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
Bach's Lunch — 12:10-12:45 p.m., March 20, Eisenhower Chapel, University Park campus. "Bach's Lunch" is a weekly concert series during the school year. These popular concerts are brief in order to make it possible for the University community to attend during the lunch hour. Free.
"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again]" — 7:30 p.m., March 20-21, Wolf Kuhn Theatre, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Featured in this “[revised] [again]” version are all 37 Shakespeare plays performed in 97 minutes by three actors. Fast-paced, witty, and physical, it’s full of laughter for Shakespeare lovers and haters alike. It includes changes that celebrate and encourage greater diversity and inclusivity in today’s theatre. Free.
New Music Festival and Symposium — March 20-22, Recital Hall, University Park campus. The festival will consist of multiple concerts and research presentation sessions, featuring the work of composers and scholars selected through an international call for scores and research proposals. Selected composer participants will attend the festival, work with performers, network with other participants and within the Penn State community, and hear their compositions presented on a festival concert.
Blake Shelton – 7 p.m., March 22, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Country music superstar Blake Shelton will bring his “Friends & Heroes Tour” to Penn State, including performances by genre heroes Craig Morgan, Deana Carter, and Trace Adkins, plus very special guest Emily Ann Roberts.
Circa: "Duck Pond" – 7:30 p.m., March 22, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Circa returns to Penn State with an aerial tale of finding your true self in “Duck Pond,” created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble. The Australian contemporary circus will reimagine the classic ballet “Swan Lake” as an acrobatic spectacular — featuring Tchaikovsky’s music paired with Circa’s signature physicality, cheeky humor, and contemporary energy.
Leon Thomas — 8:30 p.m., March 25, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Songwriter and producer Leon Thomas will visit Penn State for a performance. Accompanying Thomas will be Chris Payton and Deshaun Allen.
La Luz Del Son — 7 p.m., March 26, Sutherland Auditorium, Abington campus. La Luz Del Son, a collaborative ensemble of premier Cuban and Philadelphian musicians, offers a performance building on the legacy of musical exchange between the United States and Cuba and featuring powerhouse rhythm and brass sections for a dynamic mix of traditional Cuban music and original compositions.
Drama and Music: Bluebird Cutebook & Incarnation — 7:30-9 p.m., March 26, Recital Hall, School of Music, University Park campus. This evening features two performances: "Incarnation" by siri gurudev and "Bluebird Cutebook" by Sarah Genevieve Burghart Rice. Incarnation is a ritualistic performance art piece that delves into the realms of sound, movement, and costume, and Bluebird Cutebook is a short musical drama that follows Birdie as she escapes from abuse and considers the ways that sex and gender interact with our conceptions of voices. Free.
"Liederabend" — 7:30 p.m., March 27, Titelman Study, Misciagna Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber and Anthony Cornet, along with Penn State Altoona voice students, will perform 19th-century German Lieder, poems that have been set to music by German composers. There will also be German and Austrian-inspired foods prepared by Penn State Altoona Chef Jami Steffen.
“Dear Evan Hansen" – 7:30 p.m., March 27, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Declared “one of the most remarkable shows in musical theatre history” by The Washington Post, “Dear Evan Hansen” takes a groundbreaking look — from the point of view of both the parents and young people — at our complex, interconnected and social media-filled lives.
Christopher Guzman — 7:30-9 p.m., March 27, Recital Hall, School of Music, University Park campus. Christopher Guzman returns to Penn State for a piano recital featuring a variety of works highlighting Romantic art.
Cirque du Soleil: “OVO” – Multiple performances, March 27-30, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Cirque du Soleil returns to State College for the first time in more than 10 years to offes a colorful intrusion into a day in the life of insects. Through show-stopping acrobatics highlighting the unique personalities and abilities of selected insect species, “OVO” explores the beauty of biodiversity in all its contrasts and vibrancy.
Events
National Women’s History Month — Multiple dates and locations. Penn State student organizations and units at campuses across the commonwealth will offer events in honor of National Women’s History Month in March 2025.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Te Fiti’s Table - A Moana Adventure — March 20, 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.
Succulent Sale — 4:30-8 p.m., March 21, HUB Main Lounge, University Park campus. The Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm will host a succulent sale to offer unique, low-maintenance plants for decorating your office, dorm or home. The succulents, grown by the Student Farm Club, can brighten up any space or serve as the perfect gift.
Multicultural Children's Festival — 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., March 22, South Building, State College Area High School, State College. WPSU and the State College Area School District will co-host the Multicultural Children’s Festival, featuring art, music and hands-on activities for children. The first 750 children registered in advance for the event will receive a take-home bag and multicultural book.
Roar Tour: Penn State Wrestling – 1-5 p.m., March 22, Victory Beer Hall, Xfinity Live, Philadelphia. In partnership with its Philadelphia Chapter, the Penn State Alumni Association will gather Nittany Lion fans for a special Roar Tour event at Xfinity Live.
