What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — open to the University and local community:
Performances
Terri Lyne Carrington: “We Insist!” – 7:30 p.m., Feb. 5, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus.Four-time Grammy Award-winning drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and a live band will perform songs from the “post-bop” jazz era in a bold reimagining of the seminal album “We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite.” The concert also will feature singer Christie Dashiell, reprising Oscar Brown’s powerful lyrics and vocals by Abbey Lincoln from the pioneering 1961 release.
Treaty Oak Revival – 7 p.m., Feb. 7, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Five-piece powerhouse Treaty Oak Revival will visit Penn State for a tour featuring their new album “West Texas Degenerate.” The tour features support from Wade Forster and Huser Brothers.
Rhapsody Series: “Voices of Southeast Asia” – 4 p.m., Feb. 8, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. Pianist Melody Quah pairs Godowsky’s "Java Suite" with newly commissioned works by Sidney Boquiren, Marisa Hartanto, Piyawat Louilarpprasert and Emily Koh. Supported by a College of Arts and Architecture Faculty Research Grant, this recital offers rare perspectives on migration, identity and tradition through contemporary Southeast Asian voices.
Cirque Kalabante: "Afrique en Cirque" – 7:30 p.m., Feb. 11, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Cirque Kalabanté emanates the energy and artistry of West Africa through breathtaking acrobatics and live music. The colorful and kinetic show features vibrant scenery and costumes, paired with live music performed on traditional instruments including kora and djembe, make up the universe of Kalabanté Productions.
Events
National Black History Month events — Multiple dates and locations throughout February. Several Penn State campuses across the commonwealth will be holding events this month in commemoration of National Black History Month.
Botanical Candles – 1-2:30 p.m., Feb. 7, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Create two decorative teacup candles infused with dried flowers from The Arboretum gardens and sweet, calming scents. Perfect as a personal touch for your space or a thoughtful handmade gift. Registration is required.
The Joyfull: Cirque Kalabante Edition – 6 p.m., Feb. 10, HUB-Robeson Center Alumni Hall, University Park campus. The Joyfull series invites the community to enjoy a meal, performance and conversation to encourage cultural nourishment and replenishment. The program, entertainment, and menu will be announced closer to the event.
"Devil Put the Coal in the Ground" screening — 7 p.m., Feb. 11, Virtual. Sustain Penn State will host a virtual screening of “Devil Put the Coal in the Ground” as part of its Intersections Film Series. The screening will be followed by a moderated panel discussion exploring the connections between coal, economic development, public health and environmental remediation.
Beekeeping Around the World: Italy – Noon, Feb. 12, via Zoom. Penn State Extension will host a webinar series for those interested in learning about beekeeping practices and challenges in different parts of the world. Each week will feature a different location, and presenters will discuss what beekeeping is like there.
Lectures
Gallery Talk + Conversation – 5:30 p.m., Feb. 5, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Enjoy an in-depth gallery conversation with Patrick McGrady, Charles V. Hallman Senior Curator, to get to know new works to the Palmer's permanent collection on view in special exhibition "Expanding the Collection: Recent Acquisitions."
“Imperceptible Contaminants and Housing Markets: Evidence from Local News” – Noon, Feb. 6, 157 Hosler Building, University Park campus. Christopher Timmins, a professor of real estate and urban land economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will lead a seminar on residential market responses to certain toxins in drinking water. Free.
Ashtekar Frontiers of Science: Climate – 11 a.m.-noon, Feb. 7, 001 Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, University Park campus. Helen Greatrex, assistant professor of geography and statistics, and John Harlim, professor of mathematics, will deliver lectures followed by a Q&A session.
Book reading and keynote talk by Sarah Dimick — Feb. 9-10, Multiple locations. Sustain Penn State will welcome Sarah Dimick, author of “Unseasonable: Climate Change in Global Literatures,” as part of its Spring 2026 Sustainability Showcase series.
“The Academic Integrity of Using AI to Review Research” – 1:30-3 p.m., Feb. 10, via Zoom. Denise Potosky, academy professor and professor emerita, management and organization, will examine how bibliometric systems and generative artificial intelligence tools are used in literature reviews, with attention to process, quality, rigor and academic integrity, and their implications for the advancement of scientific knowledge.
Gallery Talk + Conversation: Insistent Presence – 5:30 p.m., Feb. 12, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Enjoy an in-depth gallery conversation with Amanda Hellman, Palmer director and specialist in African art, about new special exhibition “Insistent Presence: Contemporary African Art from the Chazen Collection.”
In-person exhibits
"Insistent Presence: Contemporary African Art from the Chazen Collection" — Opening Feb. 7, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibition presents 40 works of sculpture, painting, ceramics, printmaking and photography by 22 living artists who have lived and worked on the African continent or in the diaspora.
