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
"Radium Girls" – Various performances, Nov. 5-8, Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre, Harrisburg campus. The Penn State Harrisburg School of Humanities will present its fall play, "Radium Girls." The play is set in 1926, when radium was a "miracle cure" — until the girls who painted radium watches began to fall ill with a mysterious disease. The play is based on the true story of women and men who worked of the U.S. Radium Corporation in Orange, New Jersey.
Rhapsody Series: “Confrontations with Fate” – 4 p.m., Nov. 9, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. This performance pairs two of the most dramatic piano quartets in the repertoire: Mozart’s stormy "G Minor Quartet" and Brahms’ passionate "C Minor Quartet." Performed by Juliette Greer (violin), Tim Deighton (viola), Ben Deighton (cello) and Katherine Benson (piano), these works explore the struggles of human emotion with intensity and lyricism.
Campus Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra — 7 p.m., Nov. 10, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The Penn State School of Music, in the College of Arts and Architecture, will present a joint concert.
Riley Green – 6:45 p.m., Nov. 13, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Multi-platinum, multi-award-winning singer-songwriter Riley Green will bring the “Damn Country Music Tour” to Penn State with special guests Jamey Johnson, Drake White and Hannah McFarland.
Ivyside Dance Ensemble — 7:30 p.m., Nov. 13-14, Wolf Kuhn Theatre, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Penn State Altoona's student dance company, along with Allied Motion Dance Company, comprised of adult dancers from the area, will offer a fall performance. Free.
"Antigone" — Multiple performances through Nov. 21, Pavilion Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage, in the College of Arts and Architecture, presents Sophocles' "Antigone.
Events
Chef Jet Tila – Various events through Nov. 6, University Park campus. Jet Tila, Food television personality and chef, will visit to headline several on-campus events. Tila will deliver a keynote speech to the School of Hospitality Management, followed immediately after by a meet-and-greet and book signing. Tila also will host a dinner buffet takeover at Findlay Dining Commons and lead a cooking demo at Pollock Dining Commons.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Heart of Ohana — A Taste of Polynesia — Nov. 6, 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.
Garden and Gallery Book Conversation – 6 p.m., Nov. 6, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Join educators from the Arboretum and the Palmer Museum of Art to discuss "Underland: A Deep Time Journey” by Robert Macfarlane. The special exhibition investigates our strained relationship with the environment through various pressing subjects, including failing ecosystems, invasive species and the effects of climate change.
Eberly College of Science Exhibition Tour – 3-5 p.m., Nov. 7, Osmond Lab and Millenium Science Complex, University Park campus. The Eberly College of Science and Materials Research Institute will showcase very early, groundbreaking technology used by Erwin W. Müller to see the atom for the first time, as well as modern versions of the equipment at the Materials Characterization Lab.
Drop-in Tour: From Farm to Table – 2 p.m., Nov. 7, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Drop in and discover the Palmer’s world-class collections and exhibitions with a friendly and knowledgeable museum guide.
Penn State Military Appreciation Week — Multiple events and locations, University Park campus and State College. Penn State will recognize military service members, veterans and their families with a series of events during the University's 14th annual Military Appreciation Week.
Centre Film Festival – Various events, Nov. 10-16, University Park campus and State College. The seventh annual Centre Film Festival offers hundreds of viewing options along with question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers, special themes and much more.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Aether - Where Elements Meet the Plate — Nov. 11, 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.
Winter Biking 101 — 6:15-7:15, Nov. 12, Bike Den, University Park campus. Penn State students, faculty and staff, and local community members, are invited to attend a winter biking workshops to learn the rules of the road and winter bike safety tips. Free.
Centre Film Festival at the Palmer: Immersive Experiences – 1-7 p.m., Nov. 13, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The Centre Film Festival is collaborating with the Palmer Museum of Art, presenting an afternoon with immersive VR film projects that invite audiences to navigate intimate inner worlds and urgent global realities. Furnished vignettes designed by Shindig Alley will provide a comfortable viewing experience for an afternoon of technology, artistry, and dialogue. Free.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Cowboy Cookout - Enjoy Life on the Range — Nov. 13, 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.
