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
Rhapsody Series: "Match Point" — 4 p.m., Feb. 16, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. Margaret P. Fay (bassoon), Timothy Shafer (piano), and Graham Mackenzie (oboe) present a program of sports-inspired music, including works by Lisa Neher, Alexander Tcherepnin, João Guilherme Ripper, Mason Bynes, and the world premiere of Fay's "Match Point."
Patrick Williams, Philadelphia Orchestra flutist – Feb. 17, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. Williams, known for his captivating orchestral performances, is equally passionate about concerto, chamber music and recital engagements. Williams will host a masterclass at 4 p.m., followed by a performance at 7:30 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.
"American Mavericks, Malcontents, and Mischief-Makers" – 7:30 p.m., Feb. 18, 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.
"Nylon & Steel Experience" — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 19, Recital Hall, University Park campus. The Penn State Classical Guitar Club will present a captivating guitar concert featuring renowned guest artists Roberto Fabbri and Fabio Macera from Italy. Free.
"Voices in Our Head" — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 20, Recital Hall, University Park campus. The Penn State Symphonic Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin, opens the spring semester with a powerful and evocative program titled "Voices in Our Head," featuring an integration of instrumental, sung and spoken voices.
Events
Black History Month events — Multiple dates and campus locations. Penn State campuses across the commonwealth will be holding events from the end of January and throughout February in celebration and commemoration of National Black History Month.
Food Justice Summit at Penn State — 4-7 p.m., Feb. 13, HUB-Heritage Hall, University Park campus. Join the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm for the first Food Justice Summit, a dynamic and engaging event for students and faculty to come together to explore and address food justice at Penn State. Enjoy free food from a local caterer while participating in meaningful discussions and action-oriented workshops.
"A Conversation with the World" opening reception — 5-7 p.m., Feb. 13, Woskob Family Gallery, Downtown State College. The College of Arts and Architecture’s Woskob Family Gallery will host an opening reception for the latest iteration of “A Conversation with the World,” an acclaimed exhibition of multimedia art by School of Visual Arts faculty member Lonnie Graham. The opening reception will feature an open question-and-answer session starting at 6 p.m. facilitated by Savita Iyer, senior editor of The Penn Stater magazine. The exhibition is on display through Feb. 28.
"Capacities of Care" opening reception — 4-6 p.m., Feb. 14, HUB Gallery and Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. An opening reception for “Capacities of Care,” a group exhibition curated by Aaron Knochel, associate professor of art education in Penn State’s School of Visual Arts. "Capacities of Care" is a concept framework to understand and explore how care relationships manifest in our lives in distinct and interconnected ways.
Lunar New Year Celebration – 1-4 p.m., Feb. 15, Perkins Student Center, Berks campus. Celebrate the Lunar New Year with a live performance of the traditional Asian art form of the Lion Dance by Gong Lung (Steel Dragon) Kung Fu and Lion and Dragon Dance, a presentation on Asian culture, and activities like face painting and light refreshments. Free.
Patrick Williams performances — Feb. 17, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. The Penn State School of Music will host Patrick Williams, principal flutist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, for a special masterclass at 4 p.m. and solo recital at 7:30 p.m.
“Farming While Black” – 5-7 p.m., Feb. 18, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Join the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm for a viewing of “Farming While Black,” a feature-length documentary film which examines the historical plight of Black farmers in the United States. Learn more about the rising generation reclaiming their rightful ownership of land and reconnecting with their ancestral roots.
Yoga at the Palmer — Noon-1 p.m., Feb. 19, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Join Latisha Franklin for free, drop-in yoga, mindful movement, and meditation classes at the museum. All bodies are welcome, and no experience is necessary.
Lectures
“The Skin in the Game of Evolution: How Human Skin Illustrates Darwinian Evolution and Much More” — 3 p.m., Feb. 14, 114 Welch Building, University Park campus. Nina Jablonski, Atherton Professor and Evan Pugh University Professor Emerita of Anthropology at Penn State, will deliver a lecture as part of this year’s annual Darwin Day celebration.
Coffee Hour lecture series: Felicia Henry — 3:30 p.m., Feb. 14, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus and via Zoom. Felicia Henry, assistant professor of sociology at American University, will give the talk, "I Knew It Was COVID, I Knew I Was on Probation: Black Women Navigating Community Supervision During COVID-19," at the Department of Geography's spring 2025 Coffee Hour lecture series.
*CANCELED* Note: Due to anticipated inclement weather, the Ashtekar Frontiers of Science Lecture originally scheduled for Feb. 15 has been canceled. Ashtekar Frontiers of Science Lecture: Marcos Rigol — 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Feb. 15, 100 Thomas Building, University Park campus. Marcos Rigol, professor of physics, will give a talk titled “A tale of two gases: Classical and quantum” as part of the 2025 Eberly College of Science Ashtekar Frontiers of Science Lectures series. Free.
Marker Lectures in Mathematics: "Numerical Rational Functions" — Multiple lectures, 114 McAllister Building, University Park campus. Nick Trefethen, professor of applied mathematics in residence at Harvard University, will present the 2025 Russell E. Marker Lectures in Mathematics. The series includes a lecture intended for a general audience, titled “The AAA Algorithm for Rational Approximation." Free.
