Fairfield University is announcing a versatile schedule of arts and culture events throughout September 2026, featuring acclaimed performances, prominent speakers, and the opening of two new art exhibitions.
September programming includes Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum lectures from Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt and Arthur C. Brooks, the opening events for Fairfield University Art Museum’s Hieroglyphs to Hype: The Modern Afterlife of Ancient Egypt and James Welling: Cento, theatrical and circus performances, and more. Taking place at venues across campus, this month’s offerings highlight contemporary creativity, global perspectives, and creative conversations.
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum | Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt | “Art, Memory, History: The Holocaust and Its Lessons for Our Moment”
Thursday, September 10 | 7:30 p.m.
Deborah E. Lipstadt was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, with the rank of ambassador. In that position, from 2022-25, Ambassador Lipstadt led efforts to advance U.S. foreign policy to counter antisemitism throughout the world. She has had a storied career as a historian, academic, and author. Prior to joining the State Department, Lipstadt served as the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University’s Tam Institute for Jewish Studies, which she helped to found. At Emory University, where she has taught for 30 years, she currently holds the position of Distinguished University Professor. Her messages are grounded in fighting hate, ensuring justice, and standing up to those who distort history for ideological purposes.
Screened in partnership with the British Film Institute | Goldfinger (1964)
Thursday, September 17 | 7 p.m. | Wien Experimental Theatre, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
The third James Bond film Goldfinger (1964) with Sean Connery as 007 remains the most beloved entry in the Bond franchise. This is a classic of post-war British cinema and is the first offering in this fall’s Bond and Beatles: British Film Icons of the 1960s series, with discussion notes informed by the British Film Institute’s scholarship. In partnership with the British Film Institute, Fairfield University will host a series of four films that demonstrate how two British legends that emerged in the 1960s—James Bond and The Beatles— transformed the image of Britain around the world. Each screening will be preceded by short introductory videos from BFI scholars, followed by a Q&A session with Fairfield University’s Jay Rozgonyi, instructor in the Film, Television, and Media Arts program.
Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum: Espresso | Kate Belli, PhD | “From Art Historian to Art Sleuth”
Wednesday, September 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Event Hall, Dolan School of Business
Kate Belli, PhD writes thrillers and mysteries. She holds a PhD in art history and is a gallery director and faculty member at a liberal arts college. Dr. Belli’s latest novel is The Gallery Assistant. This twisty and sinister thriller follows a New York art gallery assistant reckoning with her past and now trapped in a web of deceit after an up-and-coming painter is murdered. Presented with the Fairfield University Art Museum and Art History and Visual Culture Program.
Academy Players of Fairfield University | Tracy Letts’s The Minutes
Wednesday, September 23 – Saturday, September 26 | 7:30 p.m. | Wien Experimental Theatre, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Fairfield’s faculty and staff theatre troupe, the Academy Players, presents The Minutes, a darkly comic and sharply satirical play that follows a small-town council meeting that gradually exposes buried secrets, civic corruption, and the dangerous myths communities uphold to preserve power and control. Each performance will be followed by a talk-back discussion led by Fairfield University faculty.
Cirque Alfonse | La Noce d’Alfonse
Sunday, September 27 | 4 p.m. | Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
La Noce d’Alfonse–Alfonse’s Wedding–is a freak show of the heart, where caustic humor, circus performance, and live music collide in a whirlwind of festive poetry. A bold procession unfolds a series of acrobatic, love-infused tableaux, honoring the union of one lucky couple from the audience. Rooted in a 1970s aesthetic and fueled by constant crowd interaction, this circus-cabaret show joyfully overflows with outrageous twists and turns. It bears all the hallmarks of Cirque Alfonse: irreverence, daring, and live music. With its Caribbean flair and unapologetically Québécois folk roots, the music sets the tone for a grand vintage wedding celebration that is as tender as it is delightfully kitschy.
Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum | Arthur C. Brooks | “Finding Meaning in an Age of Emptiness: An Evening With Arthur C. Brooks”
Tuesday, September 29 | 7:30 p.m. | Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Dr. Brooks is an American author and academic, newly appointed as a professor at Vanderbilt University and is a senior fellow at the Harvard Business School. Brooks is the author of thirteen books, including Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier with co-author Oprah Winfrey (2023), From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life (2022), and Love Your Enemies (2019). In addition, his latest book, The Meaning of Your Life is part of Fairfield University’s Class of 2030 Common Read selections. If you struggle to discern life’s meaning, you’re not alone. Millions today describe a growing sense of emptiness, a lack of purpose and significance. And there’s a reason: Rapid cultural, economic, and technological changes have rewired our brains, reducing their ability to perceive depth and purpose. In this talk, Arthur Brooks shows you how to push back against these changes and find the meaning you need to live a happy, fulfilling life.
Why Not Theatre | What You Won’t Do For Love
Monday, September 28 & Wednesday, September 30 | 7 p.m. | Wien Experimental Theatre, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
“What’s love got to do with it?” A lot, according to David Suzuki. After a lifetime devoted to activism, internationally renowned environmentalists David Suzuki and Tara Cullis take the stage in an intimate and inspiring theatre experience. In a behind-the-scenes look at a life shaped by deep love, commitment, and the courage to act, they reflect on their extraordinary 50-year partnership in life and activism. Honest, warm, and thought-provoking, David and Tara share captivating stories, powerful insights, and heartfelt moments of humor as they celebrate their love for each other, their love of the planet, and love’s capacity to inspire action. They will be joined onstage by actors (and real-life couple) Miriam Fernandes and Sturla Alvsvaag.
