Arts and Entertainment

Things to Do at Penn State: Dec. 2-9

A selection of virtual and in-person cultural events happening across the University this weekend and next week

Penn State Centre Stage's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" runs Dec. 2-9 at the Pavilion Theatre on the University Park campus. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn StateAll Rights Reserved.

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 this weekend and next week:

Performances

"A Midsummer Night's Dream"Through Dec. 9, Pavilion Theatre, University Park campus. Penn Stage Centre Stage presents William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," directed by Sam Osheroff.

Lúnasa 7:30 p.m., Dec. 2, Mukind S. Kulkarni Theatre, Penn State Harrisburg. The award-winning Irish music group Lúnasa kicks off the 2021-22 Kulkarni Cultural Series with a special winter solstice holiday show. 

"Proof" 8 p.m., Dec. 2-5, Perkins Student Center Auditorium, Penn State Berks. The campus will present "Proof" by David Auburn, which won a 2001 Pulitzer Prize for drama and Tony Award for best play.

"We Are ... Hope"7:30 p.m., Dec. 3, and 2 p.m., Dec. 4, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. Penn State Altoona's Ivyside Pride choral group will present its fall performance.

"Tennessee Williams Songs" 7:30 p.m., Dec. 3, 130 Recital Hall, Music Building, University Park campus. The School of Music presents the premiere of "Tennessee Williams Songs" by Professor Emeritus of Music Bruce Trinkley. Free.

Lectures

Energy of the Future seminar series: Christopher D. Rahn4 p.m., Dec. 2, via Zoom. Christopher D. Rahn, associate dean for innovation and J. Lee Everett Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering, will present ""Battery Systems Engineering | Enabling Mobility and Grid Independence." Free.

EarthTalks: Scott Stephens4 p.m., Dec. 6, via Zoom. Scott Stephens, professor of fire science at the University of California, Berkeley, will present "Fire policy and policy conundrums in fire-prone Mediterranean climate forests." Free.

"Meeting the Moment with Michael Mwenso"noon, Dec. 6, through noon, Dec. 10, online. Host Michael Mwenso will host trombonist and bandleader Delfeayo Marsalis in this prerecorded virtual discussion. Free.

Lauren Esposito5 p.m., Dec. 7, HUB-Robeson Center and via livestream, University Park campus. Lauren Esposito, founder of 500QueerScientists.com and curator at the California Academy of Sceinces, will present a lecture. Free. 

Events

Cafe Laura Theme Dinner: "Greenhouse Harvest: A Taste of the Season" — Dec. 2, 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.

"Another Round" 6:15 p.m., Dec. 7, 5 Luerssen Building, Penn State Berks. The campus will present the 2020 Black comedy-drama film "Another Round," directed by Thomas Vinterberg, as part of its "Global Oscars Comes to Berks" series. 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.

In-person exhibits

"Ukiyo-e: Images of the Floating World, Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Permanent Collection" — Through Dec. 5, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The art of ukiyo-e flourished in Japan during the Edo period (1615-1867). Period artists specializing in genre scenes, portraits of actors and courtesans, and later, landscape, in a manner that reflected the most contemporary fashions and attitudes, their work became known as ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world.” Free.

"Blackout Poetry" — Through Dec. 10, campus library, Penn State Fayette. “Blackout Poetry” is a creative way to bring new meaning to any written text and make it your own. Redact words in order to create a one-of-a-kind piece. All entries will be displayed in the campus library. Free.

"Patchwork Voices Community Collection" — Through Dec. 10, Coal and Coke Heritage Center, campus library, Penn State Fayette. The Patchwork Voices Community Collection is one of the Coal and Coke Heritage Center's unprocessed collections. Unprocessed means that a traditional finding aid has not been created for researchers to access materials. The collection consists of smaller, family collections. Visitors will find materials such as photographs, letters, recipes, mining certificates, newspapers, magazines, union materials, clothing and mining tools. Free.

"Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and World War II" — Through Dec. 10, campus library, Penn State Fayette. The exhibit examines the complicated history and impact of Executive Order 9066 that led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Free.

"Celebration of Trees" — Through Dec. 12, Henry Gallery, Penn State Great Valley. The presentation hosts photographs, prints, paintings and mixed media works. All of the artists are inspired by the architecture of trees themselves, formative memories, the experience of being in nature, and environmentalism. To support improved environmental policies and draw attention to climate change, they manifest a connection to the earth and an understanding of the importance of forests. Free.

"Global Asias: Contemporary Asian and Asian American Art from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation" — Through Dec. 12, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This web-based, interactive program 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. Free.

"Place to Place: Recent Gifts of American Drawings and Watercolors, 1900-1950" — Through Dec. 12, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. "Place to Place" offers a jaunt around America in the first half of the 20th century. From New York to New Mexico to New Orleans, a range of sites in several different media are gathered to explore notions of place. International locales represented include Belgium, England, France, Germany and Morocco. Free.

"Documenting the Moment: A Visual Journal"  Through Dec. 17, Ronald K. DeLong Gallery, Penn State Lehigh Valley. The exhibit features a collection of artist Jason Travers’ ink and graphite drawings that capture what he’s seeing in real time at a particular moment. The gallery also is showcasing student works depicting significant moments shown from various perspectives. Free.

"OPENINGS: Highlights from the Eberly Family Special Collections Library"10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays through Jan. 14, 2022, Eberly Family Special Collections, Paterno Library, University Park campus. A selection of rare, unique and distinctive items from the University Libraries' Eberly Family Special Collections. Free.

"Design for Life" Nov. 10-Jan. 26, 2022, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Work from Stuckeman School faculty and students exemplifying the influence design has on a wide rage of social issues will be on display. Free.

"Lost Bird Project" — Through Jan. 26, 2022, exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The "Lost Bird Project" consists of five sculptural monuments to extinct bird species. Conceived by artist Todd McGrain, the "Lost Bird Project" recognizes the tragedy of modern extinction by immortalizing the five most recently extinct North American birds. Free.

"Why Biodiversity Matters" — Through Jan. 26, 2022, exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus.  "Why Biodiversity Matters" includes avian research and educational materials from Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center and Penn State’s Wildlife and Fisheries program. Free.

"Altar" — Through Jan. 30, 2022, exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Kiana Honarmand’s installation in 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.

Rosemarie Fiore Through Jan. 30, 2022, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Artist Rosemarie Fiore's smoke paining murals celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity. Free.

"FRESH" Through May 17, 2022, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. "FRESH" invites viewers to look for what make someone unique as an individual and to celebrate each person's journey, and features works by Harrison Boden, Emily Furr and Sydney Lee. Free.

"Inside the Frames" — Through May 17, 2022, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The exhibit tackles the intricacies of body image and disordered eating, and promotes body positivity and acceptance. Free.

Zombie Ant ExperienceThrough May 2022, School of Science complex, Penn State Behrend. An interactive sculpture melding art and science models the interactions between spores and ants. Free.

Last Updated December 3, 2021