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
Happy Valley Indian Performing Arts Festival — Sept. 23 and 25, HUB Flex Theater, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The Society. for Indian Music and Arts and Penn State Nritya will present four recitals featuring Hindustani vocal music, Bharata Natyam, carnatic vocal music and a special concert of Qawwali.
Blue Band Jam — 10 a.m., Sept. 24, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. High school bands and the Penn State Blue Band will perform ahead of the Nittany Lions' football game against Central Michigan. Free.
John Mulaney — 7 p.m., Sept. 25, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Writer, actor and comedian John Mulaney brings his "From Scratch" tour to Penn State.
Malpaso Dance Company — 7:30 p.m., Sept. 29, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The young Cuban dance ensemble makes it Penn State debut.
Lectures
"Snapshot of Pennsylvania's Solar Sector — and Programs and Policies to Grow It" — 4 p.m., Sept. 26, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus. Allen Landis, director of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protections' Energy Department Authority, will discuss the state's solar industry and efforts to grow it. Free.
"Look Up: A Journey to Build Stronger Collaborations in the Arts" — Noon, Sept. 27, via Zoom. Penn State Laureate Velvet Brown, the David P. Stone Endowed Professor for the School of Music and associate director for diversity, equity and inclusion in the school, will discuss her journey. Free, but registration required.
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey — 6 p.m., Sept. 29, Freeman Auditorium, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Natasha Trethewey, Pulitzer Prize winner and 19th Poet Laureate, will serve as this year's Emily Dickinson Lecturer and offer a reading. Free.
Events
National Hispanic Heritage Month — Through Oct. 31, various campuses. Penn State units across the commonwealth are holding events in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. The unifying theme for this year's observances is "Nuestra Música (Our Music): Identity, Culture and Resistance." Free.
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
"ARC Studio's Premiere" — Through Jan. 29, 2023, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Photos and paintings by Andrew Castañeda mirror the structure of a day in TV programming. 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.
"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.
"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.
"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.