Abington Experience drives students' art, tech event on Philly waterfront

ABINGTON, Pa.—The waterfront at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia came to otherworldly life last weekend with a spooky Alien Invasion that featured lights, sound, and sculptures designed and performed by Penn State Abington students, an alum and faculty, and supported by a generous donor.

For H. John Thompson, teaching professor and chair of the art degree program, the event was the next logical step for his students after they stole the show at a campus Halloween event last year. Students handed out candy at the trunk or treat while wearing the oversized paper mâché pumpkin heads they created in Thompson’s sculpture courses.

“We decided to build a Halloween tradition and enhance the experience in 2025 with a truly immersive theme that celebrates our partnership with the Independence Seaport Museum. It's an example where studio art can grow into and support participatory happenings, expanding students' understanding of contemporary art's possibilities not only as objects, but as community events,” he said.

Led by Thompson and John Pachence, associate teaching professor of music and integrative arts, masquerading as astronauts, the students marched past the audience while wearing their paper-mâché art pieces. The 30-odd sculptures ranged in size from a small alien mask to a UFO body. The students hopped into small boats that also had been dressed for the occasion, and paddled around the basin in front of the museum.

Meanwhile, the Lion Productions student sound and lighting team that Pachence coordinates lit up the historic battleship Olympia in the background, and Caitlin Crowe, class of 2024, produced an audio backdrop that set the spooky atmosphere.

Crowe, who earned a degree in computer science and enrolled in music technology courses at Abington, spent two months transforming everyday noise into the four-disc ambient album "Sounds from an Otherworldly Place." For one track, she smacked metal bowls together, then played with the resonant harmonics to make create sounds a UFO might emit.

“At the core of the project is exploration,” she said. “It’s me pushing my tools and my knowledge to their limits to see what unexpected sounds I can discover.”

The music also functioned as an interactive set piece. Crowe allowed the audience to fiddle with some of the knobs, dials, and buttons, allowing them to change the soundscape and explore new avenues in real time.

She wasn’t the only person inspired to explore — for James Flynn-Hawthorne and his Lion Productions teammates the event tread “alien” waters, he said. Since his academic focus is on writing and music production, his job was to bring the artists’ vision to life.

“It was unlike anything we’ve ever done at Lion Productions,” the fourth-year integrative arts major said. “It's a huge showing of our state-of-the-art visual effects and the first off-campus event for Lion Productions in a beautiful location in the city.”

Both Crowe and Hawthorne said this unique and dynamic experience created a bond among students, faculty and staff at the Independence Seaport Museum, a longtime campus partner thanks to Thompson’s boat-building experience and other projects for students.

Preparing for the invasion

After last year’s success at the trunk-or-treat, Thompson enhanced the concept with a theme and teaming up with Pachence to draw more students in assorted disciplines.

“The purpose of this project is for students to have a foundational experience in sculptural techniques of basic mold-making as demonstrated in the paper mâché heads and basic planar construction in the cardboard UFO's,” he said.

The students ranged from non-majors to art majors learning basic concepts and methods and those working on more advanced construction.

“This learning happens in the studio classroom, and the experience of participating in a large creative community event brings their work into the real world. They can make connections and have first-hand experience in the ways artists collaborate with institutions to produce ambitious works to new audiences,” Thompson said.

The "Alien Invasion" was made possible thanks to philanthropic support from the Creighton Family Art Excellence Fund, funded by James B. Creighton, class of 1981.

The 'Abington Experience'

Courses and experiences such as the those that inspired the Alien Invasion allow students to explore real-world applications of concepts they learn inside and outside the classroom and develop leadership skills, which are keystones of the Abington Experience. This roadmap for campus to career success builds the in-demand skills and confidence proven to increase job offers, salaries, and lifelong growth.

About Penn State Abington

Penn State Abington, home to nearly 3,000 students and minutes from Philadelphia, offers 26 four-year majors and 14 NCAA Division III athletics teams. The Abington experience launches students from campus to career through internships, leadership development, short-term academic travel, and faculty-led research. Penn State Abington — where the city’s energy meets the best of the suburbs.