Uncategorized – Page 2 – Special Collections & The Gallery

Remembering Luna Kaufman: A Legacy of Strength and Faith

An older woman dressed in blue stands next to an older many in a suit wearing glasses — Luna Kaufman with David Bossman, Executive Director Emerita of the Sister Rose Thering Fund

It is with a heavy heart that we acknowledge the passing of Luna Kaufman, a cherished figure in the Seton Hall University community, beloved Trustee of the Sister Rose Thering Fund, and a remarkable contributor to the university’s archives. Known for her unwavering commitment to Holocaust education and interfaith dialogue, Kaufman leaves behind a legacy that will inspire generations to come.

Luna Kaufman, who was born in Krakow, first lived through the German occupation of Krakow and was later held as a prisoner in the concentration camps of Plaszow and Leipzig. She was able to survive the Holocaust, and eventually emigrated to America. She and her husband settled in New Jersey, where Kaufman was an active part of the Jewish community and became the first woman president of her Temple. It was later in life that she began to work and advocate for Holocaust education, picked by former Governor Kean to work on the Advisory Council for Holocaust Education when it was first formed in 1982. Kaufman spoke at Nancy Forsberg’s Interfaith Committee, and would eventually find her way to speaking at Seton Hall, where she met and then worked with Sister Rose Thering on Holocaust education through the Sister Rose Thering Fund.

People gather in a semicircle under a display of photographs of Holocaust victims — Luna Kaufman leading a trip to Yad Vashem, 2008.

Just last year, the archives completed a project funded by the New Jersey Historical Commission that processed Kaufman’s archive, together with the papers of Sister Rose Thering and Nancy Forsberg. That project resulted in an exhibit and conference presentation celebrating the legacy of interfaith dialogue left by these three powerful and inspiring women, whose friendship arose from their shared commitment to fighting intolerance and increasing understanding.

The archives is proud to steward Luna Kaufman’s legacy into the future. Her collection contains drafts of her memoir, teaching materials, notes on speeches, and recordings of events and talks that she gave. As we remember Luna Kaufman, let us carry forward her legacy of love, compassion, and advocacy, ensuring that her work continues to resonate within our community.

Explore Sacred Texts at Walsh Gallery

Ethiopian Orthodox style illustration of Christ being held by two Roman soldiers — Ethiopian Bible illustration of the Passion of Christ, MSS 0029, Box 2, Folder 14

Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University is proud to invite the community to experience a unique exhibit of sacred texts from our expansive rare book and manuscript collections. This exhibit showcases a rich tapestry of religious devotion, drawn from traditions that include Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. Each piece tells a story of faith, creativity, and human connection across time and cultures.

At the heart of this exhibit lies the transformative practice of ornamenting sacred texts—a universal form of spiritual expression. Whether through gilded illuminations, intricate calligraphy, or musical notation, these artistic traditions serve to deepen the connection between the worshiper and the divine. This interplay of faith and artistry is evident in the featured works, which include:

A Musical Score and an Esther Scroll: These communal treasures reflect the collective nature of worship. The musical score resonates with the harmonious spirit of shared devotion, while the Esther scroll, read during the Jewish holiday of Purim, underscores the importance of storytelling in spiritual practice.
Personal Prayerbooks: Unlike communal texts, prayerbooks often serve as intimate guides for individual reflection and devotion. Their well-worn pages bear witness to the deeply personal journeys of faith.
The Quran of Professor Francis Hammond: This remarkable artifact connects intellectual and spiritual exploration. Once belonging to Seton Hall’s first African American faculty member, Professor Hammond, this Quran is not only a testament to his scholarly pursuits but also a symbol of the diverse spiritual heritage that has shaped our community.

Through these sacred works, visitors can witness the ways in which different faith

Intricate tile work of the mosque of Samarkand — Illustration from Les mosqueés de Samarcande, 1905. NA5998.S3 R8 1905

traditions approach the sacred, honor their beliefs, and express their devotion. The exhibit demonstrates that while the texts may differ in content and form, they share a common purpose: to inspire, to connect, and to elevate the human spirit.

We invite you to explore this exhibit and reflect on the rich intersections of faith, art, and history. Join us in celebrating the diverse sacred practices that continue to shape our shared human experience.

