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
Violins of Hope — 7:30 p.m., Nov. 16, Recital Hall, University Park campus. A concert featuring music of reflection, contrition, hope, and unity performed by the Penn State Chamber Orchestra and Concert Choir. Penn State violinists will have the honor of playing beautifully restored instruments, which serve as a reminder of the musicians who played them during the Holocaust.
"A House Full of Letters" — 8 p.m., Nov. 16-18, 111 Forum, University Park campus. A performance from No Refund Theatre, directed by Jacob Malizio.
"Company" — 8 p.m., Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 111 Forum, University Park campus. A performance from No Refund Theatre, directed by Ella Bradner.
"Bonnets: How Ladies of Good Breeding are Induced to Murder" — Nov.14-Dec. 2, Pavilion Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage will produce Jen Silverman's "Bonnets: How Ladies of Good Breeding are Induced to Murder," directed by Jenny Lamb, assistant teaching professor of movement. Weaving between the 17th and 19th centuries, this absurdist, comic and highly physical exploration of love and violence shows how easily "ladies of good breeding are induced to murder."
Events
Transgender Awareness Month events — Throughout November, Multiple locations. The Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity will offer events at the University Park campus to recognize Transgender Awareness Month.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Discover South America: A Whirlwind of Flavors — Nov. 16, 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.
Penn State Day at Moonshot Museum — 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Nov. 19, Moonshot Museum, 1016 N. Lincoln Ave., Pittsburgh. The Readiness Institute at Penn State and Astrobotic are ready to blast off on a journey to send thousands of messages of hope from around the world to the moon as the Hope Moonshot, a three-year project designed to inspire the global community to dream big, is set to launch.
Poetry reading: Patricia Jabbeh Wesley and Erin Murphy — 12:15 p.m., Nov. 28, Titelman Study, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. English faculty members will read from their works.
Virtual planetarium show — 7:30 p.m., Nov. 29, Zoom. Kim Herrmann, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Penn State Mont Alto, will present a virtual planetarium show. Free. Registration required.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: The Eras Tour: Dining Along Taylor's Journey — Nov. 29, 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: From Chicago to LA: Take a Trip Down Route 66 — Nov. 30, 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
"Illuminating the Hidden Connections: Unraveling Muscle Form-Function through the Study of a Wide Range of Muscles and Populations" — 3:05 p.m., Nov. 30, 127 Noll Laboratory, University Park campus. Silvia Salinas Blemker, the Robert Thomson Distinguished Professor at the University of Virginia, will present the 2023 Richard Nelson Memorial Lecture hosted by the Department of Kinesiology. Free.
In-person exhibits
"Work in Progress" graphic design exhibition — 2-5 p.m., Nov. 16, 24 Borland Building, University Park campus. Fourth-year graphic design students in the College of Arts and Architecture's Stuckeman School will host a public exhibit that showcases their design processes. Free.
"Black Feminist Embodiments of Self-Love and Self-Recovery" — Through Nov. 20, Outside of Paterno Reading Room, Pattee Library, University Park campus. Inspired by a scene in Toni Morrison's novel "Beloved," set in Ohio prior to Emancipation, the exhibition displays sources of self-love and self-recovery found in a variety of literature by and about Black women. Free.
“Andrea Doria: Dive to An Era” — Through Nov. 30, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. The Friedman Art Gallery will feature a collection of items recovered on more than 200 dives to the shipwreck of the Andrea Doria. Diver and author Gary Gentile has recovered dishes, cups, glasses, plates, jewelry and ceramic panels created by the internationally known artist Romano Rui and more.
"Eudaimonia" — Through Dec. 5, Ronald K. DeLong Gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. Featuring works from artists Sasha Meret and Michelle Neifert, "Eudaimonia" explores themes related to mindfulness, acceptance, purpose, skill mastery and positive relationships.
"Unplucked Gems" — Through Dec. 9, McLanahan Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. The exhibit by Juried Art Exhibition winner Taylor Pilote reveals ties to notable aspects of car culture, both personal and industrial, using physically distorted recognizable vehicle features. Free.
"I Sang You A Song Though I Didn't Know the Words" — Through Dec. 9, Sheetz Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Juried Art Exhibition winner Boryana Rusenova-Ina utilizes experiences of learning English in post-communist Bulgaria to influence this exhibition. Free.
"High Strung" — Through December, Woksob Family Gallery, University Park campus. Sculptures by local artist and educator Melissa Forkner Lesher transform commonplace materials into delicate works of art. Lesher weaves her creations with precision and efficiency by carefully assembling small hand-built pieces into larger, meticulously crafted configurations.
"Sad Purple and Mauve: A History of Dye-Making" — Through Jan. 15, 2024, Special Collections exhibition space, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. The science, art and history and textile and paper dyes and their uses in books and manuscripts will be the focus of this exhibit.
“Invisible Bodies” — Through Feb. 8, 2024, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The HUB-Robeson Galleries present "Invisible Bodies," an exploration of migrant labor through an artistic lens, curated by the Border Gallery and Emireth Herrera Valdés.
“Magnificare” — Through Feb. 22, 2024, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The HUB-Robeson Galleries present "Magnificare," an exhibition of ceramic sculptures by Marguerita Hagan.
"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.
Current exhibitions include an examination of women’s athletics at Penn State and Title IX, editorial cartoons from The Jerry Doyle Papers, and an exploration of the impact of the 1918 influenza pandemic.