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:
Performances
"The McCartney Years" — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 4, Pullo Center, Penn State York. A live concert experience featuring two decades of music from Paul McCartney from the Beatles to Wings.
"Nostalgia Night" — Feb. 10-19, Pavilion Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents this musical for the Gen Z population.
Billie Eilish — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 10, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Billie Eilish brings her "Happier Than Ever" tour to Penn State.
Lectures
"A Voice for Justice" — 7 p.m., Feb. 3, Hiller Auditorium, Penn State DuBois. Brandon Martin, a multi genre vocalist, composer, conductor and musical educator, will present "A Voice for Justice," which focuses on social justice as told through music and features songs of hope and redemption with an eye toward educating and inspiring audiences. Free.
Mary E. Rolling Reading Series: Shara McCallum — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 3, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Shara McCallum, the 2021-22 Penn State Laureate and Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English, will read from her works. Free.
Department of Geography Coffee Hour Lecture Series: Arthur Lupia — 4 p.m., Feb. 4, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus, and via Zoom. Arthur Lupia, the Gerald R. Ford Distinguished University Professor at the University of Michigan, will discuss how to develop more effective communication strategies to reach and engage the public. Free.
Events
Black History Month — Through March 3, various Penn State campuses. Student organizations and units at campuses across the commonwealth will be holding events in honor of Black History Month. Free.
30th annual WPSU Connoisseur's Event and Auction — 6 p.m, Feb. 5, via livestream. Chef Jule Taboulie, host of the PBS show "Julie Taboulie's Lebanese Kitchen," will be featured in this event to help support WPSU public media. Free, but registration appreciated.
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 preeminent 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
"MASKED" — Through March 2, 125 Borland Building, University Park campus. An exhibition exploring the complexities of "masking" hosted by the Penn State Arts and Design Research Incubator. Free.
"Sentinel Lands: The Geospace of Mine Fires" — Jan. 31-March 4, Rouse Gallery, Stuckeman School, University Park campus. "Sentinel Lands" examines the long-term spacial and ecological consequences of extraction economies and their impact on climate change. Free.
"Americans and the Holocaust" — Jan. 29-March 10, Pattee Library, University Park campus. The University Libraries is hosting a traveling exhibit from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum that examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans' responses to Nazism, war and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. Free.
Lehigh Art Alliance 2022 Winter Juried Exhibition — Through March 15, Ronald K. De Long Gallery, Penn State Lehigh Valley. The campus for the first time will host a local exhibition of original works in various media. Free.
"Gross Bremen: Escaping Genocide Through Agricultural Education" — Through March 15, Linda Schwab Reading Room, Madlyn L. Hanes Library, Penn State Harrisburg. The exhibit about Gross Bremen, an agricultural training farm on the border of Germany and Poland from 1936 to 1940, features a narrative, archival photos and a video. Free.
"Golden Legacy: Original Art From 75 Years of Golden Books" — Through March 30, Madigan Library, Pennsylvania College of Technology. An exhibition of America's beloved Little Golden Books. Free.
"The Historic Hayfield House — Creating a Legacy" — Through April 1, Friedman Art Gallery, Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Images of the Hayfield House and the Conynham family, a part of whose estate was donated to establish the Wilkes-Barre campus, are on display. Free.
"An American Place: Selections from the James and Barbara Palmer Collection" — Through April 24, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the Palmer is exhibiting its signature collection of American art. Free.
"Printmaking in the Age of Dürer" — Through May 8, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Engravings and woodcuts by Albert Dürer, Germany's most important artist of the Renaissance and the first to fully realize the possibilities of printmaking as an expressive vehicle equal to that of painting and sculpture. Free.
"Lunchbox Moments: Seek Understanding. Share Stories. Stop Hate" — Through May 15, exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. A multi-faceted exhibition about "lunchbox moments," formative occurrences in many Asian Americans' lives where a traditional Asian meal is eaten at school or home and the meal elicits some sort of reaction, whether it is positive or negative. Free.
"A Way Through: Abstract Art of the 1940s" — Through May 15, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibit provides the comprehensive look at midcentury abstraction in the Palmer's history. Free.
"FRESH" — Through May 17, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. "FRESH" invites viewers to look for what makes 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, 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, School of Science complex, Penn State Behrend. An interactive sculpture melding art and science models the interactions between spores and ants. Free.