EarthTalks: Translating STEM research to improve K-12 education — 4 p.m., Feb. 17, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus and via Zoom. Kathleen Hill, director of the Center for Science and the Schools, and teaching professor of science education, will give the talk, “Center for Science and the Schools: Translating STEM Research to Improve K-12 Education" as part of the spring 2025 EarthTalks series.
“Discoveries in the Archives” – 2:30-4 p.m. Feb. 19, Foster Auditorium, Pattee Library and Paterno Library, University Park or via Zoom. Professor Emerita Ellen Knodt discusses the ways reading an author's early manuscripts and letters can lead to discoveries of changes in the meaning of a particular work or in a change in an author's perspective over time. Knodt has worked in the Ernest Hemingway Collection at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston and rare books archives at Princeton and Yale.
Gallery Talk: The Global Majority – 6 p.m., Feb. 20, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Enjoy an in-depth engagement on special exhibition The Global Majority with students from SoVA BIPOC, Palmer graduate assistants and interns, and Keri Mongelluzzo, Educator for Academic Engagement and Access.
In-person exhibits
Street Flânerie: A Photographic Exploration of Street Life — Feb. 17-21, Patterson Building, University Park campus. This photographic exploration presents images from the last seven years of a street photographer, tracing moments of life across different countries. Flânerie unfolds through the streets without a specific destination. These photographs preserve what would otherwise fade through time, revealing quiet moments, passing expressions, and the beauty of street life—simple, transient scenes that whisper their own untold stories.
Allied Artists of Schuylkill County Member Exhibit — Through Feb. 21, Art Space, Schuylkill campus. This vibrant exhibition will feature works from 28 local artists, showcasing a variety of styles and mediums that reflect the rich artistic talent of the region.
"People, Place, and Things" — Through Feb. 26, Multiple locations at Berks campus. This campus-wide exhibition showcases artists with ties to eastern Pennsylvania whose work engages ideas of place-making and regional identity.
"A Conversation with the World" — Through Feb. 28, Woskob Family Gallery, Downtown State College. “A Conversation with the World,” an acclaimed exhibition of multimedia art by School of Visual Arts faculty member Lonnie Graham, is an exploration of human commonality that transcends cultural boundaries through portrait photography and recorded dialogue.
"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.
"Visionary Visuals Re:Vamped” — Through March 6, Rouse Gallery, Stuckeman Family Building, University Park campus. The Stuckeman School will host exhibition looking at the future through the lens of a changing, modern architecture landscape, organized by Orsolya Gáspár, assistant professor of architecture, and Luisa Caldas, professor of architecture and director of the XR Lab at the University of California, Berkeley College of Environmental Design. Free.
"DVAL Presents" — Through March 14, Henry Art Gallery, Great Valley campus. The exhibit showcases the unfiltered imagination of the Delaware Valley Art League, an association of professional artists that promotes interest in the fine arts within the community and advances the skill and creativity of its membership.
"How Else Can I Tell You" — Through April 3, Sheetz Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for the Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Through layers of uncanny visual metaphors, sensory symbols, and fragments of known things, Sophie Brenneman, assistant teaching professor of visual art studies at Penn State Altoona, creates a body of work that stems from the ache associated with the inability to articulate an idea beyond language; an attempt to try and show the feeling of time, trauma, nostalgia and other abstract ideas.
"Every Day Prey" — Through April 3, McLanahan Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for the Performing Arts, Altoona campus. As an Appalachian artist, Taylor Pate draws inspiration from the landscapes and cultural traditions of her homeland, weaving together the natural world and the narratives of human experience. Viewing nature as both subject and collaborator, she explores cycles of transformation — shedding, renewal, and growth — mirroring the painful yet wondrous evolution of womanhood and girlhood.
"Defining the New Negro: Voices of the Harlem Renaissance a Century Later” — Through April 7, Pattee Library, University Park campus. Drawing upon the distinctive collections of Penn State University Libraries, the exhibition invites visitors to explore the works of featured Black authors and artists and their efforts to redefine Black identity, life and culture.
"The Global Majority" — Through April 13, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibition brings together a selection of photographs and contemporary works on paper to explore representation and the role it plays in fostering a sense of belonging, especially among communities that have been historically disempowered and excluded from museums, asking visitors to think about what it means to feel seen, to be pictured, or to have power over your own image.
"Profiles of Vulnerability and Protection" — Through April 20, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibition considers how perceived vulnerabilities — shaped by gender, racial, economic, and other inequities — can become strengths that spark action and collective movement to change the course of injustice toward safe, peaceful and joyous living.
"A Fly on the Wall, A Story Untold: Objects Imbued with the Human Soul" — Through April 26, Ronald K. De Long Gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. The soulful, down-home spirit of American folk art will be on display, featuring pieces from the private collection of Vincent DiCicco, a passionate collector of Americana and American Folk Art. The items featured portray the likeness of people in paintings, photographs and objects that were used in human interaction.
"Capacities of Care" — Through June 1, HUB Gallery and Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. “Capacities of Care,” a group exhibition curated by Aaron Knochel, associate professor of art education in Penn State’s School of Visual Arts, is a concept framework to understand and explore how care relationships manifest in our lives in distinct and interconnected ways.
“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.