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
Sam Barber – 7:30 p.m., Nov. 7, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Since 2021, Sam Barber has been performing stripped-down covers of country-roots hits for his fans on TikTok, but he made a name for himself when he made his Grand Ol Opry debut in September 2023.
"A Night of One-Acts" – 7:30 p.m., Nov. 7-8, Wolf Kuhn Theatre, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. “Fun,” by Howard Korder, and “Lives of the Great Waitresses,” by Nina Shengold, are directed by Leila McCrumb. “Hootie and the Good Pot” is written and directed by Aaron James with Adria "Jay" Schmidt serving as assistant director. Throughout these productions, casts and crews explore angst, coming of age and urban decay, all themes prevalent in the everyday lives of Pennsylvanians living in the Rust Belt.
Rhapsody Series: "Kindred Spirits: Music of Brahms & Dvořák" — 4 p.m., Nov. 10, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. Max Zorin, joined by the New York-based OneMusic International Ensemble, presents an evening celebrating the friendship of 19th-century masters. The program features Dvořák's Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81, and Brahms' Scherzo from the FAE Sonata for violin and piano.
"Improvising a Life" — 12:15 p.m., Nov. 11, 9 Sutherland Auditorium, Abington campus. Penn State Laureate Michele Dunleavy, professor of dance at the University Park campus, will continue her tour of the Commonwealth Campuses with this presentation of “Improvising a Life” with musician Jennifer Peacock.
"American Mavericks, Malcontents, and Mischief-Makers" – 7:30 p.m., Nov. 12, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. A new recital series titled "American Mavericks, Malcontents, and Mischief-Makers" celebrates the bold and rebellious spirit of music, highlighting groundbreaking composers and performers who dared to defy conventions. Each recital in the series will incorporate curated remarks delivered by the school's esteemed musicology and theory faculty, providing deeper insight into the inspiring music.
Jazz Hot and Cool with the Jack Saint Clair Orchestra — 7 p.m., Nov. 13, Sutherland Auditorium, Abington campus. The Jack Saint Clair Orchestra blends the thrill of a large jazz band with the intimacy and intricacy of a classical chamber group. Free.
Centre Dimensions concert — 7:30 p.m., Nov. 13, Recital Hall, University Park campus. Penn State’s premier jazz ensemble, Centre Dimensions, will deliver an unforgettable evening of high-energy jazz. Under the direction of Joshua Davis, this performance will showcase the virtuosic sounds of renowned guitarist Gilad Hekselman, a major voice in jazz guitar who has captivated audiences worldwide.
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" – Nov. 12-22, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Stephen Sondheim’s classic twisted story of Sweeney Todd is coming to Centre Stage. With a razor-sharp thirst for vengeance, Todd’s path converges with the cunning pie shop owner Mrs. Lovett. Together, they form a macabre partnership, crafting meat pies that satiate more than just hunger. But the relentless pursuit of justice takes a turn as Todd’s razor weaves a chilling narrative. Directed and choreographed by Zack Steele, with music directed by Ann Van Steenwinkel.
Step Afrika!: “The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence” – 7:30 p.m., Nov. 13, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Pairing the bold colors and motifs of Jacob Lawrence’s iconic paintings with a hallmark style of percussive dance, the Step Afrika! ensemble will bring the story of an all-American mass movement to the stage.
Events
WPSU Film Screening: Leonardo da Vinci – 6-7 p.m., Nov. 7, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. "Leonardo da Vinci" brings together the artist's personal notebooks, primary and secondary accounts of his life, and on-camera interviews with modern scholars, artists, engineers, inventors, and admirers. The film weaves together an international group of experts, as well as others influenced by Leonardo who continue to find a connection between his artistic and scientific explorations and life today. A reception will start at 5:30 p.m.
Palmer Museum: Creative Self-Care Studio Session – 5:30-7:30 p.m., Nov. 7, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Get creative, connect with others, move your hands, learn about self-care art techniques, and take time to relax and rejuvenate through art-making processes in these drop-in sessions. Sessions will focus on therapeutic art practices for self-care as well as provide a time and place to build community with other creative people. Free.
Women and Queer Night at the Bike Den – 6:15-8:15 p.m., Nov. 7, West Deck ground floor, University Park campus. In addition to creating a local community centered around cycling, this event provides an opportunity for underrepresented populations to connect and meet other cyclists whose biking experience ranges from beginner to seasoned cyclists and bike mechanics. Free. RSVP required.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: A Night in the Hamptons: Simple Elegance – Nov. 7, Café 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 Café Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Dining in the Gilded Age – 7 p.m., Nov. 7, Great Valley campus. This community event features author and food historian Becky Libourel Diamond, who will discuss how the American Gilded Age gave rise to a new elevated dining scene throughout the country, from private social clubs and restaurants that became the nexus for business deals to banquet dinners that could make or break a family's societal status.
