Editor's Note: This is the final edition of "Things to Do at Penn State" for the fall semester. "Things to Do" will return with the start of spring semester 2022 classes.
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 through the rest of the fall semester:
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.
Penn State Behrend Jazz Ensemble fall concert — 8 p.m., Dec. 9, Reed Building, Penn State Behrend. Behrend's jazz band will play the music of Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Charlie Parker and more. Free.
Penn State Altoona University Jazz Band — 2:30 p.m., Dec. 11, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. The Altoona campus jazz band will perform a variety of contemporary big band styles. Free.
"Bonnets" — 7 p.m., Dec. 11, auditorium, Penn State Beaver. The campus presents Jen Silverman's play. Free.
EMC Presents: Holiday Celebration 2021 — 4 p.m., Dec. 12, Pullo Center, Penn State York. The EMC Performing Arts Studio presents its holiday celebration.
Cirque Dreams Holidaze — 7:30 p.m., Dec. 16, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. This annual tradition wraps a whimsical, Broadway-style musical infused with contemporary circus artistry.
Lectures
"Meeting the Moment with Michael Mwenso" — Through noon, Dec. 10, online. Host Michael Mwenso will host trombonist and bandleader Delfeayo Marsalis in this prerecorded virtual discussion. Free.
Events
"Mystery of the Christmas Star" — 1 p.m., Dec. 11, Yahn Planetarium, Penn State Behrend. This planetarium holiday show is designed for people ages 9 and up.
"A Star For Santa's Tree" — 2:30 p.m., Dec. 11, Yahn Planetarium, Penn State Behrend. This planetarium holiday show is designed for children.
De-Stress Fest — Through Dec. 17, University Park campus. The Penn State University Libraries is offering stress-reducing games and activities to help students relax as they study for finals and complete end-of-semester papers and projects. Free.
Virtual exhibits
"The World According to Doyle: Editorial Cartoons from The Jerry Doyle Papers at Penn State" — This Penn State University Libraries digital exhibition examines Jerry Doyle, one of the pre-eminent editorial cartoonists of the 20th century. Free.
"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
"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.
"A Shift Within" — Through Dec. 10, Patterson Gallery, Patterson Building, University Park campus. Work by students in Art 430: Advanced Sculpture detail the physical, mental or emotional change as a result of COVID-19. 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 Experience — Through May 2022, School of Science complex, Penn State Behrend. An interactive sculpture melding art and science models the interactions between spores and ants. Free.