What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — taking place at the University this weekend and next week:
Performances
Sphinx Virtuosi — March 3-10 via livestream. Sphinx Virtuosi, a classical music ensemble featuring 18 accomplished African American and Latinx soloists will present "This is America," which highlights people of color through the lens of the ensemble's musicians of color, plus other American classics. Free.
Events
Black History Month — Through Feb. 28, various campuses. The University celebrates Black History Month with events and opportunities running throughout the month of February. Free.
Cafe Laura Theme Dinner: The Best Bites of Vegas: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is — March 3 and March 31, Cafe Laura, Mateer Building, University Park campus. Students in HM 430 Advanced Food Production and Service Management prepare a series of themed dinners throughout the semester to be served in the student-run Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Lectures
Women Advancing River Research Seminar Series: Berit Arheimer — 11 a.m., Feb. 25, via livestream. Berit Arheimer of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, will discuss river flow in catchment modeling using HYPE for water management, open science and global development. Free, but registration required.
"Make Black History Month All Year Long" — 1 p.m., Feb. 25, via livestream. Derrick Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, will be the keynote speaker for Penn State Dickinson's Black History Month celebration. Free, but registration required.
"Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century" — 4 p.m., Feb. 25, via livestream. Danielle Allen, Harvard University political theorist, will be conclude the McCourtney Institute for Democracy's virtual event series. Free, but registration required.
SciComm Lecture Series: Suzannah Evans Comfort — 3 p.m., Feb. 26, via Zoom. Suzannah Evans Comfort, assistant professor in the Media School at Indiana University, will present "It Takes Two: The Permeability of Science Journalism to Public Relations." Free.
EarthTalk Seminar Series: Esther Obonyo — 4 p.m., March 1, via Zoom. Esther Obonyo, associate professor of engineering design and architectural engineering, will discuss ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. Free.
"Confronting White Feminism" — 7 p.m., March 1, via livestream. Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin of Unladylike Media will discuss the intersection of the feminist movement, #MeToo, and the Abolition Movement, with a discussion of how feminism and white womanhood have pushed up against racial equity historically through present day. Free, but tickets required.
Earth System Science Center Brown Bag Series: Jose Fuentes — 11:15 a.m., March 3, via Zoom. Jose Fuentes, professor of meteorology, will present "Arctic climate change and trace-gas cycles." Free.
"Commemorating More Than 30 Years of the ADA: Then and Now with Judy Heumann" — 3:30 p.m., March 3, via livestream. Judy Heumann, who served as special adviser for international disability rights in the U.S. State Department, commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Free.
2021 Pauline Schmitt Russell Research Lecture: Mary Jane De Souza — 3:30 p.m., March 3, via Zoom. Mary Jane De Souza, professor of kinesiology and physiology, will present "Her Life Depends On It: Lessons Learned about Keeping Exercising Women Healthy." Free.
Student Engagement Expo: Alex Sheen — 5 p.m., March 3, via livestream. Alex Sheen, founder of the "because I said I would" movement, will provide the keynote presentation for the 2021 Student Engagement Expo. Free.
Smith Creative Writers Reading Series: Emily Skaja — 6 p.m., March 4, via Zoom. Emily Skaja, whose first book, "Brute," won the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets, will be featured.
Exhibits
"Field Language: The Painting and Poetry of Warren and Jane Rohrer" — Through June 6, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This major loan exhibition examines the art of Warren Rohrer as it evolved in conversation with poet Jane Turner Rohrer, his partner of nearly 50 years. Free.
"The Wit and Whimsy of Lucille Corcos" — Through May 9, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. A prolific painter and illustrator, Lucille Corcos depicted American life with an incomparable verve during the mid-20h century. Free.
"Anxiety Project" — HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus, and online through March 14. Works by William Doan, professor of theatre, focused on mental health, are on view. Free.
THON logo exhibition — Online. The THON website is featuring a virtual gallery showcasing logos from previous events, as well as profiles of each student designer. Free.
"Celebrating the ADA: The Legacy and Evolution of Disability Rights and Lived Experience at Penn State" — Online. The University Libraries virtual exhibit explores the first 100 years of national disability rights legislation and the movement's impact on the Penn State community. Free.
"African Brilliance: A Diplomat's Sixty Years of Collecting" Online Catalog — Online. A digital catalog of African works collected by retired U.S. ambassador Allen C. Davis, including text entries, high-resolution 360-degree images and contextual videos at the Palmer Museum of Art. Free.
"African Brilliance" Virtual Tour — Online. Explore an interactive tour created with teachers, students and families in mind. The tour includes installation images, pictures of selected works, videos for guided viewing and related art-making activity suggestions. Free.
"Drawing on a Legacy: Highlights from the John Driscoll American Drawings Collection" — Online. High-resolution images, text selections and a photo gallery of works on paper donated by Penn State alumnus John P. Driscoll, including early landscape views and botanical sketches, animal scenes and still lives, and portraits and preparatory figure studies. The works include a number of well-known 19th-century American artists. Free.
"Photography=Abstraction" — Online. The Palmer Museum of Art's virtual pop-up exhibition is an interactive gallery with images, text and informational videos for selected works. Free, Google Chrome browser recommended.
Snowiss Gallery of American Art — Online. Tour the Palmer Museum of Art's first-floor Snowiss Gallery. Free.
"Women in Art: Activism and Resistance" virtual tour — Online. This self-directed, interactive online tour features a selection of objects by female artists in the Palmer Museum of Art's collection. In celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this tour highlights artists working in a variety of media during the 20th and 21st centuries who have contributed to political, social and cultural change. Free.
"Human Expectations II" — Through June 20, Display Cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus, and online. The work of five artists embody a search for expression and experience through material. Free.
"When the Bough Breaks" — Through April 30, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Nine different artists address the issue of climate change through a unique representation of trees. Free.
"Something Means Something Else" — Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. This three-part mural by artist Tamara Gayer focuses on the intricacies of the current moment in sexual and gender identity. Free.
"Small Planet" — Through January 2022, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The HUB-Robeson Center has commissioned a site-specific wall painting located in the first-floor eateries by artist Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann titled "Small Planet." Free.