Linfield University invites the community to campus this April for a vibrant lineup of public events celebrating creativity, conversation and connection. From thought-provoking lectures and author readings to live music, theatre, art exhibitions and wine experiences, the monthlong series offers something for every interest. Most events are free and open to the public. Come engage with the campus community and each other throughout the spring season.
April 1-May 1: “Continuality”
The Linfield Art Gallery in the Miller Fine Arts Center displays “Continuality,” an exhibit by artist Tammie Dupuis, from April 1 through May 1, 2026. Dupuis was born and raised in northwestern Montana on the Flathead Reservation. Her father was Qlispeʼ (Upper Pend d’Oreille) and Séliš (Bitterroot Salish), and her mother descended from non–Indigenous settlers who arrived on the reservation in the 1920s. Situated between these two cultural lineages, her aesthetic navigates their intertwined and often fraught histories while exploring her own experience as a mixed–blood person. Dupuis works through both Indigenous and non–Indigenous modes of making and seeing. Her practice spans a wide range of materials and processes, including paint, wood, fabric, resin, hair, bone, paper and beads.
Join the Department of Art for an opening night reception from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 1. The artist will give remarks, and light refreshments and wine will be provided. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m.
Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays. This exhibition is sponsored by the Lacroute Arts Series and the Department of Art. For more information on the exhibition, please visit www.linfield.edu/arts.
April 1: Readings at the Nick: Cara Stoddard
Join Seattle author Cara Stoddard (she/they) for a reading from her debut memoir “Spirography,” which tells a story of kinship, queerness and the secrets of the body in the wake of illness and loss. The free event takes place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 1 in Nicholson Library. Author Anna Maria Spagna calls Stoddard’s memoir “a moving love story, richly layered: a daughter’s love for their father spirals outward to include family, friends, lovers, a daughter of their own, and love for place.” Stoddard’s work has appeared in “The Gettysburg Review,” “Terrain.org,” and “Ninth Letter,” among other venues. She has been nominated for the John Burroughs Nature Essay award. A Q&A will follow the reading.
April 2: An Evening with Dr. Russell Low
Linfield’s Learning Across Boundaries program hosts Dr. Russell Low for a conversation at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 2 in the Austin Reading Room within Nicholson Library. A physician and author, Low’s books center on immigrant identity and what it means to be an American. Low is the grandson of former Salem-Keizer resident Low Sun Fook, also known as Hop Lee, the name of the laundry business he operated. Several of Low’s books explore his family’s history. Titles include: “A Willow Tree Becomes A Forest: The Story of Hop Lee,” “Three Coins” and “Chinatown Orphans on Sonora Street.” Low’s books will be available for sale following the discussion. All proceeds support scholarships for nursing students at California State University San Marcos.
April 8-9: Wild for Linfield, annual giving day
Linfield University’s 11th annual day of giving — Wild for Linfield — is back! On April 8 and 9, show your Wildcat pride by making a gift, rallying your friends and supporting the areas of Linfield that mean the most to you. Together, we can reach our $650,000 goal to support scholarships, academics, athletics and other student-focused opportunities. Get ready to go WILD April 8 and 9. Make a gift at https://givingday.linfield.edu/.
April 8: An Evening with Omar El Akkad and book signing
Linfield University’s Learning Across Boundaries (LAB) program and the McMinnville Public Library welcome Omar El Akkad on Wednesday, April 8. The famed author will participate in a discussion and book signing 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Nicholson Library.
El Akkad won the 2025 National Book Award for his nonfiction book, “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.” The title examines American and European responses to the devastation in Gaza.
Linfield’s Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, professor of English and director of critical ethnic studies, and Rachel Norman, chair and associate professor of English, will join El Akkad for a conversation exploring themes including media, power and moral responsibility.
April 9: Musical Theatre Cabaret Night
Join students and faculty members from the Linfield Department of Music for a fun, casual evening performance of solo musical theatre and jazz favorites. This special performance takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 9 in the Vivian Bull Music Center lobby. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. No tickets are needed for this free performance.
April 10: AI Book Club: “How to Think With AI”
Part of the School of Business’ Artificial Intelligence and I (AIAI) Initiative, the community is invited to discuss influential AI research papers and books in a collaborative setting. The spring semester book is “How to Think With AI” by Alison McCauley. Hosted by Nicholson Library, the AI Book Club meets on the second Friday of the month from 12-1 p.m. in Nicholson Library’s Austin Reading Room.
April 12: Second Sunday Pop-Up Wine Tasting
Enjoy wine direct from the winemakers! Acorn to Oak Wine Experience, Linfield’s student-run wine bar on Third Street, hosts pop-up tasting events from 12-6 p.m. every second Sunday of the month, featuring different partner wineries. The event is free, but bottles are available to purchase and take home from the wineries. Check out Acorn to Oak’s social media the week leading up to the event to see what partners will be pouring. Reservations are appreciated but not required.