Please note that construction will begin in March 2025 on the first floor of Walsh Library. Originals will be removed when construction starts, and the Gallery will close to visitors, though the reproductions will continue to be visible through the windows throughout the construction process.

Archives as Time Machines: A Student’s Perspective

Hello! My name is Hope Mahakian and I am a senior majoring in History with minors in Art and Philosophy. This semester, I am an intern with Archives and Special Collections, but this is not my first time visiting the first floor of Walsh Library. Over the course of my four years at Seton Hall, I have gotten the chance to visit and work with Archives and Special Collections multiple times.

White woman with 1940s hairstyle presenting at a podium with a screen next to her showing World War II ration books — Hope Mahakian presenting on research using World War II ration books at the Petersheim Academic Exposition. Seton Hall University, April 2024. Photo courtesy of Sara Fieldston.

When I first came to Seton Hall, I had zero idea about the world of archives. I knew they existed, but I never considered venturing into one. That all changed the fall of my sophomore year. I was taking a course on Vikings, and my Professor, Dr. Wangerin, decided to take us to Archives and Special Collections. I got to see reproductions of books from the time and even a replica of a detailed cauldron with all its mysteries. The archivists and gallery staff were very kind and discussed how the university had acquired the items. This was my first exploration as to what Archives and Special Collections have to offer, but it would not be my last.

The next few semesters would have similar trips to the archives with different history classes, and each time I got to see something new. From getting to see travel brochures from the 1960s to a lock of Elizabeth Ann Seton’s hair, I was fascinated with what things the archives possessed. The archives have newspapers like The Setonian and student pamphlets organizing a protest against Ronald Regan’s visit to the campus. I was amazed at the wealth of knowledge tucked away.

My next adventure in the archives was the Time Machines project. One of my professors encouraged me to apply, and I am so very thankful she did. I applied and was accepted to research five ration books from World War Two. The archivists were very welcoming and explained to me how they maintain rare books, manage the gallery, and arrange classes to give students a space to explore the past. They were always available to answer questions and provide materials for my research.

One day, I made a realization that the ration book was missing a page of stamps, revealing a part of history that had been forgotten. This realization led me down a path to better understand the women who had owned these ration books, as the absence of stamps revealed what Americans were prioritizing in a time of restrictions. The time I spent researching allowed me to peek back at a time now gone and learn more than I ever would have from a few images online. I got to see and learn so much more from getting to hold and touch the objects.

As I start my internship, I encourage other students to use Archives and Special Collections as the possibilities of what you may discover and what rabbit holes you might fall into are endless. The archives have been a space for me to explore the past, and I hope more students will take the opportunity to visit history in a unique way.

Need a Starting Point?

All projects need a starting point. Feel free to download these files for your own 3D modeling and printing of moveable type! I only ask that you let me know how it goes and share what you have done as well.

If you need any assistance accessing the file, please email jacquelyn.deppe@shu.edu.

The Cursed L

Creating your own 3D printed movable type printing press can cause some unexpected problems.

Even when everything is built to plan, exported correctly, and sent to the printer, there are still issues. For my project this manifested in printing the letter “l,” which often failed to print completely. Even with the successfully completed l’s there were still irregularities. While the print was functional, I was still curious as to what was going wrong, why the PLA was not adhering to the build plate and why the skirt (which is part of the build plate adhesion process) was intersecting the print. This issue has been a case study in how many ways a print job can fail.

The first issue which was part of build plate adhesion problem was a blob effect. According to Dremel FAQ’s:

“Why is the filament blobbing on the build platform?

This may be the result of a build failure or a poorly constructed file. The building process may have been interrupted by the computer disconnecting, or by removing the SD card/USB flash drive during the building process. Run the Dremel Test Print to verify that your printer is working correctly, allowing the print to finish completely before disconnecting it.”²

But even though there was a blob, it seemed to have started with an adhesion issue which is a common and reoccurring problem throughout this project. Research about this problem yielded many results, tips and tricks from different sources. According to Autodesk Instructables, poor adhesion could be due to the heat of the build plate which for PLA should be about 60 degrees Celsius.¹ Suggestions to help adhesion include using painter’s tape, a layer of Elmer’s glue, and even hairspray!

