What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — taking place at the University this weekend and next week:
Performances
"theLASTree" — April 16-18 via Zoom. Penn State Altoona will present "theLASTree" by Laurencio Carlos Ruiz, featuring puppets, music, song and movement about nature and the consequences of deforestation, pollution and plastic waste. Free.
"Romeo and Juliet" — 7:30 p.m., April 20, via livestream. Penn State Centre Stage Virtual will produce its first-ever radio-play version of "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare.
"Front Row: National" — April 21-28 via livestream. Musician and activist Anthony McGill will be the featured soloist in the next episode of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's "Front Row: National." Free.
"The Last Five Years" — April 22-25 via livestream. Master of fine arts candidate Jennifer Delac directs this modern musical that chronicles the five-year life of a marriage, from meeting to breakup and from breakup to meeting.
Events
Cafe Laura Theme Dinner: "Dining a la Disney: Where Cinema Dreams Come True" — April 21, 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 for dine in, and online take out is available.
Lectures
2021 Climate Dynamics seminar series: Erica Smithwick — 11:15 a.m., April 21, via Zoom. Geography faculty member Erica Smithwick will present "Envisioning a climate consortium: What is a university's role in combating climate change?" Free.
2021 Pattishall Research Lecture: Xiang Gao — 3:30 p.m., April 21, via Zoom. Xiang Gao, professor of nutritional sciences and director of the Nutritional Epidemiology Lab, will present "Parkinson's and Restless Leg Syndrome: Risk Factors and Consequences." Free.
"No-Yes: Katie Koestner's Story of Speaking Up and Speaking Out" — 6:30 p.m., April 21, via livestream. Penn State Harrisburg's "Take Back the Night" presents Katie Koestner, the first person to publicly speak out about being a victim of "date" rape as opposed to "stranger" rape. Free, but registration required.
Smith Creative Writers Reading Series: "Sweet Sorrow" readings — 6 p.m., April 22, via Zoom. Graduates of Penn State Behrend's creative writing program will read. Free.
Exhibits
"Field Language: The Painting and Poetry of Warren and Jane Rohrer" — Through June 6, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This major loan exhibition examines the art of Warren Rohrer as it evolved in conversation with poet Jane Turner Rohrer, his partner of nearly 50 years. Free.
"The Wit and Whimsy of Lucille Corcos" — Through May 9, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. A prolific painter and illustrator, Lucille Corcos depicted American life with an incomparable verve during the mid-20h century. Free.
THON logo exhibition — Online. The THON website is featuring a virtual gallery showcasing logos from previous events, as well as profiles of each student designer. Free.
"Celebrating the ADA: The Legacy and Evolution of Disability Rights and Lived Experience at Penn State" — Online. 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.
"African Brilliance: A Diplomat's Sixty Years of Collecting" Online Catalog — Online. A digital catalog of African works collected by retired U.S. ambassador Allen C. Davis, including text entries, high-resolution 360-degree images and contextual videos at the Palmer Museum of Art. Free.
"African Brilliance" Virtual Tour — Online. Explore an interactive tour created with teachers, students and families in mind. The tour includes installation images, pictures of selected works, videos for guided viewing and related art-making activity suggestions. Free.
"Drawing on a Legacy: Highlights from the John Driscoll American Drawings Collection" — Online. High-resolution images, text selections and a photo gallery of works on paper donated by Penn State alumnus John P. Driscoll, including early landscape views and botanical sketches, animal scenes and still lives, and portraits and preparatory figure studies. The works include a number of well-known 19th-century American artists. Free.
"Photography=Abstraction" — Online. The Palmer Museum of Art's virtual pop-up exhibition is an interactive gallery with images, text and informational videos for selected works. Free, Google Chrome browser recommended.
Snowiss Gallery of American Art — Online. Tour the Palmer Museum of Art's first-floor Snowiss Gallery. Free.
"Women in Art: Activism and Resistance" virtual tour — Online. This self-directed, interactive online tour features a selection of objects by female artists in the Palmer Museum of Art's collection. In celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this tour highlights artists working in a variety of media during the 20th and 21st centuries who have contributed to political, social and cultural change. Free.
"Human Expectations II" — Through June 20, Display Cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus, and online. The work of five artists embody a search for expression and experience through material. Free.
"When the Bough Breaks" — Through April 30, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Nine different artists address the issue of climate change through a unique representation of trees. Free.
"Something Means Something Else" — Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. This three-part mural by artist Tamara Gayer focuses on the intricacies of the current moment in sexual and gender identity. Free.
"Small Planet" — Through January 2022, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The HUB-Robeson Center has commissioned a site-specific wall painting located in the first-floor eateries by artist Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann titled "Small Planet." Free.