April 12-May 9: Watercolor Society of Oregon’s 2026 Spring Experimental Exhibition
Linfield University’s Nicholson Library hosts the Watercolor Society of Oregon’s 2026 Spring Experimental Exhibition from April 12 to May 9. Come to the McMinnville campus to view a selection of 80 juried works on display from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Free and open to the public.
April 14: Frazee Lectureship: “Christian Grand Narratives and Political Dominion”
Join Linfield University for a special lectureship featuring Greg Carey. This session, “Christian Grand Narratives and Political Dominion,” runs from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, April 14 in the Nicholson Library, Austin Reading Room.
Many people assume that conservative political movements are fueled by premillennialism, the grand narrative that civilization must deteriorate into chaos before Jesus’s return. This talk will introduce current Pentecostal and Reconstructionist Reformed Christian movements that feature a very different story. Their postmillennial end-times beliefs shape how they view national and international politics.
April 15: Wildcat Wine Chat with Chef Lisa Shroeder
Join the Center for Wine Education at Linfield for a conversation with Chef Lisa Schroeder, author an owner of Mother’s Bistro & Bar and Bubbie’s Deli. Wine Director Maria Ponzi hosts Schroeder, who will share her culinary journey building one of Oregon’s most beloved restaurants. Shroeder also describes her insights on hospitality and entrepreneurship. The Wildcat Wine Chat runs from 2-3 p.m. April 15 in Riley Campus Center. Beverages and snacks served. The public and guests under the age of 21 are welcome.
Although free, registration is required at https://linfield.edu/wine/news/events.html. For more information, email wine@linfield.edu.
April 15: Todd Hammes performance
The Linfield Department of Music presents a special performance by Todd Hammes at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 15 in Delkin Recital Hall within the Vivian Bull Music Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Hammes is a percussionist, composer and improviser. His performance will feature unique contemporary music of the moment.
The performance is free. Reserve your seat at https://events.linfield.edu/event-details/todd-hammes-contemporary-percussionist.
April 17: Department of Art’s 18th annual “Built to Burn”
Linfield’s Department of Art invites the public to the 18th annual Built to Burn on Friday, April 17. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and the burn will commence at dusk, followed by the marshmallow roast. Held rain or shine, the burn takes place in the field west of the Miller Fine Arts Center on Keck Drive.
Students in Assistant Professor Totem Shriver’s ARTS 101 Introduction to Studio course and ARTS 250/350 Sculpture courses created the sculpture. As is tradition, it was “built to burn” in a celebration to complete the cycle of collaboration and creation. For millennia humans have used fire as a purifying ritual form. Spring is a time of release and regeneration. Come make of it what you will and experience a one–of–a–kind sense of community.
To view photos and videos of previous burns, visit Digital Commons at Linfield. Follow all the events and activities of the Department of Art on Instagram @linfieldart.
April 17: “Every Game I’m Shufflin’, Shufflin'” math lecture
Join award-winning math teacher Steve Butler for a closer look at the math of card shuffling. His engaging lecture “Every Game I’m Shufflin’, Shufflin'” is from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, April 17 in Nicholson Library. It is free and open to the public.
Butler is a Morrill Professor and the Barbara J Janson Professor of Mathematics at Iowa State University. Based on years of research, his speech explores shuffling as a well-known aspect of gameplay to make the decks “sufficiently random” and also as a source of mathematical exploration where shuffles are thought of as permutations of the cards. In this talk, Butler takes tools of mathematics, modular arithmetic and binary numbers, and shows how to apply these to shuffling. In particular, Butler displays concepts through some simple-to-learn mathematically-based card tricks.
April 18: 53rd Annual Lū’au and Ho’ike
Linfield’s 53rd Annual Lū’au and Hō’ike is a celebration of Pacific Island culture titled “I Ke Kuahiwi A Ka Moananuiākea (Mountains to Sea).” Organized by Linfield’s Hui O Lōkahi student club, this special event features a mākeke (Hawaiian marketplace), lū’au (meal) and hō’ike (performance). The event runs from 5-9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 18. Tickets range from $30 for the performance only to $80 for the meal and VIP performance seats. Lū’au tickets must be purchased in advance. All ticket types are on sale now and available at https://events.linfield.edu/event-details/linfield-luau-and-hoike.
