What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — taking place across the University:
Performances
Paul Taylor Dance Company — 7:30 p.m., Jan. 27, Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre, Penn State Harrisburg. The performing arts ensemble will feature numerous dances as part of its performance.
Classical Coffeehouse: Calidore String Quartet — 8 p.m., Jan. 27, Hintz Family Alumni Center, University Park campus. The Calidore String Quartet will give a mini performance and engage in discussion. Free.
Lectures
Materials Spotlight Series: "The Future of Plastics" — 2 p.m., Jan. 27, via livestream. This session by the Materials Research Institute will examine the two-, five- and ten-year challenges for the plastics industry, such as the evolution of feedstock materials, the vast and ever-expanding list of applications for polymers, current challenges in the industry and the demand for increased performance characteristics for polymer products. Free, but registration required.
Odell Bizzell — 7 p.m., Feb. 1, Freeman Auditorium, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Author and professional speaker Odell Bizzell will share ways in which people can change the narrative on all cancers affecting women. Free.
A Conversation with Nicholas Jones, U.S. Census Bureau — 12:15 p.m., Feb. 2, General Studies Auditorium, Penn State Mont Alto, and online. Nicholas Jones, director and senior adviser of race and ethnic research and outreach at the U.S. Census Bureau, will talk about shifting U.S. demographics with regard to race and ethnicity, why and how census data is collected and how the statistics inform our understanding of the nation's population. Free, but registration required for online viewing.
Museum Conversation: A Curator's Perspective on "An American Place" — 4 p.m., Feb. 2, via Zoom. Joyce Robinson, assistant director of the Palmer Museum of Art, will provide a closer look at the museum's "An American Place: Selections from the James and Barbara Palmer Collection." Free, but registration required.
"Golden Legacy: Original Art From 75 Years of Golden Books" — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 2, via Zoom. Leonard Marcus, one of the world's leading writers about children's books and the people who create them, will discuss Penn College's new exhibition of Little Golden Books. Free, but registration required.
Mary E. Rolling Reading Series: Shara McCallum — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 3, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Shara McCallum the 2021-22 Penn State Laureate and Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English, will read from her works. Free.
Events
"Mending Walls: The Documentary" — 7 p.m., Feb. 1, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. A documentary featuring Hamilton Glass' public mural project in Richmond, Virginia, followed by a talk-back session with Glass and documentary co-producers Pam Hervey and Todd Hervey. Free.
Virtual exhibits
"The World According to Doyle: Editorial Cartoons from The Jerry Doyle Papers at Penn State" — This Penn State University Libraries digital exhibition examines Jerry Doyle, one of the preeminent editorial cartoonists of the 20th century. Free.
"African Brilliance and the Purpose of Art" — This interactive virtual tour accompanied the Palmer Museum of Art’s spring 2020 special exhibition "African Brilliance: A Diplomat’s Sixty Years of Collecting" and will remain available throughout the current academic year. Explore the exhibition installation, images of selected works, videos for guided viewing and related art-making activity suggestions. Free.
"Celebrating the ADA: The Legacy and Evolution of Disability Rights and Lived Experiences at Penn State" — 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.
"Global Asias: Contemporary Asian and Asian American Art from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundations" — This web-based, interactive program from the Palmer Museum of Art features guided video tours of selected exhibition artists in addition to an introductory overview by the curator. Learn about the “Global Asias” concept of personal and cultural identity in a contemporary world. Artists featured include: Jacob Hashimoto, Dinh Q. Lê, Hung Liu, Takashi Murakami, Roger Shimomura, Do Ho Suh, and Rirkrit Tiranvanija. Free.
"Pandemic Spaces (1918 Edition)" — The University Libraries virtual display explores architecture related to the devastating influenza epidemic of 1918. Free.
"Who Am I? Art and Identity" — This self-directed, interactive, online tour features a selection of objects from diverse areas of the Palmer Museum of Art’s collection, related through a common exploration of personal or cultural identity. Free.
"Women in Art: Activism + Resistance" — This self-directed, interactive, Palmer Museum of Art online tour is intended for college-level courses and features a selection of objects by female artists in the museum’s collection. In celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this tour highlights artists working in a variety of mediums during the 20th and 21st centuries who have contributed to political, social and cultural change. Free.
In-person exhibits
"Altar" — Through Jan. 30, exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Kiana Honarmand’s installation in the exhibition cases utilizes text from the poem “Gift” by Iranian feminist poet Forough Farrokhzad to pay homage to the history of hiding critical commentary in Persian poetry and visual arts.
Rosemarie Fiore — Through Jan. 30, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Artist Rosemarie Fiore's smoke paining murals celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity. Free.
"MASKED" — Through March 2, 125 Borland Building, University Park campus. An exhibition exploring the complexities of "masking" hosted by the Penn State Arts and Design Research Incubator. Free.
"Americans and the Holocaust" — Jan. 29-March 10, Pattee Library, University Park campus. The University Libraries is hosting a traveling exhibit from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum that examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans' responses to Nazism, war and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. Free.
Lehigh Art Alliance 2022 Winter Juried Exhibition — Jan. 29-March 15, Ronald K. De Long Gallery, Penn State Lehigh Valley. The campus for the first time will host to local exhibition of original works in various media. Free.
"Gross Bremen: Escaping Genocide Through Agricultural Education" — Through March 15, Linda Schwab Reading Room, Madlyn L. Hanes Library, Penn State Harrisburg. The exhibit about Gross Bremen, an agricultural training farm on the border of Germany and Poland from 1936 to 1940, features a narrative, archival photos and a video. Free.
"Golden Legacy: Original Art From 75 Years of Golden Books" — Through March 30, Madigan Library, Pennsylvania College of Technology. An exhibition of America's beloved Little Golden Books. Free.
"An American Place: Selections from the James and Barbara Palmer Collection" — Jan. 29-April 24, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the Palmer is exhibiting its signature collection of American art. Free.
"Lunchbox Moments: Seek Understanding. Share Stories. Stop Hate" — Through May 15, exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. A multi-faceted exhibition about "lunchbox moments," formative occurrences in many Asian Americans' lives where a traditional Asian meal is eaten at school or home and the meal elicits some sort of reaction, whether it is positive or negative. Free.
"A Way Through: Abstract Art of the 1940s" — Through May 15, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibit provides the comprehensive look at midcentury abstraction in the Palmer's history. Free.
"FRESH" — Through May 17, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. "FRESH" invites viewers to look for what makes someone unique as an individual and to celebrate each person's journey, and features works by Harrison Boden, Emily Furr and Sydney Lee. Free.
"Inside the Frames" — Through May 17, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The exhibit tackles the intricacies of body image and disordered eating, and promotes body positivity and acceptance. Free.
Zombie Ant Experience — Through May, School of Science complex, Penn State Behrend. An interactive sculpture melding art and science models the interactions between spores and ants. Free.