Community Calendar

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 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.

Join us Saturday, October 24, for the inaugural Sip & Savor: A Mocktail & Small Plates Tour through Downtown New Haven!

Stroll to five popular restaurants and enjoy a specially crafted signature mocktail and a chef-inspired small-plate pairing at each stop. Your self-guided culinary tour includes stops at Sherkaan Indian Street Food, Heirloom at The Study, Harvest Restaurant & Wine Bar, ZINC New Haven, and Pacifico.

Tickets are $30 + processing fees and include five mocktail-and-small-plate pairings, exclusive two-day offers from participating retailers, a cotton tote bag, and free all-day parking at the 150 York Street Garage.

Choose from five start times between 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. Groups depart every 30 minutes, with approximately 25 minutes to sip and savor at each restaurant before strolling to the next stop.

The event takes place rain or shine and is open to all ages. Every guest participating in the tastings, including children, must have a ticket.

Exhibition chrysanthemum competition. See chrysanthemums like you've never seen them before, all sizes, shapes and forms (even bonsai). These are NOT your supermarket mums, think florist mums only bigger and many different forms.
www.limums.org

Course description:

College is a crucial institution in which our society works through its expectations for young people. This course explores the purposes of college education through the first great book on the philosophy of education, Plato’s Republic. We read The Republic in conversation with other thinkers including Aristotle, Confucius, John Stuart Mill, Virginia Woolf, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. For the 325th anniversary of Yale’s founding, we also explore the changing conception of college education at Yale over the centuries and read some of the college’s and the university’s key founding documents. Themes include the development of personal character, participation in a community, preparation for citizenship, and conversation with others on intellectual matters. We also explore some of the social and economic functions of college education.

The 2026 DeVane Lecture series will be led by Pericles Lewis, Dean of Yale College and Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of Comparative Literature

The class is free and open to the public and will run on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30 to 3:20 p.m., from September 2 to December 9, 2026.

A candlelight concert of spooky music and harrowing readings for Halloween in the majestic setting of St. John’s neo-Gothic church. Music will include the iconic “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” played on a monster organ, "Danse Macabre" played by virtuoso violinist Joel Pichon, selections from “Phantom of the Opera” and the Mexican “Night of the Dead,”, creepy stories, and more. Other performers include Robert Havery, organ, Larissa Davidowitz, soprano, Henry Church, guitar, Steve Minkler, piano, and storyteller Christopher Sweeney. Costumes are encouraged but not required.

Chicago, 1927. Tensions and temperatures rise during a blistering recording session as the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey, and her ambitious trumpeter, Levee, clash over control of her music, exposing the emotional and economic exploitation Black artists faced in America. An exploration of dreams deferred, cultural identity, and the power of the blues, August Wilson’s electrifying masterpiece, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, returns in a brand-new production more than 40 years after it first raised the roof of the American theater in its world premiere at Yale Rep.

Keeping sharp and staying active is vital for older adults.

The AFA Barbara Rabinowitz Center offers free, dementia-friendly activities for Long Island seniors every weekday in Amityville.

The Center’s free programs help seniors strengthen their brains, be creative, and socialize.

Programs include arts & crafts, music, games, chair yoga, dance, and movement.

Visit afalongisland.org or call 631-223-4000 to learn more.

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.

The Four Horseman Songwriters are acclaimed individual singer-songwriters who have banded together to create lively shows known for their joyful spontaneity and for well-crafted songs ranging from hilarious to heartbreaking. The Ridgefield Folk Concert Series is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Ridgefield Library. Visit the Events Calendar at ridgefieldlibrary.org for more information and to register.