Drop-in Tour: Art, Nature and Memory – 2 p.m., March 22, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Drop in and discover the Palmer’s world-class collections and exhibitions with a friendly and knowledgeable museum guide.
EcoReps Earth Hour – 8:30-9:30 p.m., March 22, Old Main, University Park campus. Earth Hour is an annual global observance that emphasizes mindful energy consumption by turning off lights and joining in other planet-supporting activities and celebrations. The EcoReps will shut off the lights at Old Main and offer hot chocolate and a lights-off celebration for attendees, who can sign the Earth Hour Pledge.
"An Ordinary Hero: The True Story of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland” – 2 p.m., March 23, Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre, Student Enrichment Center, Harrisburg campus. The Kulkarni Cultural Arts Series will present a screening of "An Ordinary Hero: The True Story of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland," followed by a discussion with Mulholland, a civil rights activist and the subject of the film, and her son, award-winning filmmaker Loki Mulholland.
Drop-in Tour: Art & Ideas – 2 p.m., March 23, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Drop in and discover the Palmer’s world-class collections and exhibitions with a friendly and knowledgeable museum guide.
Garden Grow-How — 6-8 p.m., March 24, Heritage Hall, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm will host a hands-on event for beginner and season growers alike. Visitors can enjoy activities and opportunities to learn and share gardening wisdom, receive great door prizes, and Penn State students can plant a free succulent. Free.
Penn State Startup Week — Multiple events, March 24-28, Multiple locations. From hands-on workshops and one-on-one mentorship sessions with alumni to engaging speaker talks and social events, Startup Week provides opportunities for students to explore the entrepreneurial resources available to them.
Hard Freight Café open mic event — 7 p.m., March 25, Titelman Study, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Attendees are invited to read or perform their own work or music or share a favorite piece of poetry or prose.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Emerald Isle - A Toast to Ireland — March 25, 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.
Simon Majumdar – March 25-26, University Park campus. Food television personality Simon Majumdar will visit Penn State for a series of events, including a keynote speech and meet and greet book signing, cooking demos, and a culinary challenge featuring Penn State chefs.
Yoga + Mindfulness at the Palmer — 12-1 p.m., March 26, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Join Latisha Franklin for a free yoga class at the Palmer. All bodies are welcome, no experience is necessary.
Bike Den Wet Weather Biking 101 Workshop — 6:15-7:15 p.m., March 26, the Bike Den, University Park campus. Workshop instructors will share tips to keep cyclists safe and bikes in working order during seasonal rain. As this is an indoor, classroom-style workshop, a bicycle will not be required for participation. There will also be a demonstration on making a homemade bike fender from recycled materials that can help keep riders dry when biking in the rain.
"A Pre-Powwow Celebration: Flavors and Stories of Indigenous Culture" — 4 p.m., March 27, Bellisario Media Center, Willard Building, University Park campus. A special, hour-long preview of the Penn State Powwow will feature a Native American storyteller and pawpaw-flavored ice cream from the Berkey Creamery. Free.
Art After Hours: Get in the Paint! – 5-8 p.m., March 27, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Celebrate March Madness at the museum! Catch the Sweet 16 games while creating art inspired by the geometry of the court. Discover how art and basketball collide in the work of Barkley Hendricks and Jeff Koons with fast-break gallery conversations and vote on which collection artwork will reign supreme in the Museum Madness collection tournament.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: An Evening in Oz: A Wicked Meal Awaits — March 27, 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
“The Animal as Source of Human Excellence” – 2:30-4 p.m. March 20, Foster Auditorium, Pattee Library and Paterno Library, University Park or via Zoom. Professor Emeritus Glen Mazis will present ideas from his research that our distinctive human excellences are not the result of transcending our “animal nature,” but rather are founded upon the capacities of being an animal and part of the natural world.
Adrienne Su – 6 p.m., March 20, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Poet Adrienne Su will offer a reading as part of this year’s Mary E. Rolling Reading Series. Su has written five poem collections, including her most recent, “Peach State," which was named a 2022 Book All Georgians Should Read. Her first book of prose, the essay collection “Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet," focuses on poetry and food. Free.
“Navigating Your Sustainability Journey: Exploring Government Careers in Sustainability” — 12 p.m., March 21, via Zoom. Recognizing the demand from students for careers in sustainability, presenters from multiple state government agencies will discuss their personal paths to a career and provide an overview for Pennsylvania college students of job opportunities to advance their sustainability careers and serve the state at the same time.
"Digitization and Fingerwork" – 4 p.m., March 26, via Zoom. Tim Ingold, professor emeritus of social anthropology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, will give a remote lecture about the decline of skilled handmade works with the rise of artificial intelligence technology. Free.
