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
"Bach's Lunch" — 12:10 p.m., March. 16, Eisenhower Chapel, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, University Park campus. Voice students in the School of Music's lyric diction class will present a program focusing on English and Italian diction skills developed in class. "Bach's Lunch" is a weekly Thursday afternoon concert series during the school year, jointly sponsored by the School of Music and the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development. Free.
"Into the Woods" — Through March 18, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents "Into the Woods," with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.
"Dialogues of the Carmelites" — March 16-18, Recital Hall, School of Music, University Park campus. Penn State Opera Theatre presents Dialogues of the Carmelites by Francis Poulenc. The opera, which premiered at Teatro alla Scala in 1957, is based on a play by French playwright Georges Bernanos.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band — 7:30 p.m., March 18, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park Campus. One of 31 performances across the United States as part of Springsteen's 2023 international tour.
"Big Noodles" — 7:30 p.m., March 22 and 23, Wolf Kuhn Theatre, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. "Big Noodles" tells the story of a young sexual abuse victim named Alice, who attempts to process the impact these traumatic events have had on her current life and relationships. Free.
Cirque FLIP Fabrique's "Muse" — 7:30 p.m., March 23, The Pullo Center, Penn State York. Contemporary circus ensemble FLIP Fabrique will give a performance that sees its athletes playing with gender-specific expectations and tackling stereotypes.
"Make a Joyful Noize" — 7:30 p.m., March 23, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Hip-hop ensemble Soul Science Lab will celebrate the resilience of the human spirit in this multimedia installation and full-band performance.
Lectures
Beekeeping Around the World: "East Africa" — 12-1 p.m., March 16, webinar. Webinar participants can learn why beekeeping is a popular and profitable venture around the world. This is part of a seven-week series of webinars offered by Penn State Extension. Free.
"Strategic Conservation in an Uncertain World" — 5 p.m., March 16, 112 Forest Resources Building, University Park campus and Zoom. Ecologist and conservation biologist Amanda Rodewald will present "It Takes a Village," sponsored by The Arboretum at Penn State's Avian Education Program. Free.
EarthTalks: "Venus, a Recently Transitioned Heat-Pipe Planet" — 4 p.m., March 20, 112 Walker Building, University Park Campus and Zoom. William Moore, professor of atmospheric and planetary science at Hampton University, will share his expertise in the latest installment of the spring 2023 EarthTalks series, "Exploration of Our Solar System." Free.
"Happy Landscapes: Wellbeing by Design" — 6 p.m., March 22, Stuckeman Family Building, University Park campus and Zoom. Coco Alarcon, a Peruvian architect, landscape architect and public health researcher, will present a lecture and open an exhibition as part of the Stuckeman School's Lecture and Exhibit Series. Free.
Penn State Forum Speaker Series: Sabaah Folayan — 11:30 a.m., March 23, President's Hall, Penn Stater Conference Center and Hotel, University Park campus. Sabaah Folayan, award-winning film director of the documentary "Whose Streets?", will present "The Art of Alignment: How knowing yourself and having the courage to change course can lead to personal fulfillment and professional success," as part of the Penn State Forum Speaker Series.
"The Third Reconstruction" lecture — 4 p.m., March 23, Hintz Family Alumni Center, University Park campus. Peniel E. Joseph, the Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values, founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, and associate dean for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion at the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin, will present a lecture on his most recent book, "The Third Reconstruction."
Events
Women's History Month — Through March, various campuses. Penn State celebrates Women's History Month with a variety of events. Free.
Penn State Startup Week — March 20-24, various campuses. The annual University-wide event brings some of the leading minds in entrepreneurship and innovation to Penn State campuses across the Commonwealth. Events include entrepreneurial workshops; networking events; student pitch competitions; and presentations from startup founders and corporate innovators, including many Penn State alumni. Free.
2023 Graduate Exhibition — March 20-24, University Park campus and online. The Graduate Exhibition is a showcase of research and creative scholarship across the University and features graduate students from dozens of degree programs exhibiting research posters, visual arts, musical performances, design projects and videos. Free.
Annual Orchid Show — March 25-26, Snider Agricultural Arena, University Park campus. A wide variety of beautiful and exotic orchids will be on display at Ag Arena during the Central Pennsylvania Orchid Society's 55th Annual Orchid Show.
Children's Dance Workshops — 4:30-5:30 p.m., through April 3, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Penn State Altoona will host a six-week series of children’s dance workshops suitable for children ages 4 to 8. No prior dance experience is required or expected.
"The House Where My Soul Lives: The Life of Margaret Walker" reading — 7 p.m., March 16, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Maryemma Graham, distinguished professor at the University of Kansas and author of "The House Where My Soul Lives: The Life of Margaret Walker," will read from the biography. Free.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Kentucky Derby: Dining with Southern Charm — March 22, Café Laura, Mateer Building, University Park campus. Students in HM 430 Advanced Food Production and Service Management prepare a series of themed dinners throughout the semester to be served in the student-run Café Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
"Destination Unknown: Mapping Career Pathways in the 21st Century" — 12:15 p.m., March 23, Edith Davis Eve Chapel, Penn State Altoona. Three speakers will offer professional expertise from different academic disciplines and answer questions from students. Free.
Adrain Matejka poetry reading — 6 p.m., March 23, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Award-winning poet and Poetry magazine editor Adrian Matejka will give a public reading during his visit to Penn State as this year's Fisher Family Writer-in-Residence. 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
"Apophenia" — Through March 16, Sheetz Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. Works by Associate Teaching Professor Susan Marie Brundage explore "the magical in the mundane." Free.
"Carpe Noctem" — Through March 16, McLanahan Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. Works by Emerging Artist-in-Residence Maddie Quinn explore her relationship with the people and places around her hometown. Free.
"State of Mine" — March 23-April 2, McLanahan Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. Works by visual art studies senior Meghann Mignogna derived from her personal experience with mental health. Free.
"Good Night, Sleep Tight" — March 23-April 2, Sheetz Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. Work by visual art studies senior Jordan Alwine featuring dreams presented in a colorful and detailed style reminiscent of storytelling.
"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.