Other suggestions even included ensuring the extrusion temperature was appropriate. It needs to be hot enough to push out enough plastic and cold enough to solidify and adhere to the build plate. But if it was too hot then it could not cool, not adhere, and ultimately be dragged around. For PLA this temperature should be around 200 degrees Celsius.¹

In another source from 3D Printing – StackExchange, a thread titled Reasons for a PLA print not sticking to bed all the sudden? is answered by a user named Trish who mentions factors to keep in mind:

“Have a sufficient surface for the print to stick. A pyramid printed on the tip can’t print properly.

Check the leveling of your bed occasionally and relevel the bed. By removing prints, one can easily unlevel it over time without noticing it.

Clean your print bed from fingerprints and grease every so often. Fats are good separators between the print and the bed. Getting them off with Isopropyl alcohol or other solvents can restore print surfaces in an instant.”³

This is followed by an answer from another user JayCrossler who mentions a time when their printers all had a non-stick issue around the same time and it was “mostly around changes in temperature and humidity – the outside temperature changed inside AC settings/wind-flow, etc.”³

Any one of these were potential solutions to test; however, the next letter that was printed after the first two fails of the letter “l” came out with a new issue which was seemingly under- extrusion. The base printed fine and the letter was completed but there are tiny gaps within the print, leading me to believe it is a case of under extrusion, where the extrusion temperature was too cool making the layer not want to adhere to the previous layer. Or, another likely issue is that after the two failures, the nozzle was still a little clogged.

The next letter after printed better; however, there was a base issue where the skirt was printed into the print itself. Nothing in my settings had changed and I ensured the print was lying flat. Ultimately, I’m not quite sure what is wrong and why there are issues that seemingly come and go. All I can really think of is that it is a print failure that occurs and like other printers, it’s a typical moody printer.

Perhaps we will just have to take the “L.”

BradBuilds. Failed 3D Prints, and How to Fix Them. (n.d.). Autodesk Instructables. https://www.dremel.com/us/en/digilab/3d-printers-faq

Dremel. Frequently Asked Questions. (n.d.). https://www.dremel.com/us/en/digilab/3d-printers-faq

Reasons for a PLA print not sticking to bed all the sudden? (2019 September 6). 3D Printing – StackerExchange. https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/10980/reasons-for-a-pla-print-not-sticking-to-bed-all-the-sudden

Time Machines: Final Project Results

On Wednesday, April 24h, as part of the 8th annual Petersheim Exposition, our five Time Machines researchers presented their final projects to an audience of their peers, advisors, and faculty. In addition to the presentations, the Archives staff displayed all of the objects that were featured in the presentations.

Pegi Bracaj

Object of Choice: The Miriam Rooney Papers

To tell the story of Miriam Rooney, Bracaj created a three episode podcast entitled “The Echoes of the Archives: Unveiling Hidden Gender Narratives at Seton Hall”. The first episode “delves into the university’s gendered past, from its origins as a male-only institution to its transition to coeducation.” The second episode “explores the often overlooked stories of women within the university’s archives. ” The third and final episode dives deeper into Miriam Rooney herself, uncovering “Rooney’s achievements as the Dean of Seton Hall University School of Law, her academic and professional journey, and her multifaceted contributions to the community.” To supplement the podcast, Bracaj also created a webpage that provides a brief biography of Miriam Rooney and details her collection of papers held here in the Archives. You can view Bracaj’s project here.

Eman Fatima

Objects of Choice: Coin, Mughal Dynasty; Coin, 1/4 Anna

Eman Fatima, who moved to the US from Pakistan at age 16, wrote an op-ed entitled “The Construction of Two Coins: The Past and the Present”. The piece utilizes the two coins as symbols of just how far reaching the impact of British colonization had on and continues to have on South Asia.

Austin DelSontro

Object of Choice: The Setonian Newspapers, 1924-2024

Inspired by the 100th anniversary of The Setonian, Austin DelSontro originally sought to examine the entire Setonian archive, but instead chose to focus his research on The Setonian in the 1960s upon learning the publication was briefly banned in 1964. In his presentation, DelSontro selected a few stories from the 1960s, such as Seton Hall transitioning into a coed institution, the Setonian ban and the protests that erupted as a result, and a retrospective on the 1953 men’s basketball team and their experience at the NIT championship. In addition to his presentation, Delsontro also created his own newspaper in both a physical and digital format. You can view the digital version here.

