Student Affairs

HUB-Robeson Galleries announces spring exhibition schedule

“Lunchbox Moments” installed at the Carlisle Arts Learning Center, 2021. Coming to HUB-Robeson Center Jan. 26, 2022. Credit: Amie Bantz. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The HUB-Robeson Galleries' spring 2022 exhibition schedule will focus on contemporary portraits, storytelling and student-led projects. The exhibits will run in various locations in the HUB-Robison Center, including the HUB Gallery and Art Alley.

The HUB Gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Exhibits in other locations are open whenever the HUB-Robeson Center is open. HUB-Robeson Galleries exhibitions, projects and events are always free and open to everyone. Class, office and student organization group visits are welcomed and encouraged. Student and staff-led tours are available, email Galleries@psu.edu if interested.

Upcoming exhibitions

"True Likeness"

Opening Feb. 4 – March 20 | HUB Gallery & Art Alley

Reception: Feb. 8, 5-7 p.m.

View "True Likeness" online

Portraits serve as expressions of identity, popular taste, social standing, and as documents of who, when, and where. Representing one’s self in the best light or seeing others in understandable terms are motives behind why we record images of each other, whether for rituals, documentation of events, art making, or as expressions of status.

"True Likeness" presents an exhibition of contemporary portraits from diverse makers in a variety of media including video, photography, painting, collage, installation, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. Artists, some familiar, others more on the fringe of the art world, hail from all over the United States. Their own identities, and those presented through their works, provide a snapshot of who we are as a country. In the last two years, as overt and coded hate speech became congruent with one of the most divisive elections of our time, it became apparent that highlighting and celebrating diversity was paramount.

This exhibition premiered at the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College in 2019 and was co-curated by Lia Newman and Tom Stanley.

Amie Bantz | "Lunchbox Moments"

Opening Jan. 26 – May 15, 2022 | HUB Exhibition Cases

Reception: Feb. 8, 5-7 p.m.

Artist-led workshops and presentations: Feb. 9–11, 2022

"Lunchbox Moments" are the formative occurrences in many Asian Americans’ lives where a traditional Asian meal is eaten at school or at home and the meal elicits some sort of reaction, whether it be positive or negative. “I have a lunchbox moment; my mom has a lunchbox moment; nearly all of my AAPI community members have a lunchbox moment,” said artist Amie Bantz. These stories make up a collective identity that is equal parts profound, beautiful, comical, and heartbreaking.

In order to share these stories and empower the AAPI community in light of recent attacks on Asian Americans in the U.S., Amie Bantz presents: "Lunchbox Moments: Seek Understanding. Share Stories. Stop Hate." These boxes are a collection of narratives from members of the AAPI community and are a visual representation of storytelling showcasing the Asian-American experience. These stories empower marginalized voices by providing a platform to raise awareness. This project is presented in partnership with Adult Learner Programs & Services, Residence Life, and the Sustainability Institute.

Visual Arts Annual Graduate Research Exhibition

Opening March 25–April 17, 2022 | HUB Gallery

Gallery walk: March 25, 2–4 p.m.

Featuring the work of the current Master of Fine Arts candidates, the annual Graduate Research Exhibition includes several artists working in a wide variety of mediums. Candidates are challenged to effectively demonstrate the significance of their ideas and creative research to the general public. Individuals whose works and presentations are judged best will receive monetary awards.

The annual Graduate Research Exhibition celebrates research in all its aspects as an essential and exciting part of graduate education at Penn State. Established in 1986, the Graduate Exhibition places special emphasis on communicating research and creative endeavor to a general audience and offers an opportunity for professional development by challenging graduate students to present their work in clear, comprehensible terms to people outside their fields. 

"Scatter Terrain"

Opening March 24-July 17 | Art Alley

View "Scatter Terrain"’s catalog online

The term “scatter terrain,” borrowed from role-playing and war games, refers to miniature fragments of architecture, natural features, or small props that provide a visual aid for players. This exhibition presents pockets of “terrain” – peculiar landscapes, architectural gestures, intimate domestic corners – as a metaphorical means of escape from the pandemic and connection to those who are far away. What started as a call for disparate glimpses into distant lives and locations is now shifting toward a realization that our communal sense of place is still marked by a reckoning with an ailing world and an urgent need for new perspectives. "Scatter Terrain" was co-curated by Anthony Cervino and Shannon Egan, features 25 artists, and first premiered at Ejecta Projects.