Fairfield University Art Museum
Art Exhibition | Hieroglyphs to Hype: The Modern Afterlife of Ancient Egypt
September 18 – December 12 | T-W, F-Sa 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Th 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall
This exhibition will explore the enduring fascination with ancient Egyptian art and culture (dubbed “Egyptomania” by 19th-century Europeans) through a selection of paintings, prints, photographs, and decorative art ranging from the early 19th century through the present day.
Opening Night Event and Reception, Hieroglyphs to Hype: The Modern Afterlife of Ancient Egypt
Thursday, September 17 | 5:30 p.m. Event, 6:30 p.m. Reception | Event Hall, Dolan School of Business
Exhibition Curator Megan Paqua will be in conversation with Curator of Education Michelle DiMarzo, PhD, of the Fairfield University Art Museum. Reception to follow.
Art in Focus: Audrey Flack, Lux Eternal, 2022
Thursday, September 24 | Noon In-Person and 1 p.m. Virtual | Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall and Streaming on Arts & Minds Live
Join an engaging, informal gallery conversation focused on a single artwork on view in Hieroglyphs to Hype! This event is also offered virtually. Audrey Flack, Lux Eternal, 2022, acrylic and mixed media on canvas. Courtesy of the Audrey Flack Foundation. © Audrey Flack Foundation
Art Exhibition | James Welling: Cento
September 25 – December 12 | T-W, F-Sa 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Th 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Walsh Gallery, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
This exhibition focuses on more than 60 recent works by contemporary photographer James Welling (American, born 1951). From the artist’s Cento and Personae series, these photographs of ancient sites in Italy and Greece, as well as antiquities found in museums around the world, were subjected to digital and painterly alteration by the artist to achieve transformative effects.
James Welling: Cento Opening Night Lecture and Reception
Thursday, September 24 | 5:30 p.m. Event, 6:30 p.m. Reception | Kelley Theatre, Walsh Gallery, and Lobby, A. Quick Center for the Arts
Join us for the Opening Night Lecture for the exhibition James Welling: Cento, with artist James Welling!
Meditation and Mindfulness in the Museum
Tuesday, September 22 | 5 p.m. | Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall
Join the Fairfield University Art Museum in the Bellarmine Hall Galleries for restorative sessions led by teacher Jackie DeLise.
Family Day: Getting Creative with Photography
Saturday, September 26 | 12:30 – 2 p.m. & 2:30 – 4 p.m. | Lobby, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Join the Fairfield University Art Museum for a fun and creative Family Day! Space is limited, and registration is required.
Bennett Center for Judaic Studies
Bennett Center for Judaic Studies Lecture | "Jewish Prisoner-Physicians in Auschwitz-Birkenau" | Sari Siegel, PhD
Tuesday, September 22 | 5:30 p.m. | Dogwood Room, Barone Campus Center
Dr. Sari Siegel is an expert on Nazi medicine and on the history of Jewish physicians in the Holocaust. She is a visiting scholar at the Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research at the University of Southern California Los Angeles. Since receiving her PhD in history from the University of Southern California, Dr. Siegel has held postdoctoral fellowships at the Yale Fortunoff Video Archive and the Cedars-Sinai Program in the History of Medicine. She subsequently became an assistant professor and the founding director of the Center for Medicine, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (MHGS) at Cedars-Sinai. During its four-year existence, MHGS developed a reputation for outstanding interdisciplinary programming and impactful mentorship of fellows, hosting two international symposia.
Waide Center for Applied Ethics
Waide Center for Applied Ethics Seminar Series | “The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence” | Sven Nyholm
Wednesday, September 23 | 4 p.m. | Virtual
Sven Nyholm is Professor of Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Principal Investigator of AI Ethics at the Munich Center for Machine Learning, and co-editor of the journal Science and Engineering Ethics. His research and teaching encompass applied ethics (particularly, but not exclusively, ethics of artificial intelligence), practical philosophy, and philosophy of technology. He is the author of The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: A Philosophical Introduction (2026), This is Technology Ethics: An Introduction (2023), and Revisiting Kant’s Universal Law and Humanity Formulas (2015).
Fairfield University Store
Children's Storytime in the Fairfield Forest
Saturdays | 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. 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.
Alzheimer's Association Communications Director and Author Kristen Cusato Visits Bookstore
Saturday, September 12 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Author and Alzheimer’s advocate Kristen Cusato will visit the Fairfield University Downtown Bookstore for a Meet & Greet and discussion of her contributions to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Care for the Caregiver. As a storyteller, TEDx speaker, award-winning podcast host, and Alzheimer’s Association Communications Director, Cusato brings a powerful personal and professional perspective on caregiving, dementia, and the importance of sharing our stories.
Author and Faculty Member Robert Epstein Hosts Meet & Greet for New Novel
Tuesday, September 15 | 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Fairfield University faculty member and Author Robert Epstein, PhD will host a Meet & Greet for his new book, The Parliament of Mice: A Fable. Epstein is a professor of English at Fairfield University who has published widely on Chaucer and Middle English literature. His fiction has appeared in publications including AGNI, Indiana Review, Gargoyle Magazine, Kelsey Review, Alimentum: The Literature of Food, Dogwood Magazine, and SFWP Journal.
