First unveiled at the United Nations Headquarters on World Refugee Day 2024, the impactful Artolution exhibition brings to light the resilience, creativity, and stories of displaced people across the globe.
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, Fairfield University’s Center for Social Impact welcomed the U.S. university debut of Artolution: Collaborative Public Art by Refugee Communities Worldwide at its 1720 Post Road campus in partnership with the Center for Arts & Minds and the Humanities Institute.
The opening reception, held from 5 to 6:30 p.m., drew a wide audience of students, faculty, alumni, and community members eager to engage with the artworks. Created by refugees from Ukraine, Bangladesh, India, Colombia, and beyond, the pieces—rendered on paper and canvas—reflect both the hardship and hope that emerge from lives uprooted by conflict and crisis.
Guests enjoyed a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere. Global flavors, including Latin American street foods, Indian-inspired bites, and Ukrainian specialties, provided a culinary complement to the art, further immersing attendees in the cultures represented throughout the exhibition.
Following the reception, a panel discussion at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne deepened the evening’s exploration of art, displacement, and resilience. The program brought together voices from across the arts, humanitarian work, and academia: Max Frieder, EdD, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Artolution, an internationally recognized artist and educator who uses art to build community and foster healing; Ashley Toombs ’07, Head of BRAC’s Climate Hub, who leads strategy and operations, program design, research, and partnerships. She has worked with The Nature Conservancy and lived in Peru, first as an environmental Peace Corps Volunteer and later as staff, bringing global perspective to issues of climate and displacement; John Kiweewa, PhD, associate professor and chair of counselor education in Fairfield’s School of Education and Human Development, whose multidisciplinary scholarship explores mental health, counseling, and group processes in global contexts, with a focus on culturally responsive practices; as well as current Fairfield undergraduate Ava Grosso ’26, a senior international studies major with minors in psychology, humanitarian action, and business management, who is a Sustainable Stags Fellow at Fairfield’s Center for Social Impact.
The exhibition remains on view by appointment at 1720 Post Road through December 12, 2025. To schedule a visit, please email socialimpact@fairfield.edu.
The next companion event to the Artolution exhibition is the book launch of Exiled Scholars in Western Academia: Refugees or Intellectuals? Reflections on the Paradox of Inclusion and Exclusion from associate professor of sociology and anthropology Alfred Babo, PhD on Oct. 23 at 4:30 p.m. at 1720 Post Rd. This upcoming event will continue the conversation around global communities, social impact, and creative storytelling, offering attendees another chance to engage with voices that highlight human resilience and cultural connection. Details and registration for the book launch can be found online.