April 24: Wildcat Fridays
Prospective students — including first-year and transfer students — and their families are invited to Wildcat Fridays at Linfield University this spring. Visit the McMinnville campus on April 24 or May 8 to get a peek at life at Linfield. This special event gives prospective students a chance to tour campus and attend an information sessions. Students can also schedule optional one-on-one appointments with financial aid, professors and Learning Support Services. There are different schedules for students at various stages of their college search: one specific for admitted or enrolling students and another for those earlier in their search. Learn more at https://apply.linfield.edu/portal/wildcat-fridays.
April 27: Erickson Lecture: “Carved in the Flesh: Desert Aesthetics and Biopower in Ana Amirpour’s ‘The Bad Batch'”
Iranian-American director Ana Amirpour’s 2016 film “The Bad Batch” follows inmate Arlen (played by Suki Waterhouse) as she enters an exclusionary desert zone set in the near future in Texas. As she contends with groups of cannibals and druggie cults, the film focuses attention on the bodies that move through the dystopian landscape.
Join Lina Kuhn from 5-6:30 p.m. Monday, April 27 in Nicholson Library for a talk exploring the consequences of such aesthetic attention to bodies, especially as Arlen alternately conforms to and explodes physiological group ‘norms.’ Kuhn reveals how deserts and exclusionary borders, an increasing reality in the age of the Anthropocene, warp and distort biopolitical impulses until the grotesque is all that remains.
Kuhn is an assistant teaching professor of English at Elon University. Her research focuses on German and American film and literature, with a specialty in the horror and science fiction genres.
April 28: Readings at the Nick: Corrie Williamson
Join poet and environmental activist Corrie Williamson for a reading and conversation starting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28 at Nicholson Library. Born on a small farm in southwestern Virginia and now living on the high prairies of central Montana, Williamson is the author of three books of poetry: “Your Mother’s Bear Gun,” “The River Where You Forgot My Name,” and “Sweet Husk.” She is also co-editor, with poets Anne Haven McDonnell and Kamella Cruz, of the in-progress eco-poetry anthology “A Literary Field Guide to the Rocky Mountains.” Of her latest collection, Bear Reviews urges, “Read it, y’all, for its muscularity of voice and vision, for the loving precision with which it names plants and critters and human impulses and the crises that connect us all.” A Q&A will follow the reading.
April 29: A Taste of Oregon Wine History — Marka and Thomas Hughes Lecture
The Center for Wine Education at Linfield University hosts an evening of reflections on the early days in Oregon wine from 4-6 p.m. April 29 in Nicholson Library. Hear firsthand stories from the early days of Oregon wine as three Oregon wine pioneers reflect on their experiences, the paths they forged and the legacy they have helped build within the Oregon wine community. The event includes a tasting of older vintages from their wineries and discussion surrounding the wines. Rich Schmidt, director of The Oregon Wine History Archive, and Maria Ponzi, director of wine studies at Linfield University, moderate the conversation alongside special guests:
- Pat Campbell of Elk Cove Vineyards
- Luisa Ponzi of Luisa Wines
- Anna Matzinger of Matzinger Davies Wine Company
The program is part of the Marka and Thomas Hughes Lecture Series, which brings influential voices from the wine industry to Linfield University. Public admission is $10, and the event is free for Linfield students, faculty and staff. Registration is required at https://linfield.edu/wine/news/events.html. For more information, email wine@linfield.edu.
April 30-May 10: Linfield Theatre Program presents “Alice by Heart”
Go back in time and through the looking glass in “Alice by Heart,” a musical by the creators of “Spring Awakening.” This poignant piece follows a young protagonist and her friend as they shelter in a London tube station during World War II air raids. They escape their dark circumstances through their imaginations and a copy of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Performances are 7:30 p.m. on April 30, May 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 and at 2 p.m. on May 9 and 10.
Tickets are $16 for full price; $14 for seniors (62+) and Linfield faculty and staff (two tickets per ID); and $10 for students 13+ (any school, one ticket per ID). Tickets will go on sale online at noon April 15 at at www.linfield.edu/arts. The box office opens April 28 for in-person sales. Seating is reserved. This play may not be suitable for all audiences due to mature themes. Recommended for ages 13 and older. Children under the age of seven (including babes in arms) will not be admitted to any performance.
This production is sponsored by the Linfield Theatre Program in collaboration with the Department of Music, with special thanks to Damian Lillard Toyota and the Lacroute Art Series, generous sponsors for the 2025–26 theatre season. It is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
Opening Night Reception on Thursday, April 30: Join the Linfield Theatre Program after the April 30 performance to congratulate the cast, crew and creative team with wine and light refreshments.
For more information, call 503-883-2292 or visit linfield.edu/arts.
See more Linfield events at linfield.edu/calendar.html or view the comprehensive athletic schedule of events at golinfieldwildcats.com/calendar.
