What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — taking place at the University this weekend and next week:
Performances
Jazz pianist Christian Sands — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 17, via livestream. Jazz pianist Christian Sands will lead a quartet in heeding the wisdom of martial arts legend Bruce Lee through performing songs from Sands' most recent recordings, “Be Water.”
"Madness of Hercules" — 7 p.m., Feb. 18, via livestream. Join Penn State Wilkes-Barre for a staged reading of “Madness of Hercules,” designed to guide the community in understanding and responding to acts of gun violence.
Events
Black History Month — Through Feb. 28, various campuses. The University celebrates Black History Month with events and opportunities running throughout the month of February. Free.
Lectures
Food Insecurity in Centre County — Noon, Feb. 11, via livestream. The Student Farm at Penn State will host a panel discussion on community-based efforts to reduce food insecurity. Free, but registration required.
"Museum as Public Good" — 6 p.m., Feb. 11, via Zoom. Joyce Tsai, chief curator at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, will speak as part of the Department of Art History’s Dickson Lecture Series.
"Rural Pennsylvania: How Geography Impacts Health Status" — 4 p.m., Feb. 16, via Zoom. Jonathan Johnson, senior policy analyst at the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and Lisa Davis, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, will present as part of the Recent Topics in Research Methods Seminar Series.
"Digital Media & Marketing" — 6 p.m., Feb 16., via Zoom. Jeannie Gammon Oliver, former vice president for sales operations for the New York Times, will moderate a panel as part of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications' "Creating Content in 2021" series.
Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors — 7 p.m., Feb. 17, via Zoom. Cullors will discuss her work as a community organizer, artist and advocate as part of the Speaker Series at Penn State Behrend.
"Racial Health Disparities in the Age of COVID-19" — Noon, Feb. 17, via livestream. Penn State Harrisburg will bring together panelists from across Penn State, government, and the medical field to discuss their research and professional experiences related to racial health disparities.
“Molecular signatures of ancient climate” — 11:15 a.m., Feb. 17, via Zoom. Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences Kate Freeman will present as part of the 2021 Climate Dynamics seminar series.
“Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism" — 3 p.m., Feb. 17, via livestream. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum will delivered a lecture presented by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy.
"Nature Matters for Black Lives: Disrupting Narratives about Race and Place" — 4 p.m., Feb. 18, via Zoom. Myron Floyd, dean of the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University, will present as part of the Penn State College of Health and Human Development's Dean's Lecture Series.
"COVID-19 Research from a Policy Influence Perspective" — Noon, Feb. 18, via Zoom. Robert Lennon, associate professor of family and community medicine, will present as part of the Translational Science Seminar Series.
Exhibits
"Field Language: The Painting and Poetry of Warren and Jane Rohrer" — Palmer Museum of Art through June 6. This major loan exhibition examines the art of Warren Rohrer as it evolved in conversation with poet Jane Turner Rohrer, his partner of nearly fifty years.
"The Wit and Whimsy of Lucille Corcos" — Palmer Museum of Art through May 9. A prolific painter and illustrator, Lucille Corcos depicted American life with an incomparable verve during the mid-20h century.
"Anxiety Project" — HUB-Robeson Galleries and online through March 14. Works by William Doan, professor of theatre, focused on mental health, are on view. Free.
THON logo exhibition — Online. The THON website is featuring a virtual gallery showcasing logos from previous events, as well as profiles of each student designer. Free.
"Celebrating the ADA: The Legacy and Evolution of Disability Rights and Lived Experience at Penn State" — Online. 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.
"African Brilliance: A Diplomat's Sixty Years of Collecting" Online Catalog — Online. A digital catalog of African works collected by retired U.S. ambassador Allen C. Davis, including text entries, high-resolution 360-degree images and contextual videos at the Palmer Museum of Art. Free.
"African Brilliance" Virtual Tour — Online. Explore an interactive tour created with teachers, students and families in mind. The tour includes installation images, pictures of selected works, videos for guided viewing and related art-making activity suggestions. Free.
"Drawing on a Legacy: Highlights from the John Driscoll American Drawings Collection" — Online. High-resolution images, text selections and a photo gallery of works on paper donated by Penn State alumnus John P. Driscoll, including early landscape views and botanical sketches, animal scenes and still lives, and portraits and preparatory figure studies. The works include a number of well-known 19th-century American artists. Free.
"Photography=Abstraction" — Online. The Palmer Museum of Art's virtual pop-up exhibition is an interactive gallery with images, text and informational videos for selected works. Free, Google Chrome browser recommended.
Snowiss Gallery of American Art — Online. Tour the Palmer Museum of Art's first-floor Snowiss Gallery. Free.
"Women in Art: Activism and Resistance" virtual tour — Online. This self-directed, interactive online tour features a selection of objects by female artists in the Palmer Museum of Art's collection. In celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this tour highlights artists working in a variety of media during the 20th and 21st centuries who have contributed to political, social and cultural change. Free.
"Human Expectations II" — Through June 20, Display Cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus, and online. The work of five artists embody a search for expression and experience through material. Free.
"Border Exchange" — Through Feb. 15, Display Cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The exhibition pairs two of artist Carlos Rosales-Silva's paintings with a site-responsive wall painting. Free.
"When the Bough Breaks" — Through April 30, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Nine different artists address the issue of climate change through a unique representation of trees. Free.
"Something Means Something Else" — Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. This three-part mural by artist Tamara Gayer focuses on the intricacies of the current moment in sexual and gender identity. Free.
"Small Planet" — Through January 2022, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The HUB-Robeson Center has commissioned a site-specific wall painting located in the first-floor eateries by artist Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann titled "Small Planet." Free.