’ perspectives, favoring personal and contextual information about the objects over their physical attributes which was once the fashion for exhibitions. Gallery Director Jeanne Brasile conceived of the exhibition when she found an old exhibition catalogue from 1984 featuring Japanese prints while researching the Asian art collection. “This exhibition harkens back to the history of Seton Hall and the people who cultivated the many collections we enjoy today, while bringing this time-honored format into the future. It was exciting to see the exhibition take shape through the eyes of our collaborators.”

Seton Hall University’s beautiful main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles from New York City — offering students a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. Seton Hall’s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark. The University’s Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) campus in Clifton and Nutley, N.J. houses Seton Hall’s College of Nursing and School of Health and Medical Sciences as well as the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University. The Walsh Gallery, located on the first floor of the Walsh Library is open 9am to 5pm, Monday—Friday. Groups of 8 or more must register in advance. Admission to the gallery and its programs is free and
open to the public.

And stay tuned for more 3D models!

Object of the Week: Benin Courtier

CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day federal troops led by General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform Texans that all enslaved people were now free. Their arrival came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, which freed all enslaved people in Confederate states. Slavery continued in Texas during the Civil War since there was not any large-scale fighting as well as a lack of Union troops. Many slave owners even moved to Texas during that time.[1] Upon General Granger’s arrival in Galveston, there were 250,000 enslaved people in Texas.[2] Slavery was formally abolished in the United States with the ratification of the 13^th Amendment in December 1865. Juneteenth, a combination of “June” and “19th,” is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.[3] While Juneteenth celebrations originated in Texas, which was also the first state to make it an official holiday, 47 states and Washington D.C. recognize it as a state holiday today and there is a push to make it a federal holiday as well.

Small reproduction statue of a Benin Courtier from the waist up — Benin Courtier (reproduction), Seton Hall University Teaching Collection, T2017.01.0016

In recognition of Juneteenth, the Walsh Gallery has created a teaching collection from a subset of the Seton Hall Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology Collection (SHUMAA). It is a vast collection of art and artifacts compiled by former Seton Hall Professor Herbert Kraft from a variety of world cultures. This collection in particular consists of sculptures and masks from places such as Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana in addition to many other countries and cultures. The statue featured above is a Benin courtier serving as an emissary to the Oba, or king, of Benin from the Ooni of Ife, the monarch of the Yoruba people. The original sculpture was cast in bronze. The Kingdom of Benin (which is different from the present-day nation state of the same name), also known as the Edo Kingdom or the Benin Empire, existed from around the 11^th century CE until 1897. The kingdom was located in West Africa in what is now Nigeria. This statue, along with two other pieces from the collection, are currently on view in the window display in the Walsh Library Rotunda on the second floor. Make sure to take a look! Materials in the Teaching Collection can be utilized by students and faculty for research projects and classroom learning for object-based projects. To check out these objects, contact the Walsh Gallery at walshgallery@shu.edu or by phone at 973-275-2033.

[1] https://www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth, accessed 6/11/21.

[2] https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth, accessed 6/11/21.

[3] https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/juneteenth-original-document, accessed 6/11/21.

Object of the Week: “Immaculate Conception Seminary in Winter” by Edwin Havas

Edwin Havas
Immaculate Conception Seminary in Winter
watercolor on paper
1992
2016.11.0001
Courtesy of the Walsh Gallery

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHAPEL

On May 21,1863, the cornerstone of the Immaculate Conception Chapel was laid by Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley – the first Bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark – and nephew to Seton Hall University’s namesake, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.[1] The chapel, designed by architect Jeremiah O’Rourke of O’Rourke & Moran, was dedicated seven years later in 1870. O’Rourke, who immigrated from Ireland, was known in America for his design of Roman Catholic churches and institutions such as hospitals and post offices. He designed the Cathedral Basilica of Newark, the fifth largest cathedral in North America and seat of the Archdiocese of Newark, as well as President’s Hall on the Seton Hall campus.[2] Both the Immaculate Conception Chapel and President’s Hall are examples of Gothic Revival architecture, the preeminent style for Roman Catholic churches of the period which features pointed arches, narrow windows and elaborately carved details.[3]