Collin Doyle

Object of Choice: Journal of Roy Fitzsimmons, 1937-1938

Collin Doyle took the research from the Roy Fitzsimmons’s journal documenting the MacGregor Arctic Expedition and through Mathmatica, produced three-dimensional maps that represent the same part of the Arctic that was traversed during the expedition. In doing so, Doyle illustrated the importance of climate consciousness through the creation of interactive visualizations of sea level rise. Doyle also presented a poster that features direct quotes from the journal.

Hope Mahakian

Object of Choice: WWII Ration Books, 1943

Hope Mahakian, dressed in 1940s inspired attire, presented her video on the history of ration books and how they were used during WWII, followed by her friends’ attempts at recreating popular recipes during the US rationing period. The first half of the video is edited in the style of a 1940’s informercial, while the recipe recreation was done more like a modern day vlog. You can watch the video for yourself here.

Congratulations to all of our student researchers on a job well done, and a special thanks to the Archives staff and faculty advisors for your support throughout this project!

3D Printing the Past (Update)

The FIG project is near completion! This is a project that is aimed at recreating a historic moveable typeface using 3D modeling and printing in connection with a block press to recreate the printing process. The goal is to engage faculty and students in a discussion, where they will be able to recall the steps in the printing process; identify a historic typeface; and discuss how technology can be used to resurrect a typeface.

As the project wraps up, I’d like to share the process.

Working in the Archives and Special Collections Center and having access to numerable examples of different typefaces, I decided to recreate Fraktur one of the oldest typefaces. By researching some different type specimens, my first step was to create an outline of the letters. I printed out a guide and traced the letters making some edits to smooth out shapes and lines, onto paper which I then scanned into the computer.

From there I opened the scan in Photoshop to enhance the contrast of the scan. Using Curves and the black and white eye droppers is a quick way to make the scan into a black and white image while darkening and lightening specific areas. This method is successful when the tracing is clean, no smudging, and crisp lines. Tracing in ink is ideal especially with a superfine tipped marker.

Tracing of the Fraktur letters

Next was to open, or copy and paste, the edited scan in Illustrator. I would suggest opening the document in Illustrator so that you do not have both programs open and running which can cause them to crash. Once in Illustrator you can create a tracing of the edited scan. If all went well with editing the scan in Photoshop then the resulting tracing in Illustrator should yield a nicely rendered set of letters in black and white.
This is an important step because it creates vector shapes. Once you ungroup and delete the unnecessary white space and use the minus function to ensure letters have the appropriate shape cut out so that the O looks like an O and not a black circle. After that, it is time to save the file as an .svg which will then be uploaded to Fusion360.

Fusion360 offers free trials but is free to use for educators and students which is why I selected it for this project. I have also had previous experience using Fusion360 and other Autodesk software which played a part in my decision. In Fusion360, after inserting the .svg and finishing the sketch, select the shape, the letter should highlight, and under the Create tab select Extrude to extrude the shape. Once that is complete, you can add the base by selecting box and adding the box over the letter that has been extruded.

If you traced and scanned the way I did, the letter will be the correct way as opposed to backwards which is what you need. However, do not worry! If you navigate to the underside of your modeling, you will see that the letter is backwards so it’ll all work out in the end.

Once the letter is extruded and the base added, you can select the entire body, right click and hold to select Isolate. Doing this allows you to export the body to an .stl file. If you export without this step, you would export everything in the file. Afterwards, I always do Ctrl z to undo the Isolation.

Computer screen shows DigiLab Slicer program with3D printers in the background of the photo You can find all exported files in your files within Fusion360. Here you can download all the .stl’s. While it’s tempting to go straight to printing, there is another step! At least there was for me as I was using a Dremel 3D printer. Using Dremel DigiLab Slicer you can open the .stl and set up your print. You’ll select the material, specify the quality of the print along with how much infill, build plate adhesion, and generate supports if your print requires it. There is also a mode to customize your print where you get more into the details of 3D printing. With all your details set, which includes orienting the file on the build plate, an important step that you shouldn’t forget. From there you can Prepare Slice followed by saving the file as a .gcode.

Using a USB drive, I plugged that into the printer and selected my file to print. From there the printer does its steps to orient itself and warm up while you’ll want to cross your fingers to make sure it all comes out okay!