"Bird Song" – Through Feb. 7, Patterson Building, University Park campus. Betsa Houshmand's "Bird Song" is inspired by memories of intricate bird motifs in the Shirki Pich Kilim from Iran. These pieces become a vessel for nostalgia, an echo of the presence, and the fragile distance between what was once observed and what is now reimagined.
"Debris Archive" — Through Feb. 9, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. An exhibition by multidisciplinary studies student Clarissa A. Henbury, whose work draws inspiration from the natural environment, contemporary social culture, and her personal journey through motherhood.
“Entropy” – Through Feb. 16, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Jenee Mateer’s work explores time as a visible force – particularly as it manifests in the quiet transformation of her own garden. Drawing on the traditions of still life, especially the Renaissance-era “nature morte” (“dead nature”), Entropy reanimates the genre to investigate cycles of decay, regeneration, and meaning-making in both nature and art.
"Living Landscapes and More" – Feb. 4-27, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. A new solo exhibition by Mountain Top artist Johar Manzar will feature a variety of artworks. Manzar is a board-certified assistant professor and physician-scientist at MD Anderson, where she works in pediatric radiation oncology. She holds a doctorate in biomedical engineering and studied medicine at the Mayo Clinic.
"My FireFlies – Creating Peacemakers in Our Region" – Through Feb. 27, Art Space, Classroom Building, Room 100, Schuylkill campus. An exhibition by Ibiyinka “Ibi” Alao, an internationally recognized artist, architect and author whose work explores themes of peace, childhood memory and renewal. He earned a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Ife in Nigeria and won first place among artists from 61 countries in the United Nations International Arts Competition. He also serves as a United Nations Arts Ambassador.
"30 x 30" — Through March 9, Henry Art Gallery, Great Valley campus. Founded in 1996 by three artist friends, the Montgomery County Guild of Professional Artists (MCGOPA) has spent three decades fostering creativity, community and public appreciation for original artwork. The “30 x 30” show commemorates this milestone with a vibrant showcase of diverse styles, mediums and artistic voices. Each piece reflects the unique perspectives of MCGOPA’s members and the dynamic range of talent that defines the guild.
“Squeeze Me In” – Through May 2, Woksob Family Gallery, downtown State College. This exhibition features artworks created by Beatrice Opokua Atencah, John M. Anderson assistant teaching professor of art in the College of Arts and Architecture’s School of Visual Arts. The exhibition explores how identity is rediscovered and transformed through clothing by combining craft processes — dyeing, sewing and beading — with spatial considerations and the complex history of corsetry as frameworks for examining acceptance and belonging.
"Like It Is" – Through May 9, Ronald K. DeLong Gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. This exhibit features the work of abstract artist Femi J. Johnson. Johnson was born in Manhattan, New York, and raised in Easton, Pennsylvania. His early talent in graphite and charcoal led to a professional career as a master draftsman and designer for companies in Pennsylvania and New York before he returned his focus to fine art.
"Playing Favorites: Highlights from the Special Collections Library" – Through May 13, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. For this endeavor, those who teach, catalog, research, acquire, curate and describe rare book and archival materials were invited to choose one or two items to share with a wider audience — in hopes that visitors will be enraptured with the eclectic results.
"Refugee" — Through June 5, Woskob Family Gallery, 146 S. Allen St., Downtown State College. An exhibition of large-scale paintings created by School of Visual Arts alumnus Michael Fratangelo.
“Through Different Eyes: Industrial Worlds by Women Artists” – Through December, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery, University Park campus. This exhibit explores the lives of women artists in 20th-century industrial Pennsylvania through their artwork and premiers the curatorial work of undergraduate students Alexis Woodring, a public relations major, and Gabriella Heidorn, an art history major with a minor in French and Francophone studies, who both have special interests in American art.
“Hybrid Zones” – Through March 8, 2027, HUB Gallery, University Park campus. “Hybrid Zones” is an immersive exploration of the post-industrial landscape of Eastern Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal region. Through drawing, photography, and video installation, the artists trace the environmental and psychological imprint of centuries of resource extraction. In this powerful new body of work, Rachel Bacon and Meredith Davenport confront the entanglement of human and nonhuman systems, reflecting on how deeply industrial history is inscribed into the land—and into us.
"The Way I Saw It: A Photography Retrospective" – Through Aug. 1, 2027, Penn State All-Sports Museum, University Park campus. “The Way I Saw It” celebrates the work of Penn State alumnus Pat Little, who started out with the Daily Collegian and spent over three decades as a photojournalist with the Centre Daily Times, Associated Press and Reuters. Starting from a million photo negatives then narrowed down to a set of 5,000 photographs, the exhibit presents a final curated collection of 100 unique and powerful images of Penn State athletes, coaches, venues and fans, shot by Little between 1977 and 2005.
Virtual exhibits and online resources
In addition to in-person events, a number of virtual exhibits and online resources are available through University departments. The Palmer Museum of Art and Penn State University Libraries offer a rotating selection of historical and artistic collections to view via their websites, as well as other online resources.