By Claire Gallagher
On Saturday, Nov. 1, a group of students from SU visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The trip started early as students from art and art history classes boarded the bus and set off into the brisk autumn morning. Upon arrival, students were guided through the menagerie of hot dog and pretzel stands, and went downstairs through the entrance for MET members, by Dr. Karly Etz, an art history professor at Susquehanna.
Etz guided the group upstairs and began a brief tour of the Greek and Roman section of the museum. Students paused and asked questions as Etz spoke about various pieces like urns, grave markers and statues. Once the brief tour was over, students were free to explore the rest of the museum.
The MET is approximately two million square feet in size—it is the largest art museum in America—so students could only cover a small portion in one day. Special exhibits were also available, like the Divine Egypt exhibit which featured artifacts and art from ancient Egypt.
One of the most magnificent sights in the museum is the Temple of Dendur, located in a room that faces Central Park and features a wall of windows overlooking the sprawling park. A river of water runs through the room, and the temple is lit on the far side. At night, the serene temple offset by the city lights offers a step into the world of the past and the present, all at once. Walking through the museum offers a similar feeling, as one can look out the window and see the skyscrapers and taxis, all while walking past hieroglyphics, necklaces worn by royalty of the past, and reconstructions of rooms from a different time.
After exploring the MET and the city, students then drove home through the lights and the crowds back to Susquehanna.