Fairfield University’s April events to explore American identity through the arts

Fairfield University’s April cultural calendar features a mix of artist talks and performances designed to anchor the local community in the ongoing America250 celebrations.

The lineup includes a concert production of the musical Big River, which brings Mark Twain’s classic American narrative to the stage. Other featured performers include pianist Joanna Chang and circus artist Janoah Bailin, whose work contributes to the university’s month-long focus on contemporary storytelling.

The April events fall under the university’s “America250: The Promise and Paradox” theme. This initiative seeks to use artistic expression as a catalyst for critical conversations regarding the nation’s history and future.

See the Message Center below for Connecticut’s top events in March — from Hartford Wolf Pack games to shows at Fairfield Theatre Company — Celebrate Connecticut with our latest local merch, perfect for showing your state pride!

The university hosts these programs at multiple campus locations, inviting the greater Fairfield community to participate in the performances and lectures. Residents can access the full schedule of exhibitions and concerts via the university website.

REGINA A. QUICK CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Janoah Bailin

meSSeS
Saturday, April 11 | 11 a.m. & 4 p.m.
Wien Experimental Theatre, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Janoah Bailin’s delightful meSSeS features precarious unicycling, shimmering puppetry, jaw-dropping juggling, and mesmerizing motions. Janoah the Jester tosses together a tale of learning and labor, emerging ecstatically from a haphazard pile of props. Part performance, part workshop, entirely entertaining—YOU learn to juggle while watching this (optionally interactive) all-ages experience. In between acts, Janoah engagingly guides the audience through the essentials: throwing, catching, and messy-ing up! This 60-minute family-friendly solo circus-theater performance was the winner of “Spirit of the Fringe” at the 2022 Elgin Fringe Festival.

Big River: In Concert
Friday-Saturday, April 17-18 | 7:30 p.m.
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Experience the first large-scale collaboration between Fairfield University’s Glee Club, Fairfield University Theatre Program, and the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, alongside seasoned working professionals, as this American classic comes alive on stage. Based on Mark Twain’s beloved novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and set along the mighty Mississippi, Big River follows the daring journey of Huck Finn and his friend Jim, as they escape into freedom.

Joanna Chang, PhD, DMA

Musical Postcards: A Transatlantic Journey from Beethoven to Bernstein
Monday, April 27 | 7:30 p.m.
Wien Experimental Theatre, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Pianist Joanna Chang presents an evening of classical repertoire chronologically contextualized alongside major milestones in the building of America. Works by European and American composers celebrate the interplay of continental influences on the fledgling development of an American tradition of art music.

Fairfield University Glee Club Pops Concert

Glee2K
Wednesday, April 29 | 7:30 p.m.
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Under the direction of Michael A. Ciavaglia ’04, DMA, the Fairfield University Glee Club presents Glee2K, a high-energy pops concert featuring hits and hidden gems from 1990-2010. Enjoy performances by the Glee Club, student soloists, and the Pops Band.

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM

Art in Focus: Julie Mehretu, Corner of Lake and Minnehaha, 2022, 17-run color screenprint on white Coventry Rag paper. © Julie Mehretu. Image Courtesy of Highpoint Editions and Julie Mehretu. Walsh Gallery
Thursday, April 9 | 12 p.m.
Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall
Join us as we discuss some of the works on view in For Which It Stands… in an informal setting, led by Curator of Education and Academic Engagement Michelle DiMarzo.

Art in Focus: Julie Mehretu, Corner of Lake and Minnehaha, 2022, 17-run color screenprint on white Coventry Rag paper. © Julie Mehretu. Image Courtesy of Highpoint Editions and Julie Mehretu. Walsh Gallery
Thursday, April 9 | 1 p.m.
Virtual
Join us as we discuss some of the works on view in For Which It Stands… in an informal virtual setting, led by Curator of Education and Academic Engagement Michelle DiMarzo.

Art Speaks!

Thursday, April 9 | 6 p.m.
Walsh Art Gallery, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Join us for a reading of original poems and short fiction inspired by the works on view in the exhibition For Which It Stands…! The event is open to the public, and we welcome the voices of ALL community members. In order to present your work during Art Speaks!, you must be willing to read your work at the event (or have a friend who’s willing to do it on your behalf!), and write a piece that responds to the artwork that’s part of the For Which It Stands… exhibition (though the artwork need not be on display in the Walsh Gallery where the reading will take place).

Artful Evenings at the Museum
Thursday, April 9 | 6 p.m.
Museum Classroom, Bellarmine Hall
Join us for an Artful Evening! Bring your own art projects to work on in a calm-but-social atmosphere, or take advantage of the projects designed by museum educator Elizabeth Vienneau. Sketching supplies will also be available to take into the galleries.

Virtual Meditation and Mindfulness
Monday, April 13 | 5 p.m.
Virtual
Join Jackie DeLise, master certified meditation and mindfulness teacher and stress management expert, for a virtual guided meditation class. DeLise will share ancient wisdom for our modern lifestyle and will guide you in becoming your true self. No prior experience necessary. Learn how to cultivate inner calm, clarity, peace, and harmony in your life. All are welcome!