Ala Stanford book signing — 11 a.m.-noon, Nov. 8, Penn State Bookstore, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Eberly College of Science alumna and recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award Ala Stanford will visit for a book signing.
Veteran Appreciation Week Community Movie Night — 5:30 to 10 p.m., Nov. 9, Devorris Downtown Center, Penn State Altoona. The first family-friendly movie, “Hotel Transylvania,” will begin at 5:30 p.m. The second adult-themed movie is “Pineapple Express,” which will begin between 7:30 and 8 p.m.
Penn State Military Appreciation Week — Nov. 11-17, Multiple events and locations. Penn State will recognize military service members, veterans and their families with a series of military appreciation events for both the University and local communities throughout the week of Nov. 11.
Centre Film Festival — Nov. 11-17, Multiple events and locations. The six-year-old Centre Film Festival returns this year to screen more than 200 films in a variety of genres at Centre County theaters and online in mid-November.
Winter Biking 101 Workshop – 6:15-7:15 p.m, Nov. 12, Bike Den, University Park campus. This workshop will teach participants the rules of the road and winter bike safety tips. As this is an indoor, classroom-style workshop, a bicycle is not required for participation.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: “Inside Out:” A Feast of Emotions — Nov. 13, Café 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 Café Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Kentucky Derby: A Night at the Races — Nov. 14, Café 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 Café Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Lectures
McMurtry Lecture — Noon, Nov. 7, E202 Westgate Building, University Park campus. James Z. Wang, distinguished professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology and 2023-24 recipient of the George McMurtry Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award, will reflect on his approach to teaching through his talk titled “Unleashing the Problem-Solving Potential of Next-Generation Data Scientists.”
"Why I Make Art: Contemporary Artists' Stories About Life & Work" – 4 p.m., Nov. 7, Woksob Family Gallery, State College. Brian Alfred, associate professor of art in the School of Visual Arts, will discuss his recent book, which features stories and works from 30 artists he has interviewed on his award-winning podcast. Free.
Dining in the Gilded Age – 7 p.m., Nov. 7, Great Valley campus. Author and food historian Becky Libourel Diamond will discuss how the American Gilded Age gave rise to a new elevated dining scene throughout the country, from private social clubs and restaurants that became the nexus for business deals to banquet dinners that could make or break a family's societal status.
PSAA Presents: EMS Showcase — 4:30 p.m., Nov. 8, Room 401, Steidle Building, University Park campus and via Zoom. “LionGlass,” a new type of eco-friendly glass developed by researchers at Penn State that offers higher crack resistance, potentially allowing for thinner, lighter and more sustainable products, will be the subject of this event hosted by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences in partnership with the Penn State Alumni Association.
Forum Speaker Series: Tawnya Brant – 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Nov. 11, Dean’s Hall, Penn Stater Conference Center, University Park campus. Accomplished Indigenous chef Tawnya Brant will share her journey with Indigenous food and her work with the Indigenous food sovereignty movement as part of the Forum Speaker Series. Brant is a proud Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) woman, and mother of two children. She is the chef and owner of YawékonFoods, a catering business in Ohsweken that provides Haudenosaunee fusion cuisine, and a former contestant on "Top Chef Canada.”
Veterans Day talk — 7-8:30 p.m., Nov. 11, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Jared Frederick, assistant teaching professor of history at Penn State Altoona, co-authored “Into the Cold Blue: My World War II Journeys with the Mighty Eighth Air Force” (2024, Regnery History) with John Homan, an aviator with the Army Air Forces and recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross award for heroism or extraordinary achievement during aerial flight. The two authors will speak about Homan’s experiences in the war.
"Creativity in Music, Writing, and Art" — 2:30 p.m., Nov. 12, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Rapper/musician and poet Dessa, who has performed at Lollapalooza and Glastonbury, co-composed works for a hundred-voice choir, performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, and made artistic contributions to the top-selling album “The Hamilton Mixtape” and the Oscar-nominated documentary “RBG," will present this talk.
Oneida historian Heather Bruegl — 7 p.m., Nov. 12, Penn State Great Valley's conference center. Oneida historian Heather Bruegl will discuss her Indigenous tribe's connection to the Continental Army's encampment at Valley Forge during this free community event.