"Behind the Scenes of The American Revolution" — 7 p.m., Nov. 13, 112 Woodland Building, Abington campus. Ahead of the release of Ken Burns' documentary "The American Revolution" on PBS, three leading scholars, including Friederike Baer, professor of history at Penn State Abington who is featured in the film and served as a historical advisor to Burns and his team, will discuss the period and its impact. Free. RSVP required.
Lectures
“The Visibility Bind: Platform Labor, Precarity and Resistance in the Creator Economy” – 4 p.m., Nov. 6, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus. Brooke Erin Duffy, associate professor at Cornell University, will present a lecture drawing on more than 100 interviews to address the influencer labor market, where algorithms arbitrate success and failure as creators face the imminent threat of invisibility – and hypervisibility.
Paul Martin – 5 p.m., Nov. 6, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Penn State alumnus Paul Martin spent nearly 40 years in public service and will share reflections on the importance of government oversight to American democracy in a lecture sponsored by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy.
“Freight Rail and Truck Transportation Safety: History and the Future” – 1:30-3 p.m., Nov. 10, Outreach Building Rooms 121 G and H, 100 Innovation Boulevard, University Park campus. Peter Swan will discuss how ground freight transportation safety has evolved in the U.S. and where it is likely to go in the future. The discussion is based on past work experience in rail and trucking research and a recent Transportation Research Board consensus study into changes to rail operations.
“A World From a Sheet of Paper” – 6 p.m., Nov. 10, 114 McAllister Building, University Park campus. Tadashi Tokieda, professor of mathematics at Stanford University, will present the 2025 Russell E. Marker Lectures in Mathematics, sponsored by the Penn State Eberly College of Science.
Philip Terman – 12:15 p.m., Nov. 11, Titelman Study, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Penn State Altoona will host a poetry reading by Philip Terman, featuring pieces from a number of journals and anthologies. Currently, Terman directs The Bridge Literary Arts Center in Venango County, Pennsylvania, and is co-curator of the Jewish Poetry Reading Series.
“School-Based Prevention of Behavioral & Mental Health Problems” – 4 p.m., Nov. 12, 110 Henderson Building, University Park campus. The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center will welcome Catherine Bradshaw, senior associate dean for research and professor at the University of Virginia, to discuss evidence-based strategies — such as multi-tiered systems of support and social-emotional learning — to improve student mental health in K-12 schools.
Matthew Ferrence — 6 p.m., Nov. 13, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Renowned writer and author of "I Hate It Here, Please Vote for Me: Essays on Rural Political Decay," will offer a reading as part of this year’s Mary E. Rolling Reading Series.
In-person exhibits
"Signature" – Through Nov. 12, Freyberger Gallery, Berks campus. A new exhibition honors the works of art created by Penn State Berks students and faculty. “Signature" showcases the vision, talent and voices of students and the campus community. Works ranging from paintings and drawings to photographs, sculpture and mixed media pieces will be on display, representing the diversity that makes Penn State Berks such a lively and vibrant campus.
“Fused: Works in Encased Wax” – Through Nov. 20, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. A new solo exhibition by artist Terri Yacovelli, titled "Fused: Works in Encaustic Wax," examines themes of nature and spirituality through encaustic paintings created with vivid color, dramatic texture and luminosity. This ancient technique combines heated resin, beeswax and pigment applied in layers onto any porous surface.
"Body, Landscape, Myth" – Through Nov. 21, McLanahan Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A body of work by Ivyside Juried Exhibition winner Lauren Woods featuring paintings and videos that explore the relationship between physical experience and metaphysical awareness.