Design with red, blue, green, and white — plaster wall fragment attributed to E. Erbe
c. 1870
2016.08.0001
Courtesy of the Walsh Gallery

The Immaculate Conception Chapel’s interior design was completed by J.R. Lamb. Founded in 1857, J.R. Lamb Studios is the oldest continuously operating stained glass studio in the United States. Originally located in Greenwich Village, New York, the studio now operates from Midland Park, New Jersey. They continue to take new commissions as well as restoration work for historic stained glass panels.[4] This section of plaster was preserved by the facilities staff during one of the many chapel restorations completed over the past 158 years. The section of decorated plaster is believed to have been painted by E. Erbe, an ‘artist in oil and fresco.’[5] The fragment depicts a red, blue and gold palette with organic motifs and geometric designs typical of the period. It may reveal some of Lamb’s original design for the interior, though we cannot be sure due to lack of documentation at the time and there have been numerous interior renovations since the chapel’s 1870 dedication.[6]

This sketch by Robert Robbins for the proposed design of the side altar

Image with blue and green and a white statue — Robert Robbins
Design for Side Altar and Appointments
Painted sketch on board
1963
2016.03.0002
Courtesy of the Walsh Gallery

dates to the 1963 chapel renovation. The color scheme from the section of fresco above was repeated in Robbins’ new design, with a blue and gold palette and red accents. This side altar retains J.R. Lamb’s distinguishing Gothic Revival style with the pointed arches, ornate tracery and trefoil (tri-lobed) details at the top of each arch. The trefoil is an architectural detail that is also symbolic of the Holy Trinity, fitting for a church design.

Today, the Immaculate Conception Chapel is still considered the heart of Seton Hall University. Masses are held daily and the chapel is a popular space for weddings. Since the chapel was built, it has been lovingly restored numerous times, the latest round of updates occurring in 2008. The chapel contains a shrine to the university’s namesake, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, who remains a tangible presence throughout campus, particularly in this sacred space.

[1] https://academic.shu.edu/chapel/1863.html, accessed 5/13/2021.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_O%27Rourke, accessed 5/14/2021.

[3] https://academic.shu.edu/chapel/overview.html, accessed 5/17/2021.

[4] https://lambstudios.com/stained-glass-studios/, accessed 5/17/2021.

[5] https://academic.shu.edu/chapel/1863.html, accessed 5/13/2021.

[6] https://academic.shu.edu/chapel/interior.html, accessed 5/17/2021.

Object of the Week: Portrait of Dr. Wang Fang-yu

Portrait of Dr. Wang Fang-yu in his later years
c. 1990s

MAY IS AAPI HERITAGE MONTH

AAPI Heritage Month recognizes the contributions of generations of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent who have enriched America’s history and been instrumental to the country’s success. Wang Fang-yu, Professor Emeritus and Chair of the Department of Asian Studies at Seton Hall University serves as an exemplar of this spirit. Though he passed away almost 25 years ago, his efforts continue to support, promote and positively influence the study of Chinese language in the Asian Studies Program which, for over 50 years, has been recognized for its outstanding faculty and programs.[1] A pioneer in the teaching of the Mandarin language, he was part of a team which developed the first Chinese language teaching computer system. He also wrote several books and dictionaries on the Chinese language which are available to researchers through the Seton Hall’s Department of Archives and Special Collections.[2]

In addition to establishing new methods for teaching Mandarin, Wang Fang-yu founded and curated a large and distinguished collection of Asian art and artifacts while at Seton Hall University.[3] Along with Dr. Louis de Crenascol and Barbara (Kaufmann) Cate of the Art Department, Wang worked tirelessly to cultivate donations from some of the most distinguished private collections in the region. He was often competing with large institutions such as the Freer Gallery in Washington D.C, but he was persuasive, ultimately establishing a collection of hundreds of objects. The core of the collection consists of painted silk scrolls, ceramics and notable calligraphy pieces and it was the foundation of many exhibitions in the Art Center and other locations on campus prior to the building of the Walsh Gallery in 1994. The collection includes pieces from Korea, China, Japan, The Philippines and India, as well as other Asian and Pacific Island cultures.

