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
"Haydn Discovery" — Nov. 4-12, via livestream. The St. Lawrence String Quartet has created the streamed event "Haydn Discovery," a special free discussion and performance of Joseph Haydn's seminal composition, String Quartet Op. 20, No. 3. Free.
"The Democracy! Suite" — Nov. 11-18, via livestream. In partnership with the Center for Performing Arts at Penn State, Jazz at Lincoln Center will offer a themed virtual performance featuring some of the finest soloists in the jazz world. Free.
"Machinal" — Nov. 12-14 via YouTube Live. The Penn State Harrisburg School of Humanities will present its fall play — Sophie Treadwell's "Machinal," inspired by the real-life trial and execution of Ruth Snyder. Free, but registration required.
"The Osaze Project" — 7:30 p.m., Nov. 13, via livestream. Penn State Centre Stage will present "The Osaze Project," directed and devised by professor emeritus faculty member Charles Dumas. Free.
Events
Cafe Laura Theme Dinner: Journey to Mount Olympus: Greek Cuisine fit for the Gods — Nov. 12, 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.
Virtual Student Involvement Fair — 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Nov. 12, via Zoom. Students hoping to become more involved on campus will have the opportunity to browse through Zoom rooms of participating organizations and meet current members who will be available to answer questions. Free.
Virtual Wellness Walk — 6 p.m., Nov. 13, via livestream. Students in the School of Hospitality Management have organized a virtual wellness event to benefit Centre HELPS.
Centre Film Festival — Nov. 13-15, via livestream. The three-day festival goes virtual this year, with short films, main feature and a live panel discussion.
'20s Making & Mimosas — 11:30 a.m., Nov. 15, via livestream. Students in the School of Hospitality Management have organized a centennial celebration to benefit the Bellefonte Art Museum including trivia, prizes and an optional virtual art contest.
Penn State Oriana Singers and University Choir fall concert — 2 p.m., Nov. 15, via livestream. The Oriana Singers will stream live from the Worship Hall in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, followed by the University Choir showcasing their program from several University Park campus locations.
One Dog at a Time Birthday Bash — 2 p.m., Nov. 15, via livestream. Students in the School of Hospitality Management have organized a celebration for One Dog at a Time to help the organization raise money to buy its own shelter. The event will include trivia, prizes, a silent auction and a dog treat demo.
Gingerbread House Decorating Event — Penn State Auxiliary and Business Services and the Penn State Bakery are hosting their third annual event to benefit THON. Participants can order kits online and pick them up at the THON Store in the HUB-Robeson Center Nov. 16-20, or at the Penn State Bakery Dec. 14-18.
Online United Way 50/50 raffle — Penn Staters are invited to take part in an online 50/50 raffle to benefit the Centre County United Way.
Lectures
Dean's Lecture Series: Deborah Rivas-Drake — 4 p.m., Nov. 12, via Zoom. Deborah Rivas-Drake, professor of education and psychology at the University of Michigan will present "The Impact of Structural Racism and Racial Discrimination on Health, Wellness and Well-Being." Free.
Palmer Museum Conversations: "So, You Want to Buy a Print?" — 4 p.m., Nov. 12, via Zoom. Patrick McGrady, the Palmer Museum's Charles V. Hallman Senior Curator, will discuss details about different printmaking techniques that experts look for when considering prints for the museum's collection. Free.
Dean's Equity Forum: Mildred Boveda — 4 p.m., Nov. 12, via Zoom. Mildred Boveda, assistant professor of special education and cultural and linguistic diversity at Arizona State University, will present "Developing Intersectional Competence: Are General and Special Education Preservice Teachers Prepared to Respond to Multiple Differences?" Free.
Smith Creative Writers Reading Series — 6 p.m., Nov. 12, via Zoom. The final installment of the series will feature the original work of graduating students in Penn State Behrend's Bachelor of Fine Arts program. Free.
Virtual Storytelling in Education Speaker Series: Jo-ann Archibald Q'um Q'um Xiiem — 7 p.m., Nov. 12, via Zoom. Jo-ann Archibald Q'um Q'um Xiiem from the Stó:lō and St'at'imc First Nations in British Columbia, Canada, and professor emerita at the University of British Columbia, will present "Storytelling in Education through Indigenous Storywork." Free.
John M. Anderson Endowed Lecture Series: Molly Zuckerman-Hartung — 3 p.m., Nov. 16, via livestream. Painter, writer and teacher Molly Zuckerman-Hartung will present "Seeming Painting." Free, but registration required.
Hankin Distinguished Lecture: Brett C. Singer — 4 p.m., Nov. 17, via Zoom. Brett C. Singer, staff scientist, head of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems and lead of the Indoor Environment Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will present "Advances, Challenges and Opportunities for Indoor Air Quality in U.S. Homes." Free, but registration required.
"Language Lives in Unexpected Places" — Nov. 17-18 via livestream. The Center for Humanities and Information is hosting a two-day webinar in recognition of National Native American Heritage Month. Free, but registration required.
Journalism Speakers Forum: Tom Brenner — 7 p.m., Nov. 18, via Zoom. Photojournalist Tom Brenner will discuss covering American politics in Washington, D.C. Free.
Herbert Simon Award Lecture: Anthony Bertelli — 4 p.m., Nov. 18, via livestream. Anthony Bertelli, Douglaas S. and Joyce L. Sherwin Chair in the College of the Liberal Arts Honoring Frank Whitmore and professor of public policy and political science, will present "Democracy Administered: Understanding the Role of Public Administration in Representative Government." Free, but registration required.
“How to Be an Antiracist”: Ibram X. Kendi — 6 p.m. Nov. 18, via livestream. One of America’s foremost historians and leading antiracist voices, will discuss his book
"Earth Archives" Virtual Tour — 3 p.m., Nov. 19, via Zoom. Curators of the University Libraries' "Earth Archives: Stories of Human Impact" will offer a virtual curated engagement experience. Free, but registration required.
Exhibits and Virtual Tours
"Celebrating the ADA: The Legacy and Evolution of Disability Rights & Lived Experience at Penn State" — Online. The University Libraries explores the first 100 years of national disability rights legislation and the movement's impact on the Penn State community. Free.
"CARE. not convenience" — Through Nov. 20, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Created entirely with salvaged plastic, this collaboration between an artist, designer and an environmental sciences researcher aspired to shed light on society's dependence on, careless overuse and thoughtless disposal of plastic. Free.
"Hostile Terrain 94" — Through Nov. 20, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. "Hostile Terrain 94" is a participatory art exhibit occurring in nearly 150 cities around the globe that highlights the lives claimed by the U.S./Mexico border since the 1990s. Free.
"African Brilliance: A Diplomat's Sixty Years of Collecting" Online Catalogue — Online. A digital catalogue 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.
"Illuminating Illusions" — Online. The Penn State Museum Consortium presents this exhibition that explores facets of illusions in science, art, literature and nature. 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" — Through Jan. 31, 2021, Display Cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Four artists explore the form of the human head in ceramic, neon and glass. Free.
"Border Exchange" — Through Jan. 31, 2021, Display Cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The exhibition pairs two of artist Carlos Rosales-Silva's paintings with a site-responsive wall painting. 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.