The specs of the project will vary depending on a number of factors that are specific to your project such as the size of the letter itself and the size of the box that serves as the base of the letter. I tested a few before I came to the one that worked the best for myself and this project.

I started off small, which proved to be an issue. It is important to remember that 3D printers can only print so small. Small prints, especially those that rely on details, may lose those details in printing. I decided to increase the size to keep that detail. Furthermore, I realized I would be using these pieces in a workshop and having a larger example would be easier to show as opposed to the small one.

Here are my tests and their specs with the how they printed:

Test 1:

- - - Profile: High Speed (34 mm)
    - Infill: 20%
    - Generate Support: Yes
    - Build Plate Adhesion: Yes
    - Status: FAILED
    - Letter: ENTIRE ALPHABET

Test 2:

- - - Profile: High Speed (34 mm)
    - Infill: 20%
    - Generate Support: Yes
    - Build Plate Adhesion: Yes
    - Status: SUCCESSFUL
    - Size:
      - Width: .5 inch (VARIES)
        
        Length: .34 inches
        
        Height: .5 inches
        
        Letter Height: .125 inches
    - Letter: ENTIRE ALPHABET

Test 3:

- - - Profile: High Speed (34 mm)
    - Infill: 20%
    - Generate Support: No
    - Build Plate Adhesion: Yes
    - Status: SUCCESSFUL
    - Size:
      - Width: .5 inch (VARIES)
        
        Length: .34 inches
        
        Height: .30 inches
        
        Letter Height: .125 inches
    - Letter: ONE LETTER

Test 4:

- - - Profile: High Speed (34 mm)
    - Infill: 20%
    - Generate Support: No
    - Build Plate Adhesion: Yes
    - Status: FAILED
    - Size:
      - Width: .5 inch (VARIES)
        
        Length: .34 inches
        
        Height: .30 inches
        
        Letter Height: .125 inches
    - Letter: THREE LETTERS

Test 5:

- - - Profile: High Speed (34 mm)
    - Infill: 20%
    - Generate Support: No
    - Build Plate Adhesion: Yes
    - Status: FAILED
    - Size:
      - Width: .5 inch (VARIES)
        
        Length: .34 inches
        
        Height: .30 inches
        
        Letter Height: .125 inches
    - Letter: ONE LETTER (FILLED IN B, HOLES NOT PRESENT)

Test 6:

- - - Profile: High Speed (34 mm)
    - Infill: 20%
    - Generate Support: No
    - Build Plate Adhesion: Yes
    - Status: SUCCESSFUL
    - Size:
      - Width: .5 inch (VARIES)
        
        Length: .34 inches
        
        Height: .30 inches
        
        Letter Height: .125 inches
    - Letter: ONE LETTER C

Test 7:

- - - Profile: High Speed (34 mm)
    - Infill: 20%
    - Generate Support: No
    - Build Plate Adhesion: Yes
    - Status: FAILED
    - Size:
      - Width: .5 inch (VARIES)
        
        Length: .34 inches
        
        Height: .30 inches
        
        Letter Height: .125 inches
    - Letter: ONE LETTER (FILLED IN B, HOLES NOT PRESENT)

Test 8:

- - - Profile: High Speed (34 mm)
    - Infill: 20%
    - Generate Support: No
    - Build Plate Adhesion: Yes
    - Status: SUCCESSFUL
    - Size:
      - Width: .5 inch (VARIES)
        
        Length: .5 inches
        
        Height: .5 inches
        
        Letter Height: . 5 inches
    - Letter: ONE LETTER B (BUILT DIFFERENTLY IN FUSION360)*
      - *Extrude the sketch which already had the holes.

Final:

- - - Profile: High Speed (34 mm)
    - Infill: 20%
    - Generate Support: No
    - Build Plate Adhesion: Yes
    - Size:
      - Scale Design: 3.5
        
        Width: VARIES
        
        Length: 1.75 inches
        
        Height: .5 inches
        
        Letter Height: .5 inches

#ArchivesDeepDive: Exploring the Seton family papers with Professor Sean Harvey

We are thrilled to introduce #ArchivesDeepDive, a recurring series of write ups on the research done within the Msgr. William Noe Archives & Special Collections by our own staff and students, faculty, and members of the general public.

