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
Inaugural Penn State Military Appreciation Week Concert — 8 p.m., Nov. 4, State Theatre, State College. Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears along with 2022 Grammy Award winner Cedric Burnside will perform.
"Cabaret" — Through Nov. 5, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents the Tony Award-winning musical.
Kings Return — 8 p.m., Nov. 10, Recital Hall, University Park campus. The a cappella ensemble known for its skill in stairwell acoustics, will perform with Penn State vocal ensembles.
Ivyside Dance Ensemble — 7:30 p.m., Nov. 10-11, Wolf Kuhn Theatre, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. The campus' Ivyside Dance Ensemble will perform with Allied Motion Dance Company. Free, but tickets required.
Lectures
"Memory of War: The Seventeeth Century and the U.S. Civil War" — Nov. 3-5, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Aaron Sheehan-Dean, Fred C. Frey Professor and head of the Department of History at Louisiana State University, will deliver a series of lectures examining how Americans remembered and analogized the English Civil Wars (or the Wars of the Three Nations) in the 17th century with the U.S. Civil War two centuries later. Free.
"It's Complicated: The Complex Relationship of Cyclones on Arctic Sea Ice" — 3:30 p.m., Nov. 4, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus. Linette Boisvert, sea ice scientist and assistant lab chief in NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Cryospheric Sciences Branch, will discuss Arctic cyclones. Free.
Matika Wilbur — 7 p.m., Nov. 7, Perkins Student Center, Penn State Berks. Matika Wilbur, a visual storyteller from the Swinomish and Tulalip Peoples of Coastal Washington, will present her photography, which portrays contemporary narratives of Native Americans across the U.S. Free.
"The Gate and the Graveyard: Where Does Transgender History Go from Here?" — 12:15 p.m., Nov. 9, via Zoom. M.W. Bychowski, an English faculty member at Case Western Reserve University, will explore the places of critical historical discourse to find those intersections where transgender pasts, presents, and futures meet. Free, but registration required.
McMurtry Lecture: William Parquette — 12:15 p.m., Nov. 10, E202 Westgate Building, University Park campus. William Parquette, professor of practice in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, will present "A Reflection of 43 Years of Teaching and Learning." Free.
Penn State Behrend Speaker Series: Martina Edwards — 7:30 p.m., Nov. 10, McGarvey Commons, Penn State Behrend. Martina Edwards, the first Black woman to hold a seat at the New York Stock Exchange, will discuss the racial wealth gap. Free.
Events
Shakespeare Festival — Through Nov. 4, Penn State Fayette. Penn State Fayette will host its 50th annual Shakespeare Festival featuring public workshops and performances by the National Players. Free.
Shaver's Creek Environmental Center Open House — 9 a.m.-noon, Nov. 5, Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, Petersburg. Join a nature walk, search for a crayfish, learn the basics of outdoor photography and meet the resident wildlife during the open house. Free.
Military Appreciation Freedom 5K — Noon, Nov. 5, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, University Park campus. Organized by Penn State Air Force ROTC, the event seeks to raise money and awareness to support veterans navigating life after their service. Free, and donations accepted.
Centre Film Festival — Through Nov. 7, State Theatre, State College, and Rowland Theatre, Philipsburg. The fourth annual film festival returns with movies in every genre — documentaries, fictional shorts, features and experimental narratives.
"Wild Tales" — 6:15 p.m., Nov. 8, 5 Luerssen Sciences Building, Penn State Berks. The campus will present the Argentinian film "Wild Tales" as part of its "Global Oscars Comes to Berks" series. Free.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Fall Festival: Immerse Yourself in Autumn's Flavors — Nov. 9, 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: Stranger Things: Dining in the Upside Down — Nov. 10, 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.
Veterans Day ceremony — 11:11 a.m.-noon, Nov. 11, Old Main lawn, University Park campus, and via livestream. Hosted by the Penn State Student Veterans Organization, the event honors those who have served in the armed forces. Free.
Student veteran panel — 2 p.m., Nov. 11, Flex Theater, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus, and via livestream. A panel of student veterans will engage in an open conversation focused on debunking myths and misconceptions, their student experience and transition into civilian life.
Virtual exhibits
"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.
"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.
In-person exhibits
"Tactile Perceptions, Two Interactive Installations" — 5-8 p.m., Nov. 3-5, Nov. 10-12, Woskob Family Gallery, Borland Building, University Park campus. The exhibit presents the first iteration of works in progress by artists and Penn State School of Visual Arts faculty members Bonnie Collura and Andrew Hieronymi. Free.
"Earth Archives: Stories of Human Impact" — Through Nov. 22, Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. The exhibit explores the intersection of the environment, human activity, climate change and the documentary record. Free.
"Fluidity of Gender" — Through Dec. 3, Ronald K. De Long Gallery, Penn State Lehigh Valley. Linda Stein's multimedia "Fluidity of Gender" exhibition consists of sculpture, collage, prints and video that strive to broaden awareness and inspire empathy by presenting multiplicities and diversities to her work. Free.
"GEOmatrix: A Perfect Proof" — Through Dec. 10, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. “Geomatrix: A Perfect Proof” features a body of work by Ivyside Juried Art Exhibition winner Reni Gower that recognizes geometric perfection as the matrix of humanity and the blueprint of the cosmos. Free.
"Paper Planes" — Through Dec. 10, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. “Paper Planes,” a body of work by Ivyside Juried Art Exhibition winner Jennifer Seo features paper recreations of objects found in Seo’s old family photographs. Free.
"Haiti: Liberation of the First Black Republic" — Through Dec. 16, Paterno Family Reading Room, Pattee Library, University Park campus. The exhibit examines the history of Haiti, the first modern Black republic resulting from its successful fight for liberation from the French. Free.
"Looking at Who We Are: The Palmer at Fifty" — Through Dec. 18, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This exhibition of 74 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and sculptures from the Palmer's permanent collection explores how history, place and community shape our conception of museums and ourselves. Free.
"The Art of Remembering: A Selection of Gifts" — Through Dec. 18, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibit honors the gifts to the permanent collection of the Palmer Museum of Art and features works on paper by 19th- and 20th-century European and American artists. Free.
"ARC Studio's Premiere" — Through Jan. 29, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Photos and paintings by Andrew Castañeda mirror the structure of a day in TV programming. Free.
"Zombie Ant Experience" — Through August 2023, Perkins Student Center, Penn State Berks. This interactive art installation also serves as a teaching tool to illustrate spore trajectories and how ants are transformed into "zombies." Free.
"Evan Pugh: Student to Scientist" — Through October 2023, Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery, Deike Building, University Park campus. The exhibit explores two distinct stages in the life of Evan Pugh, Penn State's first president. Free.
Gall wasps exhibit — Through October 2023, Frost Entomological Museum, University Park campus. This new exhibit is aimed at cultivating awareness about gall wasps and showcasing their beauty and diversity. Free.
"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.