Meet a Colleague: Fosca Maddaloni-Yu Fosca Maddaloni-Yu serves as a curatorial fellow with the University Museums.

W&L News Office
August 6, 2025

Q. How long have you worked at W&L?
Only a few weeks — I started on July 7, so I’m very new and still discovering all the corners of campus (and all the treasures in storage!).

Q. What do you like most about working at W&L?
As the curator of ceramics at the Reeves, I love the chance to shape the direction of the collection and create opportunities for students and faculty to engage with it. A museum shouldn’t be a mausoleum of objects — it should be a living, evolving space for dialogue. I feel very fortunate to have the trust and freedom to imagine what that can look like.

Q. Where is your favorite location on the W&L campus?
So far, definitely the museum — and the mysterious, wonderful storage rooms. There’s something magical about being surrounded by objects with so many stories waiting to be told.

Q. Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Rome, Italy.

Q. What advice do you have for students or parents?
To students: don’t be afraid to carve your own path. To parents: let them. It’s easy to follow the clearest road ahead, but sometimes what we need is to pause, ask ourselves what truly matters, and choose accordingly. Every choice comes with trade-offs, but I believe happiness and freedom are always worth prioritizing.

Q. What is the most adventurous thing that you have ever done?
Moving to China as a college sophomore, knowing only a handful of Mandarin words and no one on the ground. It felt like jumping into the deep end — and I’m so glad I did.

Q. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
Like many people, I love reading, caring for my plants and cats, and spending time with friends. But if I’m being totally honest — playing video games is high on the list. Cyberpunk 2077 and Mass Effect 2 are my favorites.

Q. If you could live anywhere, where would you build your dream home?
It’s less about where and more about with whom. With the right people, anywhere could be home.

Q. Who most inspires you?
I’m not sure I have one single figure. I’m often inspired by small moments of honesty, kindness or resilience in the people around me. Traits more than individuals, perhaps.

Q. What book are you reading now?
“A Fragile Union” — the story of Louise Herreshoff, whose incredible gift to W&L made my position possible. It’s surreal to be reading about her life while working with her collection.

Q. What is your favorite film of all time?
“The Matrix,” but also “In the Mood for Love.”

Q. What is your desert island food?
If it has to be something I could actually find on a desert island, coconuts, I suppose. But if it’s fantasy desert island food, it’s pizza. Somewhere in between would be sashimi.

Q. What is your secret talent?
Plants and small animals seem to love me for reasons I don’t entirely understand. A former professor once called me the “plant fairy”— apparently just sharing a space with them makes them thrive.

Q. Anything else you’d like to share?
Only that I’m really looking forward to getting to know this community — and helping bring the museum’s collection to life in new and meaningful ways.