In-person exhibits
"Synergies in Art and Science" — Through Nov. 15, Borland Project Space, 125 Borland Building, University Park campus. The exhibition, curated by adjunct researcher Cynthia White, showcases collaborations at the intersection of microbial science and artistic innovation.
“Made in PA” – Through Dec. 1, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. An ambitious show highlights post-1945 paintings, sculpture, mixed-media assemblages and installations by artists who hail from Pennsylvania or who have made their homes and sustained their careers in the Keystone State.
“Photography of Protest” — Through Dec. 3, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. From 2016 through 2020, photographer Michael Mirabito had opportunities to photograph many protests, marches and other events and their participants; these are the main focal points of his exhibit. The photographs in the exhibit at Penn State Wilkes-Barre are focused mostly on marches in Pennsylvania.
“Re/Collecting the Andes: Andean Art, Science, and the Sacred at Penn State” — Through Dec. 8, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. “Re/Collecting the Andes” tells the story of more than 10,000 years of agricultural, cultural, intellectual and religious innovation in the Andes region of South America. It also narrates how the Incas and their surviving Andean subjects reclaimed that legacy after Spain's invasion, through museums, science and art.
“Re(de)fining Landscape” — Through Dec. 13, Abington Art Gallery, Abington campus. Bonnie Levinthal’s work is rooted in the exploration and re-presentation of landscape, incorporating methods and mediums that connect process with content to create a visual record of her experiences in response to place. This exhibition showcases three bodies of work alongside artist’s journals, reflecting Levinthal’s response to place through a sampling of artworks completed at home and abroad.
“Symphonic Worlds” — Through Dec. 14, Sheetz Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A body of work by Ivyside Juried Art Exhibition winner Kiki Gaffney exploring the natural environment through recognizable imagery in combination with conceptual and abstract ideas.
“Threads, Folds & Rabbit Holes” — Through Dec. 14, McLanahan Galler, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A well-received interdisciplinary traveling exhibition featuring the paintings/textiles of Kristy Deetz and two books of ekphrastic stories of the artwork written by Edward Risden, pen name Edward S. Louis.
"Stickloon Contemporary: Still Life" — Through Dec. 20, Art Space, Student Community Center, Schuylkill campus.
"Caretelling: Stories to Sustain Ourselves" — Through December, Woskob Family Gallery, University Park campus. This interdisciplinary group exhibition explores the intersection of storytelling and caregiving through collaborative art-making, video installations and graphic narratives.
"Patterning with Heat and Water: Knitted Responsive Tension Structures" — Through December, Woskob Family Gallery, University Park campus. The exhibition showcases the responsive textile work of Felecia Davis, associate professor of architecture in the Penn State Stuckeman School’s Department of Architecture, and Delia Dumitrescu, director of the Smart Textiles Lab at the Swedish School of Textiles.
"Unknown Forest" — Through Jan. 27, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The exhibit features paintings and drawings by New York-based artist, Avani Patel, whose cultural background has had a profound impact on forging her identity as an artist. Indian culture is the starting point of her work.
"Myth, History, and the Written Word: Manuscript and Print Culture in Latin America" — Through Feb. 7, 2025, Special Collections exhibition space, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. The rare and distinctive Latin American collections held by the Eberly Family Special Collections Library are the focus of this exhibition, curated by Manuel Ostos, librarian and curator of Romance Language and Latin American Collections. Free.
"Reunion" — Through March 4, HUB Gallery and Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The exhibit by New Mexico-based contemporary artist Cannupa Hanska Luger is an immersive, multi-disciplinary exhibition featuring sculpture, regalia and digital media. The selection of works presented in this iteration makes up a spectrum of possibilities and sheds light on historical truths to tell a narrative of complexity in the act of survival.
“Biomachine” — Through Spring 2025, Hite Lobby, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A collaboration between Daryl Branford and Talley Fisher of Huck SciArts offers a glimpse into the microscopic world of viruses and is a reaction to how humanity must learn to coexist with them.
"I Am a Penn Stater: Nittany Lions in World War II" — Through June 2025, Penn State All-Sports Museum, Beaver Stadium, University Park campus. Timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the conflict, "I Am a Penn Stater" chronicles the contributions of Nittany Lion varsity lettermen and Women’s Recreation Association athletes during the conflict and follows their service from training in the United States, to fighting on battlefields around the globe, to their postwar occupations. Free.
Virtual exhibits
In addition to in-person events, a number of virtual exhibits are available through University departments. The Palmer Museum of Art and University Libraries offer a rotating selection of historical and artistic collections to view online.