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
Zach Williams – 7 p.m., Oct. 4, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Zach Williams is bringing his Revival Nights Tour to the Bryce Jordan Center with friends CAIN, Matt Maher and Ben Fuller for the Revival Nights Tour.
“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” – 7:30 p.m., Oct. 6, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll. “Tina” features many of the 12-time Grammy Award winner’s popular hit songs, and it was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall.
Philharmonic Orchestra — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 8, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Gerardo Edelstein, presents a dynamic program featuring works by Puccini, Tchaikovsky and Revueltas. Concerto Competition Winner Ian Smith will perform Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, a virtuosic masterpiece for piano and orchestra. The evening highlights include Puccini's Preludio Sinfónico and Revueltas' vivid La Noche de Los Mayas, evoking the rich traditions of ancient Mexico.
“John Proctor is the Villan” – Multiple performances, Oct. 8-19, Pavilion Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents "John Proctor is the Villain," by Kimberly Belflower, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III. At a rural high school in Georgia, a group of lively teens are studying “The Crucible” while navigating young love, sex ed and a few school scandals. Holding a contemporary lens to the American classic, they begin to question who is the hero and what is the truth, discovering their own power in the process.
PHILADANCO! — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 10, Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre, Student Enrichment Center, Harrisburg campus. Since its founding in 1970 to counter a lack of opportunity for dancers of color, the Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!) has been hailed as a pinnacle and example of how predominately Black companies can exist and flourish. Across the nation and around the world, PHILADANCO! is celebrated for its innovation, creativity and preservation of African American traditions in dance.
Events
LGBTQ+ History Month — Multiple events at various locations throughout October. October marks a month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history as well as the larger queer rights movement. Penn State’s Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity is hosting several activities celebrating LGBTQ+ history throughout the month.
Women and Queer Night at the Bike Den — 6:15-8:15 p.m., Oct. 3, 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.
"Patterning with Heat and Water: Knitted Responsive Tension Structures" opening reception — 5-8 p.m., Oct. 4, Woskob Family Gallery, University Park campus. The reception will open an exhibition showcasing 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. The reception will feature an artist talk by Davis starting at 6:30 p.m., followed by music composed by School of Music graduate student Gabriel L. Newvine.
Spooktacular Science Show — 1-4 p.m., Oct. 5, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts and Hawthorn Building. From 1 to 2 p.m., exciting and fun science demonstrations will take place in the Wolf Kuhn Theatre of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. From 2 to 4 p.m., children can engage, play and learn through hands-on activities in the Hawthorn Building.
Commonwealth Sustainability Week — Multiple events, Oct. 7-11, Online. Building on their ongoing partnership, Penn State Sustainability (SustainPSU) and the Pennsylvania GreenGov Council will present free online events aimed at empowering governments, organizations and individuals to advance Pennsylvania’s climate goals and to build more resilient communities. Free.
Over the Edge at Beaver Stadium – Oct. 8, Beaver Stadium, University Park campus. Over the Edge at Beaver Stadium offers an unrivaled fundraising opportunity — the chance to rappel 110 feet off the south side of Beaver Stadium to support the Centre County United Way. Anyone who reaches the $1,500 fundraising minimum will be able to participate. All proceeds from the event benefit the Centre County United Way.
World Kitchen: Alumni Tailgate Workshop – 7-8 p.m., via Zoom. World Kitchen is a virtual cooking workshop, hosted by Tamra Fatemi-Badi, that offers guests the opportunity to download the recipes in advance and cook along with Fatemi-Badi and guest chefs, or to simply watch and enjoy the conversation about cuisine, culture and traditions. Penn State Alumni Association CEO Paul Clifford will co-host the Oct. 8 edition. He and Fatemi-Badi will discuss how to cook for an alumni tailgate and will prepare Lebanese-inspired recipes.
Bike Safety 101 Workshop — 6:15-8:15 p.m., Oct. 8, The Bike Den, West Deck ground floor, University Park campus. This workshop will teach participants the rules of the road and bike safety skills before bringing the group outside to a beginner-friendly practice course. A bike and helmet are required to participate. Free, but registration is required.