Image of scroll on table with woman inspecting it — “Landscape” Attributed to Chu Ta, aka Bada Shanren, 1699, 77.10.37, Wang Fang-yu Collection of Asian Art, Courtesy of the Walsh Gallery

An accomplished calligrapher in his own right, Wang’s art became the subject of exhibitions at the Walsh Gallery and numerous other venues including the Asian Society, The Newark Museum of Art, The Duke University Art Museum and E & J Frankel Gallery in New York, one of the oldest galleries in the country to specialize in Asian art.[4] Wang was also an avid collector of artist Bada Shanren, a 17^th century Chinese calligrapher and poet. In the image above you can see Meghan Brady, Collections Assistant at the Walsh Gallery, inspecting and documenting “Landscape”, attributed to Chu Ta, a pseudonym used by the artist. A recent exhibition at Fu Quimeng Gallery in New York City featured the work of Bada Shanren in tandem with Wang Fang-yu’s art.[5] The exhibition also included a special section dedicated to Wang Fang-yu’s ground-breaking art authentication system which used computers and comparative analysis techniques borrowed from linguists. The show, “Authentic or Forgery: How does a Chinese Connoisseur Work?” described how Wang’s use of computers and algorithms was way ahead of the curve in establishing the authorship of artworks. Wang’s scholarship was further revealed in the display of his manuscripts, photographs and writings.[6]

In a recent interview at Fu Quimeng Gallery, Shao Fang described how his father’s methods of art connoisseurship were not universally accepted when they were first developed in the 1960s.[7] People were skeptical of computers and his use of lingual theories as applied to art. Before this time, authentication was the domain of art historians, curators and scholars whose judgments were contingent on visual observations and instincts based on extensive knowledge of a subject. Wang Fang-yu was deeply appreciative of Seton Hall University’s embrace of his (then) unorthodox methods, which are no longer far outside of mainstream scholarship.

White porcelain prunus tree on black background — Porcelain prunus tree sculpture
Ch’ing Dynasty
Mid to late 18th century China
79.40.10
Wang Fang-yu Collection of Asian Art
Courtesy of the Walsh Gallery

Seton Hall University is celebrating AAPI Heritage Month with a series of events. Students can vote for their favorite Asian American and Pacific Islander owned business and be entered to win a prize. The University Libraries has created a virtual display of books to highlight the breadth, culture and creativity of AAPI books, both fiction and non-fiction. To find other ways to participate, view the May calendar of events at Seton Hall University.

[1] https://www.shu.edu/languages-literatures-cultures/asian-studies-languages-literatures-cultures.cfm, accessed 5/10/2021.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Fangyu_Wang, accessed 5/10/2021.

[3] Typescript of the “Inventory – Wang Fang-yu Collection of Asian Art” by Dr. Lee de Crenascol, 1976, Walsh Gallery, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, USA.

[4] http://www.allthegalleries.com/dealers/e-j-frankel-2492.html, accessed 5/10/2021.

[5] https://fuqiumeng.com/en/category/artists/fangyu-wang/, accessed 5/10/2021.

[6] https://fuqiumeng.com/en/wangfangyuexhibition/, accessed 5/10/2021.

[7] Shao Fang, gallery talk and interview with Dr. Sarah Ponichtera, Jeanne Brasile and Meghan Brady at Fu Quimeng Gallery, New York, NY, 1/31/2021.

Object of the Week: Flame of Abraham Award Given to Sister Rose Thering

Sister Rose’s Flame of Abraham Award
District 3, B’nai B’rith – (Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia)
24 ½” x 8 ⅛” x 7 ¼”
1975
2018.26.0002
Courtesy of the Walsh Gallery

