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
Carrie Underwood — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 10, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Award-winning country artist Carrie Underwood will perform with special guest Jimmie Allen.
"Everybody" — Feb. 14-25, Pavilion Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents a comic and satirical journey examining mortality and humanity.
Cameron Barnett — 12:15 p.m., Feb. 16, Titelman Study, Misciagna Family Center for the Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. Cameron Barnett, author of “The Drowning Boy's Guide to Water” and winner of the 2017 Rising Writer Contest, performs poetry exploring the complexity of race and the body for Black people in today’s America.
Lectures
Ashtekar Frontiers of Science Lectures: Bing Pan — 11 a.m., Feb. 11, 100 Thomas Building, University Park campus. Bing Pan, professor of commercial recreation and tourism in the department of recreation at Penn State, will present "Big Data Analytics in Tourism and National Park Research." Free.
Penn State Behrend Speaker Series: Brendan Hunt — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 13, Reed Union Building, Behrend campus. Brendan Hunt, actor and writer for "Ted Lasso," will discuss his work on the award-winning show. Free.
"Exploring Martian Atmosphere Weather with Spacecraft and Simulations" — 4 p.m., Feb. 13, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus. Steven Greybush, associate professor of meteorology at Penn State, will explore features of Martian weather from the perspective of spacecraft data, computer simulations and traveling weather systems that give rise to dust storms. Free.
Events
Black History Month — Through February, various campuses. Penn State celebrates Black History Month with a variety of events. Free.
Blind Date with a Book — Through February, Franklin Atrium, Pattee Library, University Park campus. Fiction and nonfiction books in a variety of genres will be available for patrons to check out for a reading date. Free.
"The Trial (O processo,)" — 6 p.m., Feb. 9, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. The Brazilian film series kicks off with a 2018 movie with a behind-the-scenes look at the impeachment trial of Brazil's first female president, Dilma Rousseff. Free.
"Spooky Action" — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 10, State Theatre, State College. The fifth feature film from a pair of Penn State faculty filmmakers, "Spooky Action" is a locally produced film that covers "love, destiny and quantum entanglement." Free.
THON — Feb. 17-19, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Penn State students will take part in a 46-hour dance marathon aiding families affected by childhood cancer. The event aims to provide emotional and financial support, along with benefitting research efforts. Free.
Virtual exhibits
"Penn State Women's Athletics and Title IX: The Success and Struggles for Equal Access" — Through May. This University Libraries exhibit focuses on the impact Title IX legislation has had on Penn State women student-athletes. 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.
"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.
In-person exhibits
"Dreams | AYDO" — Through March 5, HUB Gallery, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. AYDO re-imagines Korean folklore and precolonial spiritual practices to reflect personal and Asian American perspectives. Free.
"Hard Candy Tectonics" — Through May 14, exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Building, University Park campus. Works by Gracelee Lawrence showcase glimmering and seductive surfaces blending into sensual volumes in space that together form the plastic sublime that are Lawrence's sculptures. Free.
"Sticky Mirror" — Through-May 30, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Building, University Park campus. An exhibition of artist Sarah Sutton's work that imagine in-between space, scalar fluidity, and what the artist calls psychic spaces, where the private and public realm collapse. Free.
"Between the Lines: Global Histories of the Book" — Through Aug. 28, Special Collections Exhibition gallery, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. Students in HIST 255N: History of the Book share insights and books through this exhibition about the forms and functions of books. Free.
"Zombie Ant Experience" — Through August, Perkins Student Center, Penn State Berks. This interactive art installation also serves as a teaching tool to illustrate spore trajectories and how ants are transformed into "zombies." Free.
"Evan Pugh: Student to Scientist" — Through October, Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery, Deike Building, University Park campus. The exhibit explores two distinct stages in the life of Evan Pugh, Penn State's first president. Free.
Gall wasps exhibit — Through October, Frost Entomological Museum, University Park campus. This new exhibit is aimed at cultivating awareness about gall wasps and showcasing their beauty and diversity. Free.
"I Am a Penn Stater: Nittany Lions in World War II" — Through June 2025, Penn State All-Sports Museum, Beaver Stadium, University Park campus. Timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the conflict, "I Am a Penn Stater" chronicles the contributions of Nittany Lion varsity lettermen and Women’s Recreation Association athletes during the conflict and follows their service from training in the United States, to fighting on battlefields around the globe, to their postwar occupations. Free.