Film Screening

Carving the Divine – Buddhist Sculptors of Japan
Monday, April 13 | 5:30 p.m.
Aloysius P. Kelley Center
Join us for a film screening, followed by a Zoom Q&A with director Yujiro Seki! Carving the Divine: Buddhist Sculptors of Japan is a documentary film that offers a rare look into a 1400-year-old Buddhist woodcarving tradition and the practitioners struggling to preserve its legacy in a rapidly changing Japan. After the screening, director Yujiro Seki will join by Zoom to discuss the project. This screening is co-presented with the departments of Visual & Performing Arts and Religious Studies, the Asian Studies program, and the Arts Institute.

Gallery Talk: Richard Klein and James Prosek
Tuesday, April 14 | Noon
Walsh Art Gallery, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Join us for a special gallery talk featuring artists whose work is on view in the exhibition For Which It Stands…!

Meditation and Mindfulness in the Museum
Tuesday, April 14 | 5 p.m.
Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall
Join us in the Bellarmine Hall Galleries for restorative sessions led by teacher Jackie DeLise. DeLise is a master certified meditation and mindfulness teacher and stress management expert.

Lecture: “Florine Stettheimer and Americana”
Thursday, April 16 | 5:30 p.m.
Diffley Board Room, Bellarmine Hall and streaming
Art historian Barbara Bloemink, PhD, author of numerous books, including the 2022 Florine Stettheimer: A Biography and the 1995 The Life and Art of Florine Stettheimer. delivers a talk on the idiosyncratic artist Florine Stettheimer. “Stettheimer was an ardent Democrat and during the 1920s she subtly, with humor, inserted political statements into her major genre paintings against anti-Semitism, racism, and for women’s rights and fluid sexuality.” Her talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibition For Which It Stands…, which includes a painting by Stettheimer. Part of the Edwin L. Weisl, Jr. Lectureships in Art History, funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

Gallery Talk: Danielle Scott and Imo Nse Imeh
Thursday, April 23 | 5:30 p.m.
Walsh Art Gallery, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Join us for a special gallery talk featuring artists whose work is on view in the exhibition For Which It Stands…!

Family Day

Bits & Pieces, Stars & Stripes: Reimagined Flags from Recycled Finds
Saturday, April 25 | 12:30 & 2:30 p.m.
Museum Classroom, Bellarmine Hall
Arts and crafts for ages 4-10, designed and led by Museum Educator Elizabeth Vienneau.
Participants and family members will be invited to celebrate the flags of their family background by designing and creating a new flag that expresses their unique identity and heritage!

Curator’s Tour with Carey Mack Weber
For Which It Stands…, Bellarmine Hall Galleries
Thursday, April 30 | Noon
Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall
Join Carey Weber, curator of For Which It Stands… and executive director of the Fairfield University Art Museum, for an exhibition tour! Please note: although the exhibition encompasses both the Museum’s Bellarmine Hall Galleries and the Walsh Gallery, each tour will focus exclusively on one location.

Curator’s Tour with Carey Mack Weber
For Which It Stands…, Walsh Gallery
Thursday, April 30 | 5:30 p.m.
Walsh Art Gallery, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Join Carey Weber, curator of For Which It Stands… and executive director of the Fairfield University Art Museum, for an exhibition tour! Please note: although the exhibition encompasses both the Museum’s Bellarmine Hall Galleries and the Walsh Gallery, each tour will focus exclusively on one location.

UNIVERSITY LECTURES & EVENTS

Waide Center for Applied Ethics Seminar Series
Christian Miller: “The Honesty Crisis: Preserving Our Most Treasured Virtue in an Increasingly Dishonest World”
Wednesday, April 8 | 4 p.m.
Virtual
Christian B. Miller is the A.C. Reid professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University. He was the Philosophy director of the Beacon Project, funded by the Templeton Religion Trust, and the director of the Character Project, funded by the John Tempelton Foundation and Templeton World Charity Foundation. He is author of over 120 academic papers as well as four books including Moral Character: An Empirical Theory (2013), Character and Moral Psychology (2014), The Character Gap: How Good Are We? (2017), and Honesty: The Philosophy and Psychology of a Neglected Virtue (2021).

Bennett Center Annual Holocaust Memorial Program
Thursday, April 16 | 3 p.m.
Kelley Center Presentation Room, Aloysius P. Kelley Center
The Annual Holocaust Memorial will feature a keynote by Shay Pilnik, PhD, director of the Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Yeshiva University. Co-Sponsored with Campus Ministry and the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County

Art Exhibition

Icons on Ammo Boxes: Christian Art of Hope and Sorrow from the War in Ukraine
March 16 – May 22
Fairfield University Downtown, 1720 Post Road
Artists Sonia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko transform fragments of ammunition boxes from the front lines of the war in Ukraine into sacred icons—works of witness, prayer, and hope for a just peace. This exhibition features 27 works, including selections from the Mariupol Deisis (2022), a new Marian series (2025) dedicated to Ukrainian children held in captivity, and a newly created icon of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Presented by Fairfield University’s Center for Social Impact, and the Center for Arts & Minds.