"Altered Ecology" – Through Nov. 21, Sheetz Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A body of work by Ivyside Juried Exhibition winner Kari Varner examining the traces of industry and human impact on the landscape, as well as the ecological and economic value of altered environments.
Anna Boothe: “Icons for Sagacity” – Through Nov. 30, Exhibition Cases, HUB-Robeson Gallery, University Park campus. Anna Boothe creates icons out of cast glass and found objects referring to the female form of facets of herself. Boothe initially hand-carves individual elements in wax or case directly from botanicals. After being transformed into glass, the parts are combined with other glass components. The technique results in translucent objects that glow from within.
“A Puncher’s Chance” – Through Dec. 5, Abington Art Gallery, Abington campus. In this exhibit, interdisciplinary artist James Maurelle explores the “puncher’s chance” — a term used when an underdog has the potential to win by landing a powerful blow. In an instant, the smallest opportunity shifts the scales, defying the insurmountable odds.
“A Study of Movement: The Fleet, Fierce and Feathered” – Through Dec. 5, Abington Art Gallery, Abington campus. Penn State Abington student Sophie Bell mimics stop-motion animation of animals in movement through a series of graphite animal drawings. The works aim to allow viewers to truly appreciate the individual characteristics and personalities of each creature depicted in the work.
“Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld” – Through Dec. 7, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The first two-person survey exhibition of these renowned artists, “Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld” explores their shared allegiances and sustaining friendship over three decades. The exhibition will unite some 25 sculptures and paintings by both artists along with related works on paper and a major new collaborative piece, offering an absorbing journey into the depths of the threatened natural world.
"Our House is on Fire" – Through Dec. 18, Henry Art Gallery, Great Valley campus. "Our House is on Fire" celebrates the power of art to inspire environmental action and advocate for a greener, healthier future. The five artists who contributed to this exhibit see a need to advocate for harnessing imagination, wealth and technology to make their communities and country greener and healthier places for everyone to live.
“Tradition Renewed” – Through Dec. 19, Art Space, Schuylkill campus. "Tradition Renewed" is an exhibition featuring works by artist Eric Armusik, his apprentices and select students from the Armusik Academy of Classical Art. Known for his masterful figurative paintings inspired by the Old Masters, Armusik’s work captures the drama and emotion of the human experience through a classical lens.
“Structures, Systems, and Society: Work at the Interface of Art and Engineering” – Through Dec. 21, 2025, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. A diverse selection of objects from the Palmer’s collection appear alongside works by Penn State makers to investigate three intersections between art and engineering. Structures explores the physical forms and frameworks that support innovation, blending function and aesthetics in design. Systems examines the interconnected processes behind artistic and technological creation, highlighting shared methods like visualization and iteration. Society focuses on the cultural and ethical impact of engineering, showing how art fosters empathy, equity and responsible innovation.
“Public Spaces / Private Lives” – Through Dec. 21, 2025, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. “Public Spaces/Private Lives” presents a selection of works on paper that explore how we live, navigate and express ourselves in both private and public settings. Spanning from the mid-1800s to the early 2000s, the exhibition includes scenes of homes, neighborhoods, rooftops, sidewalks, city streets, parks, eateries, public institutions and transit systems mostly set in the United States, with a few works depicting Ireland and France.
“Sounding the Abstract” – Through Jan. 2, 2026, Woksob Family Gallery, downtown State College. "Sounding the Abstract" is a multimedia installation created by Woohun Joo, assistant professor of digital arts and design in the Penn State School of Visual Arts. The installation explores the relationship between visual and auditory perception by creating ambient soundscapes that correspond to geometric artworks through a real-time "reading" of the images.
“Dispositions” – Through Jan. 2, 2026, Woksob Family Gallery, downtown State College. “Dispositions” is an exhibition of art installations by Yasmine Abbas that explores the experience of existing between cultures and places, with a focus on "neo-nomads" and their strategies for navigating life between cultures and unfamiliar territories. Abbas is an assistant teaching professor of architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School.
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.