Current Exhibitions

Rosemarie Fiore

Closing Jan. 30, 2022  | HUB Gallery

Watch student-led interview with artist Rosemarie Fiore

Known for converting popular technologies such as lawnmowers, cars, floor polishers, and amusement park rides into painting machines, selected works from the past 10 years of Fiore’s practice are on view in HUB Gallery. Fiore worked with students in the School of Visual Arts to develop the pyrographic tools which she used in a performance on the HUB Lawn this fall. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

"Design for Life"

Closing Jan. 26, 2022 | Art Alley

View "Design for Life" online

"Design for Life" is an exhibition that highlights the expanse of innovative, socially responsive and community-engaged design work developed within the Stuckeman School. The "Design for Life" initiative was introduced by interim director Patricia Kucker as a testament to the creative practice, research and expertise of students, Staff, and Faculty. Twenty-two projects that focus on issues such as social justice, affordable housing, community engagement, health and well-being, sustainability, climate change and more are featured in the exhibition.

"Lost Bird Project" and "Why Biodiversity Matters"

Closing Jan. 26, 2022 | HUB Exhibition Cases

Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center presents "Why Biodiversity Matters" including avian research and educational materials from Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center and Penn State’s Wildlife and Fisheries program. The "Lost Bird Project," conceived by artist Todd McGrain, recognizes the tragedy of modern extinction by immortalizing the five most recently extinct North American birds: the Carolina Parakeet, Heath Hen, Great Auk, Labrador Duck and Passenger Pigeon. These statues serve not only as dramatic reminders of the biodiversity lost due to human activity, but of our duty to prevent further extinction. The sculptural monuments will be hosted outdoors at the Hintz Family Alumni Center, the Arboretum at Penn State, Penn State Altoona and Shavers Creek through summer 2022.

Kiana Honarmand | "Altar"

Closing Jan. 26, 2022 | HUB Exhibition Cases

Honarmand’s installation on the exhibition cases utilizes text from the poem “Gift” by Iranian feminist poet Forough Farrokhzad to pay homage to the history of hiding critical commentary in Persian poetry and visual arts. Employing writings such as news articles, propaganda, or feminist poetry, the writings are subsequently transformed into patterns using the smooth curves of Persian calligraphy. While Persian text can be associated with fear and terror in the current political climate of the Western world, Honarmand is interested in creating a sense of “home” and familiarity for these members of the Penn State community.

"FRESH" | emerging artists with micro works and macro dreams

Through May 17, 2022  | HUB Exhibition Cases

Highlighting self-discovery and identity through painting, quilt making, and sculpture in order to create an open space for personal narratives, "FRESH" features works by Harrison Boden, Emily Furr and Sydney Lee.

"FRESH" invites viewers to look for what makes someone unique as an individual, and to celebrate each person's journey. This exhibition consciously focuses on work by emerging artists who are seeking their own voices through boldness and color. Curated by Alix Gaytan and Megan Gottfried.

"Inside the Frames"

Through May 17, 2022  | HUB Wall Cases

View "Inside the Frames"’ brochure online

"Inside the Frames" tackles the intricacies of body image and disordered eating. Art history students Sidan Chen and Emily Tse curated the exhibition out of their Curator’s Workshop course (ART 477 taught by Lindsey Landfried, curator and senior gallery manager, HUB-Robeson Galleries) to address the anxieties surrounding these intricacies, and to promote body positivity and acceptance. Works on view by artists Harrison Boden, Niss Erkert, Megan Gottfried, Shaobo Liu, Jo Megas, Ronan Shaw and Mengqi Xu.

Going beyond the traditional wall label, the exhibition will include a link to a video containing quotes dealing with body image and body anxiety from randomly selected students on campus as an aid in understanding the depths of the issue. In tandem with the exhibition, there will be a reserved space for viewers to leave their own thoughts after visiting. Detailed descriptions, artist biographies and video documentation are available through an online exhibition brochure.

Last Updated December 15, 2021