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 Jan. 20:
Performances
Faculty recital: Mark Lusk — 7:30 p.m., Jan. 16, 130 Recital Hall, Music I Building, University Park campus, and online. School of Music faculty member Mark Lusk will present his 68th faculty recital. Free.
"Bach's Lunch: School of Music Voice Area Noontime Concert - Voice Jury Honors" — 12:10-12:45 p.m., Jan. 20, Pasquerilla/Eisenhower Chapel, University Park campus. Voice students sing a program of best songs and arias. Free.
Lectures
Penn State Alumni Association Virtual Speaker Session: Jason Beale — Noon, Jan. 18, via livestream. Jason Beale, animal care program director at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, will present "The Lost Bird Project: An Ode to Vanished Species." Free, but registration required.
"Designing to Amplify" — 6 p.m., Jan. 19, via livestream. Jon Key, co-founder of the Brooklyn-based design studio Morcos Key, will discuss using design and art as a means to amplify and empower communities, with a focus on queer and transgender communities of color. Free.
Events
Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorations — Jan. 14-21, various campuses. The Penn State community celebrates the work and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with events including day of service, conversations, film screenings and trivia at a number of campuses. Free.
"A Once and Future Peace" — 9 p.m., Jan. 19, via livestream. The Sustainability Institute presents the film "A Once and Future Peace" exploring issues of restorative justice by looking at a program aimed at youth offenders in Seattle modeled after Indigenous talking circles. 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 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
"OPENINGS: Highlights from the Eberly Family Special Collections Library" — 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays through Jan. 14, 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.
"From Earth to Mars and Back" — Through Jan. 19, Rouse Gallery, Stuckeman Family Building, University Park campus. The exhibit highlights multidisciplinary work between faculty members in the College of Arts and Architecture and the College of Engineering to create sustainable housing solutions on Earth and beyond using 3D printing processes. Free.
"Design for Life" — Through Jan. 26, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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.