Community Calendar

This exhibition explores 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 from the early 19th century to the present day.

These objects, from the humble to the refined, from the shamelessly commercial to the Afrofuturist, represent the range of artistic responses to – and misconceptions about – ancient Egyptian visual culture.

Paradoxically, this enthusiasm for Egyptian symbols and motifs contributed to the erasure of the ancient Egyptian people themselves, as popular memory exoticized their beliefs and customs. The exhibition will examine how these objects reflect the phenomenon of “Egyptomania” over the last two centuries and will position their oversimplified or stereotypical narratives in conversation with current archaeological understandings of ancient Egyptian culture.

Hieroglyphs to Hype: The Modern Afterlife of Ancient Egypt 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. These objects, from the humble to the refined, from the shamelessly commercial to the Afrofuturist, represent the range of artistic responses to – and misconceptions about – ancient Egyptian visual culture.
Paradoxically, this enthusiasm for Egyptian symbols and motifs contributed to the erasure of the ancient Egyptian people themselves, as their beliefs and customs became exoticized in popular memory. The exhibition will examine how these objects reflect the phenomenon of “Egyptomania” over the last two centuries and will position their oversimplified or stereotypical narratives in conversation with current archaeological understandings of ancient Egyptian culture.
Hieroglyphs to Hype: The Modern Afterlife of Ancient Egypt is curated by Megan Paqua (adjunct instructor of ancient Egyptian archaeology and art history and Fairfield University Art Museum Registrar) and will be on view from September 18 - December 12, 2026 in the Bellarmine Hall Galleries.

Charles-Théodore Frère, Along the Nile, ca. 1870, oil on panel. Fairfield University Art Museum, Gift of Michael T. Vigario’08, 2023, 2023.11.01

This exhibition focuses on more than 60 recent works by 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 in museums around the world, underwent digital and painterly alteration to achieve transformative effects. The photographs will be exhibited alongside a selection from the Museum’s extensive collection of historic plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculpture.
As Welling explains, he is interested in “reanimating” the men and women of the ancient past through these works and connecting them to our own time in a fresh way through his innovative combination of photography and painting. Visitors to the exhibition will feel their curiosity piqued by his elusive and often haunting evocations of the ancient Mediterranean world.

James Welling, Fragment of a gold leaf wreath, 2020, oil pigment, oil pastel, and wax over electrostatic print on polypropylene substrate. Courtesy of the artist and Regen Projects. © James Welling

Open Studios New Haven returns to the city with a bang! This year, more than two dozen locations across New Haven, Westville, and West Haven will open their doors (and studios) in a month-long extravaganza of events! Open Studios New Haven (OSNHV) runs October 1 to November 1, with an exciting line-up of weekend events including: Opening Weekend (Oct 1- 4), Downtown Weekend (Oct 10 - 11), Erector Square/Marlin Works Weekend (Oct 17 -18), Westville Weekend (Oct 24 - 25), and a Giant Puppet Parade in Westville’s Edgewood Park on November 1 (11am). With support from the City of New Haven, the Town Green District, the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, you can meet local artists, visit their studios, learn about the creative process, and to purchase unique artwork, jewelry, and handicrafts ahead of the holiday season! Free and open to everyone. Get a sneak peek at OSNHV with “Glorious Index: Small Works by Open Studios Artists,” at The Gallery Upstairs at the Institute Library (Opening Reception, Thursday, October 1, 5-7pm). Discover all of the locations, addresses, and events on printed maps available throughout the city, and at OpenStudiosNHV.org.

This exhibition explores 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 from the early 19th century to the present day.

These objects, from the humble to the refined, from the shamelessly commercial to the Afrofuturist, represent the range of artistic responses to – and misconceptions about – ancient Egyptian visual culture.

Paradoxically, this enthusiasm for Egyptian symbols and motifs contributed to the erasure of the ancient Egyptian people themselves, as popular memory exoticized their beliefs and customs. The exhibition will examine how these objects reflect the phenomenon of “Egyptomania” over the last two centuries and will position their oversimplified or stereotypical narratives in conversation with current archaeological understandings of ancient Egyptian culture.

We invite families to join us for folktales, myths, and exciting stories from around the world that highlight objects in the collection and inspire children of all ages to view art in new ways. 

Meet by the couches in the Gallery lobby. 

Sheila Herzog, art collector and Metropolitan Museum of Art registrar, will give an enlightening, engaging lecture that takes the audience back to a day in Ancient Rome. The program will cover many aspects of Roman life, including the importance of wine, ritual and travel.

Participate in viewing and touching real ancient artifacts from Rome and Greece, provided by the Metropolitan Museum. After the lecture, enjoy a comparative wine tasting that compares wines from ancient Rome with those of today. Visit the Events Calendar at ridgefieldlibrary.org for more information and to register.

This exhibition explores 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 from the early 19th century to the present day.

These objects, from the humble to the refined, from the shamelessly commercial to the Afrofuturist, represent the range of artistic responses to – and misconceptions about – ancient Egyptian visual culture.

Paradoxically, this enthusiasm for Egyptian symbols and motifs contributed to the erasure of the ancient Egyptian people themselves, as popular memory exoticized their beliefs and customs. The exhibition will examine how these objects reflect the phenomenon of “Egyptomania” over the last two centuries and will position their oversimplified or stereotypical narratives in conversation with current archaeological understandings of ancient Egyptian culture.

His singers were costly temperamental Italians, his orchestras played in the French style, and George Frederick Handel (1685 – 1759) created a great to-do while glorifying the German kings of England with spectacles of water music and fireworks music. Parodied by The Beggar’s Opera into bankruptcy, both loved and hated, Mr. Handel found favor with audiences by turning his skills to the biblical oratorio in English, in which everyone could sing along.

Join Lucy Hallman Russell for a fascinating account of 18th-century music traditions, social mores, and controversies surrounding Handel and the Hanoverian kings of England, well before America declared independence from them.

About the speaker:

With her passion for cross-cultural insights, Lucy Hallman Russell engages her varied audiences with verve. She holds four diplomas in music from the Universities of Montevallo and Alabama, plus the Universities of Music Munich and Stuttgart, with specializations in piano, harpsichord, and musicology. In addition to doctoral studies at the University of Munich, she has pursued her interests in Italian, art history, prehistory, and archaeology. During her long tenure at the University of Music Würzburg, she was awarded the rare Silver Badge of Honor and created concert and music history study tours in Italy, France, and Russia.

Both scholar and performer of 17th century keyboard music, Lucy has appeared as harpsichordist and professor in Europe, the United States, China, and Russia. She has published essays on Frescobaldi, Froberger, and J. S. Bach and performed on numerous original harpsichords in museums, as well as Italian historical organs. Lucy Russell speaks fluent German and Italian, and converses in French, Spanish, and Russian, when necessary. She is an experienced speaker on music and cultural history all around Europe and has travelled in almost 60 countries.

This exhibition explores 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 from the early 19th century to the present day.

These objects, from the humble to the refined, from the shamelessly commercial to the Afrofuturist, represent the range of artistic responses to – and misconceptions about – ancient Egyptian visual culture.

Paradoxically, this enthusiasm for Egyptian symbols and motifs contributed to the erasure of the ancient Egyptian people themselves, as popular memory exoticized their beliefs and customs. The exhibition will examine how these objects reflect the phenomenon of “Egyptomania” over the last two centuries and will position their oversimplified or stereotypical narratives in conversation with current archaeological understandings of ancient Egyptian culture.