Campus Life

Things to Do at Penn State: Jan. 26-Feb. 2

A selection of cultural events across Penn State this weekend and next week

Penn State Harrisburg’s Center for Holocaust and Jewish Studies will welcome historian Julie Keresztes for a discussion on "Nazi photography and the Holocaust" at noon on Jan. 27 via webinar. Credit: Julie Keresztes All Rights Reserved.

Performances

"1964" ... The Tribute 8 p.m., Jan. 28, Pullo Center, Penn State York. "1964" recreates an early 1960s live Beatles concert with period instruments, clothing, hairstyles and onstage banter. 

Dwennimmen African Dance Company7 p.m., Feb. 2, Pullo Center, Penn State York. The student dance company performs African dances. Free. 

Lectures

2022-23 Mary E. Rolling Reading Series: Samuel Kọ́láwọlé 6 p.m., Jan. 26, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Fiction writer and Penn State assistant professor Samuel Kọ́láwọlé will read from his works. Free.

"Black Mercuries: African American Athletes, Race and the Modern Olympic Games" Jan. 26 and 27, various locations, University Park campus. Mark Dyreson, professor of kinesiology, and his co-authors, David Wiggins and Kevin Witherspoon, will explore the experiences of African American athletes. Free.

2023 Russell Marker Lectures in the Physical Sciences: Sankar Das SarmaJan. 26 and 27, various locations, University Park campus. Sankar Das Sarma, the Richard E. Prange Chair in Physics and a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, will be featured. Free.

"Nazi photography and the Holocaust" Noon, Jan. 27, via webinar. Penn State Harrisburg’s Center for Holocaust and Jewish Studies will welcome historian Julie Keresztes for a discussion on Nazi photography and the Holocaust. Free, but registration required.

Holocaust Remembrance Day event hosted by Penn State Hillel1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, via webinar. In commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, speaker Alon Yitzhaki will relate the powerful story of his family’s Holocaust experiences. Free, but registration is required.

"Organic Astrochemistry 101: Meteorites and Origins of Life on Earth" 4 p.m., Jan. 30, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus. José Aponte, astrochemist, Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, will be featured in this EarthTalks speakers series. Free.

Events

MLK Day celebrations Jan. 15-31, various campuses. The Penn State community celebrates the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with events throughout the month of January. Most events free.

University Libraries Open HouseJan. 25-26, Pattee and Paterno Libraries, University Park campus. Students who swipe their Penn State ID cards to check in at six self-guided tour stops will receive prizes, in addition to learning more about the Libraries’ academic, research and leisure resources and services. Free.

Cooking Classic Season 3: "What a Game"7 p.m., Feb. 1, via webinar. The Penn State Alumni Association presents a seminar on slow cookers and dehydrators. Free, but registration required.

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

"ARC Studio's Premiere"Through Jan. 29, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Photos and paintings by Andrew Castañeda mirror the structure of a day in TV programming. Free.

"Nature and Space"Jan. 30-Feb. 9, McLanahan Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. The exhibition features work by local artist Sam Dietze. Free.

"Paintings as Memories"Jan. 30-Feb. 9, McLanahan Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. The exhibition features work by local artist Billie Hollen. 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.

Last Updated January 26, 2023