The Archives & Special Collections recently welcomed Professor Sean Harvey into the Reading Room for a sneak preview of our new acquisition of Seton Family Papers. These new materials were generously donated by the Sisters of Charity of New York. These papers consist of letters from Elizabeth Ann Seton’s relatives both before and after her lifetime as well as records of the family’s international shipping business, which played such a monumental role in Mother Seton’s life. The sisters not only took meticulous care of these valuable records but transcribed them so that modern readers can easily decipher the contents of the 18th century script.

Harvey focused on the correspondence of William Seton, father-in-law of our university’s namesake, Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton, and his mother from 1782-83. William Seton was a prominent merchant in New York City during the American Revolution. Like many merchants of this time, Professor Harvey notes that he was a Loyalist, who felt the reason for his own success was the result of a prosperous British Empire and faithfulness to King George III. Seton remained in New York City throughout the war since it remained primarily under British control, but the pending British evacuation after the war “left William Seton exposed, vulnerable to retaliation once patriots took control of the city” Professor Harvey regards. While we do not have his own words, we can see this vulnerable sentiment reflected in letters from his mother, Elizabeth Seton, who writes in December of 1782 “you will have it more in your power than ever to make a large Fortune, as the Americans will be wiser, and more selfish, than to drive Honest industrious People out of their Society.”

As the popular idiom says, history is written by the victors, and a simple exchange between a mother and son provides larger insight on what the American Revolution meant to those who opposed it. In addition, Professor Harvey notes, this correspondence “hints at the resiliency of family ties despite an ocean-wide separation and the disruption of war and revolution”.

There is still much to be explored in the Seton family papers. If you are interested in doing your own research, make an appointment with us here. The Archives & Special Collections is open Mon-Fri from 9am-5pm.

Have an idea for your own #ArchivesDeepDive? Email archives@shu.edu.

Back to the Future: Undergrad Students May Receive $1,000 Stipend for Time Machines Project in Seton Hall Special Collections

This year, the Archives and Special Collections at Walsh Library has launched a unique initiative for Humanities students to take part in for the 2023-2024 school year. Dubbed the Time Machines Project, this program grants five students the opportunity to research objects, rare books and periodicals, manuscripts, prints, clothing, relics, paintings, pottery, tools, or other artifacts of interest within the Special Collections and create a project that illustrates these materials’ importance, relevance, and interest using contemporary media. To complete this project, students will collaborate with the Special Collections staff as well as a faculty member to refine their research and analytical skills as well as develop basic knowledge of archival practices and procedures. Upon completion of the project, students will receive a $1,000 stipend and be equipped to add this project to their own portfolio to apply to various scholarships, fellowships, and employment opportunities.

This initiative was established in an effort to engage students more with the invaluable artifacts held in the Special Collections center. To apply for this project, students must submit a short proposal, with the assistance of a faculty member. Upon acceptance, students must attend an orientation, submit weekly research progress logs, and present their projects at the Petersheim Academic Exposition. Potential project ideas include, but are not limited to building a website, recording a podcast, designing an infographic, creating a piece of art (visual, a piece of writing, a short film, etc.), or authoring a paper about the object for publication in academic or popular media. “Too often, students do not encounter special collections materials until late in their studies. With this support, students will have the opportunity to encounter rare and historic objects and deploy the skills they are learning in their classes in a way that they can take with them into a variety of careers,” says Sarah Ponichtera, Assistant Dean of Special Collections and the Gallery.

All interested students may attend an information session on October 4^th. Proposals are due by October 20^th, and the accepted students will be announced on October 31^st. Projects will begin November 1st and conclude by April 30^th, 2024.

Click the link here to apply now! Applications are due October 20th.

To find materials in special collections to work with, search our online portals:

Archivesspace contains detailed inventories of archival collections
Google Arts and Culture shares materials in our museum collections
Preservica contains our digitized, or born-digital collections, including archived websites, sound and video recordings

Questions? Please contact archives@shu.edu or visit the Archives and Special Collections on the first floor of Walsh Gallery. The hours of operation are Mon-Fri from 9am-5pm.

This project was heralded by Gallery Director Jeanne Brasile and Assistant Dean of Special Collections and the Gallery, Sarah Ponichtera.

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.