REMEMBERING SISTER ROSE THERING

Fifteen year ago, the Seton Hall University community and people around the world mourned the loss of Sister Rose Thering, a tireless activist who dedicated her life to fighting antisemitism. Sister Rose came to Seton Hall in 1968 when she was hired by Monsignor John M. Oesterreicher, founder of the Institute of Judeo-Christian Studies, an innovative program that brought priests, nuns, and rabbis together in support of improved relations between the two religions.[1] A native of Wisconsin, Sister Rose joined the Dominican Order at Saint Catherine of Siena Convent at age 16. After taking her final vows, she began teaching grade school students in Racine.[2] She was shocked to find that textbooks she had ordered for her pupils contained passages that were overtly against Jews and Judaism. This inspired a resolve to correct what she saw as a fundamental flaw in church teachings. In 1961, while earning her doctoral degree at Saint Louis University, Sister Rose addressed these concerns in her dissertation which reviewed antisemitism in Catholic texts.[3] The self-study dealt primarily with Catholic teachings about Jews and Judaism, while also emphasizing what was taught about other faiths, ethnicities and racial groups.[4]

Her pioneering work drew the attention of Bishop Augustin Bea, then a Cardinal appointed by Pope John XXIII to tend to ecumenical affairs and Christian unity initiatives.[5] At the time, Cardinal Bea was drafting a statement to be submitted to the Second Vatican Council, convened by Pope John XXIII in 1962 to ameliorate relations between the Catholic Church and the modern world. Sister Rose’s dissertation influenced the Cardinal’s contributions to Nostra Aetate (In Our Time), the final statement on the relationship between Catholics and Jews, which was approved by the Council in October 1965.[6] One of the theologians with whom Cardinal Bea worked with on this document was Monsignor John M. Oesterreicher, who brought Sister Rose Thering to Seton Hall.[7] In her duties as a professor, Sister Rose continued her pursuit of understanding and cooperation among Jews, Christians and people of other religious traditions through advocacy and education.

Sister Rose traveled extensively for her work, going where she felt she was needed. In 1974, she presented a menorah to Pope Paul VI at the Vatican. In 1986, she went to Austria to protest the inauguration of President Kurt Waldheim, the former United Nations secretary general, who had served in a Nazi army unit implicated in the deportation of Jews from Greece in World War II. In 1987, she went to the Soviet Union to protest the government’s treatment of Russian Jews. [8] In 1994, Sister Rose was appointed by New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean to help draft a law that would require Holocaust education in all the state’s elementary and high schools.[9]

Sister Rose Thering’s advocacy earned her many awards and recognitions, including the above statuette awarded by B’nai B’rith in 1975. In 2004, a documentary of her life and work titled Sister Rose’s Passion received an award at the Tribeca Film Festival and was later nominated for an Academy Award. That same year, Thering received the Anti-Defamation League’s Cardinal Bea Interfaith Award, the first woman to receive this honor.[10] Between 1970 and her time of retirement in 2005, Sister Rose organized and led 54 tours of Israel. She believed in building bridges and the importance of learning about Jews, Judaism, and the State of Israel.[11] Sister Rose Thering passed away at her convent, The Siena Center of the Racine Dominicans in Wisconsin, on May 6, 2006. Her work continues at Seton Hall University, home of the Sister Rose Thering Fund which has awarded over 350 scholarships to date to students in the graduate program of Jewish-Christian Studies in the Department of Religion studying the Holocaust and related subjects.[12]

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/08/nyregion/08thering.html, accessed 5/3/2021.

[2] https://www.shu.edu/sister-rose/upload/SR_Commemorative_Service.pdf, accessed 5/3/2021.

[3]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Thering, accessed 5/3/2021.

[4] https://site8.auth.shu.commonspotcloud.com/sister-rose/about-sister-rose.cfm, accessed 5/3/2021.

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustin_Bea, accessed 5/3/2021.

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostra_aetate, accessed 5/3/2021.

[7] https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/08/nyregion/08thering.html, accessed 5/3/2021.

[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/08/nyregion/08thering.html, accessed 5/3/2021.

[9] https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/research_sites/cjl/texts/cjrelations/news/thering_tribute.htm, accessed 5/3/2021.

[10] https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/research_sites/cjl/texts/cjrelations/news/thering_tribute.htm, accessed 5/3/2021.

[11] https://www.holyangels.org/about-us/press-releases/aha-president-will-lead-board-of-sister-rose-thering-fund, accessed 5/3/2021.