Pockrass Memorial Lecture – 6 p.m., March 24, 113 Carnegie Building, University Park campus. The annual Pockrass Memorial Lecture, presented by Emily West, a professor at the University of Massachusetts, will focus on “Platform Power and the Manufacture of Public Trust.”
"Destination Unknown: Mapping Career Pathways in the 21st Century" — 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., March 25, via Zoom. A virtual event featuring three panelists who have built professional expertise from different academic disciplines. They will answer questions and offer advice to current students about the impact of a college education.
Virtual Speaker Series: Erika Ganda — 1 p.m., March 25, via Zoom. Erika Ganda, an assistant professor in Penn State’s Department of Animal Science, will shed light on the essential role microbes play in maintaining healthy ecosystems and ensuring food safety.
Osaze Osagie Lecture: Kevin Richardson — 6 p.m., March 25, Alumni Hall, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Kevin Richardson, one of the wrongfully convicted and since-exonerated members of the “Central Park Five,” will discuss the challenges of managing mental health under the stress and strain of racism. The lecture will be followed by a moderated conversation. Free.
“Cultivating an Entrepreneurial Mindset” — 6:30 p.m., March 25, Struthers Auditorium, Room 110, Business Building, University Park campus. Slava Rubin, a renowned entrepreneur, innovator and investor, will share his viewpoints on entrepreneurship and innovation as part of "Executive Insights," the Penn State Smeal College of Business signature speaker series.
Russell E. Marker Lectures in Astronomy and Astrophysics and Physics — March 25-26, University Park campus. Maura McLaughlin, Eberly Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University, will present the 2025 Russell E. Marker Lectures in Astronomy and Astrophysics and Physics. The series includes a lecture intended for a general audience, as well as more-specialized lectures.
Military Women’s Panel —12:15 to 2 p.m., March 27, Fireside Lounge, Slep Student Center, Altoona campus. Chief Warrant Officer (CW2) Amanda Strandburg and Army veteran Elizabeth Cooper will speak about their time in the military and the unique challenges they face as women in the armed forces. A Q&A session will immediately follow.
Artist Talk: Linda Stein – 4 p.m., March 27, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Linda Stein is a feminist artist, activist, educator, and writer. For six decades, her work has addressed issues of persecution and protection, focusing on oppression of the “other” through the lens of anti-bullying and social justice. Several works by Stein are featured in the Palmer’s current teaching gallery exhibition, “Profiles of Vulnerability and Protection.”
In-person exhibits
Beyond the Press (Printmaking Exhibition) — Through March 29, Patterson and Humpday galleries, University Park campus. Students enrolled in printmaking classes will showcase their artwork in a two-week exhibition, providing opportunities for students to increase their visibility and share their creative work with a broader audience.
"Reclamation: From Coal Dust to Hope" — Through March 29, the Art Space, Schuylkill campus. Artist Robert McCormick's exhibition, "Reclamation: From Coal Dust to Hope," showcases paintings that reflect the landscapes, culture and history of the Anthracite Region, capturing the evolution of the communities shaped by coal mining. From memories of his childhood in Big Mine Run — a historic Schuylkill County "Patchtown" — to the rural farmlands he now calls home, McCormick’s Modern Primitive paintings bring together acrylic, oil, watercolor, found materials and collage to depict both real and imagined landscapes.
"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.
"This too, shall pass" — Through April 17, The Gallery, Penn College. Large graphite drawings that intertwine the influences of traditional Japanese calligraphy with the techniques and aesthetics of Western drawing are on display in Mayuko Ono Gray’s exhibition. The showing of “This too, shall pass” is its Pennsylvania debut. The exhibition has been displayed in nine other states and Canada.
"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.
"The Triumph of Nature: Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art" — Through May 11, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Drawn from the rich holdings of the Chrysler Museum of Art’s Walter P. and Jean Chrysler collection, this exhibit showcases more than 120 glittering Art Nouveau objects — including furniture, paintings, sculpture, mosaics, posters, Japanese prints, lamps, jewelry and glass — that introduce the exuberant, radical, international Art Nouveau style and its celebration of beauty, nature and innovation.
"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.
"nosegay" — Through June 1, Exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. “nosegay,” curated by Philadelphia-based artist Caitlin McCormack, features sculpture work that explores the complexities of crochet to straddle the line between fine art and craft, and its cultural ubiquity. The heavily embellished sculptures assume the form of domestic and sartorial objects laden with text, as well as silent, observational beings.
“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.
“Give us also the right to our existence: Collecting and Surfacing Queer Narratives” — Through Sept. 12, Eberly Family Special Collections Library, University Park campus. Gathering together a selection of materials that illustrate the varied formats and expansive time periods of queer history, “Give us also the right to our existence: Collecting and Surfacing Queer Narratives” explores the many facets of gender and sexuality. The exhibition — inspired by the Penn State motto “We Are” — provides context for how we collect, describe and represent our shared humanity in the library. 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.