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY STORE

Children’s Storytime in the Fairfield Forest
Saturdays, April 4 – April 25 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Downtown Bookstore, 1499 Post Rd., Fairfield
Every Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., depending on attendance, local reading teacher and Fairfield University Store employee Steve Gaynes takes children on a journey through the magic of the written word.

Children’s Storytime is held in the Fairfield Forest children’s section at the Fairfield University Store, located at 1499 Post Road in Fairfield Center. This event is geared toward children’s interests, including the books and/or guests that will be chosen. Children’s Storytime is open to the public. Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Author Andrew Ginsburg Hosts Children’s Story Time
Saturdays, April 11 | Noon
Downtown Bookstore, 1499 Post Rd., Fairfield
Author Andrew Ginsburg will be the Children’s Story Time guest on April 11. He will be reading his latest book, The Colors of My Sky.

Lester the Blue Butterfly is starting a new school year, and he’s excited to make new friends. There’s Yasmin the Yellow Butterfly, Orlando the Orange Butterfly, Ravi the Red Butterfly, Princess the Pink Butterfly, and Grace the Gray Butterfly. But when his mother tells him to play with only blue butterflies, Lester learns some things he must not listen to. The Colors of My Sky teaches children about biodiversity, cultural diversity, and kindness.

Born in New York City, Andrew attended Lawrence High School where he excelled at tennis. Andrew went to Boston University where he earned a degree in Psychology and was a member of the men’s tennis team. In his senior year, he made his stand-up comedy debut. On the night of his first show, he met legendary Boston comic, Teddy Bergeron who became his mentor. Andrew currently has four comedy albums on iTunes. In 2017, he published his first book, Pumping Irony: How to Build Muscle, Lose Weight, and Have the Last Laugh.

Author Dr. Dale Atkins hosts Reading of The Turquoise Butterfly

Saturdays, April 18 | NoonDowntown Bookstore, 1499 Post Rd., Fairfield

Dr. Dale Atkins, author, former “Today Show” expert and psychologist is best known for sharing guidance on how to navigate life’s complicated questions and uncomfortable feelings. She will be at Fairfield University Store (1499 Post Road) to read and discuss her new book The Turquoise Butterfly. Inspired by her mother, The Turquoise Butterfly isa tender and uplifting children’s story that captures the beauty of love, nature, courage, grief, and transformation.

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• ‘Gilmore Girls’ star Scott Patterson bringing rock-fueled tour to Toad’s Place in New Haven
• Blue Man Group to return to Mohegan Sun Arena for three June performances
• Van Halen’s ‘5150 (Expanded Edition)’ includes rare New Haven concert recordings

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April events at Fairfield Theatre Company

4/8 – Matt Pryor & The Salton Sea
4/10 – Residual Groove
4/11 – Lotus
4/11 – North Country Band
4/14 – Shadowgrass
4/15 – Fantastic Cat
4/16 – Leo Kottke
4/17 – Bad Animals
4/17 – Ryan Montableu Band
4/18 – Anders Osborne
4/19 – The Queens Meet The Kings
4/21 – Davy Knowles
4/22 – Afternoon of Jazz
4/23 – Bob Margolis Blues Band
4/24 – Save Ferris
4/25 -Alison Brown
4/26 – Thee Sinsters & The Altons
4/30 – Bronwyn Keith-Hynes

Click here for more information & order tickets.

April events at PeoplesBank Arena

4/10 – Providence Bruins vs Hartford Wolf Pack, click here to purchase tickets
4/15 – Bridgeport Islanders vs Hartford Wolf Pack, click here to purchase tickets
4/17 – Springfield Thunderbirds vs Hartford Wolf Pack, click here to purchase tickets
4/18 – Romeo Santos & Prince Royce, click here to purchase tickets
4/23 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents The Greatest Show on Earth, click here to purchase tickets
4/24 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents The Greatest Show on Earth, click here to purchase tickets
4/25 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents The Greatest Show on Earth, click here to purchase tickets
4/26 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents The Greatest Show on Earth, click here to purchase tickets

Connecticut Merch

Finding Connecticut’s patriotic merch celebrates state pride and American spirit, just in time for the lead-up to America 250. Featuring classic red, white, and blue style, the collection is a nod to where we’ve been and where we’re headed. As the nation prepares to mark 250 years in 2026, these pieces are an easy way to show pride in both Connecticut and the broader American story—past, present, and future.

Click here to shop

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Indulge in Keksi gourmet cookies, featuring classic flavors such as chocolate chip and snickerdoodle, as well as new monthly creations. Made with the highest quality ingredients, each bite is a delicious treat. Perfect for any cookie lover!

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Fairfield University’s April events to explore American identity through the arts