[12] https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/08/nyregion/08thering.html, accessed 5/3/2021.

Object of the Week: “Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and their Show” Poster

Poster – Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and their Show
Seton Hall University, 1966
Student Life Vertical Files – Arts & Music, Music Programs 1949 – 1987
RG#10.3.4.4
Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections

APRIL IS JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH

On the evening of Saturday October 22, 1966, jazz giants Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington performed at Seton Hall University’s Student Center.[1] Fitzgerald, one of America’s pre-eminent jazz vocalists, was widely recognized for her versatility, but especially for her scat singing style which she explains as: “I just tried to do [with my voice] what I heard the horns in the band doing.”[2] Scatting is an improvised vocal style incorporating exuberant outbursts in play with the musicians.[3] Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was a distinguished composer, pianist and band leader whose career, like Fitzgerald’s, spanned more than six decades. He was noted for his inventive use of the orchestra.[4] Ellington, a known perfectionist with a theatrical stage presence and flair for fashion, insisted on playing the accompaniments to Fitzgerald flawlessly. His admiration for Fitzgerald is evinced in his humble quip, “With Ella up-front, you’ve got to play better than your best.”[5]

Ellington and Fitzgerald first met in the mid-1930s when she was performing at Harlem’s legendary Savoy Ballroom.[6] They began a decades-long friendship that led to numerous collaborations, recording sessions, and performances, including the series of concert dates with a show at Seton Hall University. In 1956, the duo teamed up in the studio to record Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book. These landmark sessions were released on vinyl in 1957 and featured musical back-up by Ellington and jazz stars like Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Ben Webster, Oscar Peterson, Billy Strayhorn and Johnny Hodges.[7] The video below of Ella and Duke performing was captured in 1965, just one year prior to their engagement at Seton Hall and shows what audiences might have experienced that Saturday evening in 1966.

Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald perform on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1965.

Today, Seton Hall University continues to recognize and support excellence in this uniquely American art form which was created from a fusion of African and European musical and cultural traditions.[8] Student groups such as The Seton Hall Jazz Ensemble offer opportunities to rehearse and perform in a variety of styles while the Seton Notes, a co-ed a capella group, performs a diverse repertoire which includes jazz and hip-hop, a musical offshoot of jazz.[9] The University Arts Council and the College of Communication and the Arts also hosts a popular series of concerts known as their Jazz ‘n the Hall. This year during Jazz Appreciation Month, Lionel Hampton Big Band performed yet again for Seton Hall University by popular demand, though this time virtually.[10]

The images and materials shown here are but a small part of the vast patrimony available to students, faculty and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, complete a research request form to set up an appointment or contact us at 973-761-9476.

[1] https://books.google.com/books?id=B9b-fWBgzVQC&pg=PA300&lpg=PA300&dq=ella+fitzgerald+at+seton+hall+university&source=bl&ots=-b1vh5Y0V1&sig=ACfU3U0R13fHwcY61hqTSI8UKoN__6nFPA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjegc-a1Y3wAhVBM1kFHSexCB4Q6AEwGnoECA4QAw#v=onepage&q=ella%20fitzgerald%20at%20seton%20hall%20university&f=false\, accessed 4/22/2021.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Fitzgerald#cite_note-cnn-19, accessed 4/22/2021.

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scat_singing, accessed 4/27/2021.

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington, accessed 4/27/2021.

[5] https://www.jazziz.com/ella-fitzgerald-duke-ellington-story-friendship/, accessed 4/27/2021.

[6] https://www.jazziz.com/ella-fitzgerald-duke-ellington-story-friendship/, accessed 4/22/2021.

[7] https://www.amazon.com/Ella-Fitzgerald-Sings-Ellington-Songbook/dp/B00000HYIC, accessed 4/27/2021.

[8] https://collegian.csufresno.edu/2011/11/jazz-america%E2%80%99s-original-art-form/#.YIhoFLVKhPY, accessed 4/27/2021.

[9] https://jazztimes.com/archives/where-jazz-meets-hip-hop/, accessed 4/27/2021.

[10] https://www.sopacnow.org/events/lionel-hampton-big-band-2021/, accessed 4/27/2021.