Cafe Laura Theme Dinner - Opa Fusion: From Greece to the World — Oct. 9, Cafe 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 Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
“Global Implications of the U.S. Presidential Election” — 4-5:15 p.m., Oct. 9, Sutliff Auditorium, Lewis Katz Building, University Park campus. The School of International Affairs (SIA) is hosting a panel event to explore how the upcoming U.S. presidential election will potentially impact politics and policies around the world. Registration required.
"Blippi: Join the Band Tour” – 6 p.m., Oct. 10, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Dust off the drum kit and tune up your guitar! "Join the Band” features musicians performing live on stage. Blippi will be joined by Meekah, along with their singing and dancing buddies and real-live musicians. They’ll explore what makes music, including sounds, rhythms and instruments — all through fan-favorite “Blippi” hits.
Cafe Laura Theme Dinner - A Night in the Hamptons: Simple Elegance — Oct. 10, Cafe 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 Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Lectures
Bennett Lecture in Prevention Science — 4 p.m., Oct. 3, 110 Henderson Building, University Park campus. Phillip W. Graham, a principal scientist at the nonprofit research institute RTI International and a leading expert in conducting community-level research to help prevent adolescent interpersonal violence and substance misuse, will offer a lecture. Free.
Climate artist-activist Diane Burko — 6 p.m., Oct. 3, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Diane Burko, a Pennsylvania research-based climate artist-activist, will give a lecture as part of Penn State Sustainability’s “Sustainability Showcase Series.”
Forum Speaker Series: Susan Robinson – 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Oct. 7, Dean’s Hall, Penn Stater Conference Center, University Park campus. Penn State alumna Susan Robinson, business leader, inspirational speaker and entrepreneur, will present a talk as part of the Forum Speaker Series. Robinson learned during her time at the University that she had a genetic visual impairment for which there was no correction or cure and would leave her legally blind — or partially sighted, as she said she prefers to describe it. She focuses her audiences on salient issues and ambitious outcomes, building bridges to dedicated action and instilling confidence for their success.
EarthTalks with Michael Helbing — 4 p.m., Oct. 7, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus and via Zoom. Michael Helbing, executive director of the Center for Energy Law and Policy and adjunct professor of law at Penn State, will give the talk, “Flying into the future: sustainable aviation fuel and the policies impacting its development.
Foster-Foreman Conference of Distinguished Writers lectures — 6 p.m, Oct. 8 and 9, Kern Auditorium, University Park campus. Award-winning journalists Michael Biesacker of The Associated Press and Sarah Kaufman of the Washington Post will offer insights about reporting, storytelling and much more. Free.
"Centerbrook Architects: The Village Model" — 4 p.m., Oct. 9, Stuckeman Family Building Jury Space, University Park campus and via Zoom. Centerbrook Architects principals Justin Hedde and Elizabeth Hedde will discuss the approach their firm takes to engage with communities to design, construct and inhabit their projects. Free.
“In a Mirror, Dimly: Why AI Can’t Tell Our Stories, and Why We Must” – 9 a.m., Oct. 10, HUB-Robeson Center Flex Theatre, University Park campus. Professor Shannon Vallor from the University of Edinburgh is a former artificial intelligence ethicist at Google. She will present a public lecture as part of a two-day symposium on media, communications and ethics. Free.
In-person exhibits
“Lost in Paradise” — Through Oct. 19, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. A new solo exhibition by artist Seth Ellison will feature various paintings reflecting Ellison's life growing up in the rural South. Ellison is a Philadelphia-based painter and multimedia artist.
“Familiar Strands” — Through Oct. 24, McLanahan Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Ivyside Juried Art Exhibition winner Zoraye Cyrus uses vintage photographs as the foundation for drawings that utilize personal experiences, family relationships and her Afro-Caribbean American heritage to delve into the intricate connections between belonging and identity. Free.
“Color Intaglio: Fauna, Flora, Figures” — Through Oct. 25, Sheetz Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A body of work by Ivyside Juried Art Exhibition winner Yuji Hiratsuka reflecting on everyday human conditions such as wryness, satire, whimsy, irony, paradox or mismatch. Free.
Philadelphia Watercolor Society’s 124th International Exhibition of Works on Paper — Through Oct. 29, The Henry Gallery, Great Valley campus. This exhibition will feature a diverse range of styles and techniques, from delicate landscapes to bold abstracts, to evoke emotion, challenge perception and celebrate the beauty of the medium of paper.
“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.
“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.
"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.
"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.
“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.