What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events taking place at the University this weekend and the next week:
Performances
"Scavenger Loop" with poet David Baker — April 4, 6 p.m., Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel, Penn State Behrend. As part of the Creative Writers Reading Series, acclaimed Midwestern poet David Baker will read poems from his latest collection, “Scavenger Loop,” which explores the natural history of the Midwest and how individuals engage with their surroundings.
Happy Valley Indian Performing Arts Festival — April 5-7, multiple locations, State College & University Park campus. This celebration of traditional Indian performing arts will showcase various styles originating from different regions in India. Each evening will feature one unique style of classical music and classical dance, presented in its time-honored form.
"Kinky Boots" — 7:30 p.m., April 9-10, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State presents “Kinky Boots,” the smash-hit musical that brings together the talents of four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein and Grammy Award-winning rock icon Cyndi Lauper.
Events
Relay for Life Walk-A-Thon — Noon to midnight, April 6, Medlar Field, University Park campus. Benefiting the American Cancer Society, this annual fundraiser features performances, food, raffles, competitions, and more. This year’s event theme is “Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back.”
"Follies" with the Stuckeman School — 9 p.m., April 6, Stuckeman Family Building third floor, University Park campus. Seniors in the Penn State graphic design program within the Stuckeman School will present the culmination of their work in this annual tradition dating back to 1971.
15th annual Penn State Powwow — April 6-7, Mt. Nittany Middle School, State College. A traditional American Indian powwow is a contemporary social gathering and celebration of community featuring American Indian drum music and songs, Native American dance, and Native American foods, as well as American Indian vendors showing and selling their arts and crafts.
"A Conversation with Nicole Auerbach" — National college football reporter Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic will participate in a free public question-and-answer session coordinated by the award-winning campus chapter of the Association for Women in Sports Media and sponsored by the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.
Lectures
"Expanding Compassion" — 4 p.m., April 4, 110 Henderson Building, University Park campus. Sona Dimidjian, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado, Boulder, will discuss “Expanding Compassion: Reflections on Our Research, Practice, and Lives” during this year's annual Lecture on Compassion.
"Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird” — 7:30 p.m., April 4, Nittany Lion Inn Assembly Room, University Park campus. Award-winning nonfiction writer, conservationist, and Penn State alumna Katie Fallon will speak about her book, “Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird” as the final offering in Penn State ‘s 2018-19 Mary E. Rolling Reading Series.
“An American Sickness" — 6:30 p.m., April 8, Ballroom ABC, Nittany Lion Inn, University Park campus. Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal, editor-in-chief of Kaiser Health News, will present the 22nd Annual Stanley P. Mayers Endowed Lecture, “An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take it Back," exploring how finance and business have taken the front seat to the healthcare system, often rendering patient health and care an afterthought.
Exhibits
"Subjective Spaces: Drawings and Collages by Robert Reed" — Jan. 5-May 19, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This intimate retrospective features 16 selections from Reed's drawings and collages. Free.
"Plug In, Turn On" — Feb. 7-March 31, HUB-Robeson Galleries, HUB-Robeson Building, University Park campus. This two-person exhibition of works by Pittsburgh-based artists Ian Brill and Kevin Clancy, alongside "Architecting Atmospheres," an exhibition of Penn State architecture students, uses sound, light and space to create environmental atmospheres. Free.
"Race and Revolution: Still Separate, Still Unequal" — Jan. 29-April 6, Woskob Family Gallery, 146 S. Allen St., State College. This traveling exhibition of contemporary artwork and historical documents explores the ongoing issue of school segregation in the United States. Free.
"Amazing Stories: Recent Acquisitions" — Jan. 12-May 26, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This exhibit highlights a large selection of prints by artists whose work relies heavily on representation and storytelling to explore ethnic identity and stereotypes, multicultural histories and personal narratives. Free.
"From the Rooftops: John Sloan and the Art of a New Urban Space" — Feb. 3-May 12, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The museum will feature a major loan exhibition of Ashcan School painter John Sloan, who focused on New York City rooftops in the first half of the 20th century. Free.
"The Secret Lives of Girls and Women" — Jan. 29-Sept. 1, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. This exhibit of archival materials from the University Libraries' Eberly Family Special Collections Library examines the spectrum of "secrets" of the female experience. Free.