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
“Crazy for You” – Multiple performances, Through Nov. 1, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents “Crazy for You." Put on your dancing shoes and step back into the Roaring Twenties with the Tony Award-winning, toe-tapping romantic musical comedy.
"Working: A Musical" – 7:30 p.m., Oct. 30-31, Wolf Kuhn Theatre, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Employing a range of musical styles and genres from contributing composers, “Working” is about the hopes, dreams, fantasies and sorrows of American working people from all walks of life.
Bach's Lunch – 12:10-12:45 p.m., Oct. 30, Eisenhower Chapel, University Park campus. "Bach's Lunch" is a weekly concert series during the school year. These popular concerts are brief in order to make it possible for the University community to attend during the lunch hour. Free.
Isidore String Quartet – 7:30 p.m., Oct. 30, Recital Hall, School of Music, University Park campus. Isidore String Quartet approaches music as a “playground” and attempts to break down barriers to encourage collaboration and creativity. The ensemble’s mission is to connect with communities with limited access to contemporary and chamber music performances. They play from digital tablets instead of paper sheets and dress in attire that suggests personal comfort at the music stand.
Rhapsody Series: “Wet Ink: New Music by Penn State Composers” – 4 p.m., Nov. 2, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. This performance features a showcase of original works from the School of Music community. The program includes art songs, chamber pieces and dynamic instrumental music created by faculty and performed by faculty — a celebration of creativity as it happens, while the ink is still fresh on the page.
Soles of Duende: "Can We Dance Here?" – 7:30 p.m., Nov. 5, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Soles of Duende features the percussive sounds of tap, Spanish flamenco, and kathak Indian classical dance in a multicultural, rhythmic example of how visual performing arts can speak volumes without saying a word.
"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.
Events
53rd Annual Shakespeare Festival – Through Oct. 30, Maggie Hardy Magerko Auditorium, Fayette campus. This year’s Shakespeare Festival event will feature an 85-minute production of "Macbeth" by the Linny Fowler WillPower Tour, followed by a Q&A session with the cast. The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival has offered more than 200 total productions.
Art After Hours: 6th Annual Halloween Spooktacular – 5-8 p.m., Oct. 30, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Have a haunting good time at the museum during the 6th Annual Halloween Spooktacular! Dare to get spooked on a Zombie Adventure Tour through the galleries and attempt to solve the art heist mystery scavenger hunt. Compete for prizes in the costume contest. Candy and light refreshments will be provided.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: A Taste of Magic – A Disney Dining Experience – Oct. 30, 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.
"The Art of Healing Through Expression and Creativity" – 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Nov. 1, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Mount Nittany Health and the Palmer Museum of Art offer a program to dive deep into how art can navigate feelings of loss and grief, including a pop-up art exhibition and group discussion, among other activities. Registration required.
35th Annual Homespun Holiday Craft Show – 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Nov. 2, Athletic, Recreation and Student Commons buildings, Wilkes-Barre campus. The annual holiday craft show returns to Penn State Wilkes-Barre, showcasing more than 100 vendors’ crafts, original artwork, jewelry and more.
"Conservation Policy in the Final Frontier: Strategic Simulation for Earth and Space Governance" – 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Nov. 4, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The Science Policy Society graduate student organization invites the campus community to a hands-on, scenario-based workshop exploring space governance. Registration required.
The Joyfull: Soles of Duende Edition – 6 p.m., Nov, 4, 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.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Where Great Power Meets Great Flavor – Nov. 4, 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.
Chef Jet Tila – Various events, Nov. 4-6, 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.
“Merchants of Doubt” film screening – 7 p.m., Nov. 5, Online. Sustain Penn State’s "Intersections" film series will continue its fall program with an online screening of “Merchants of Doubt,” which reveals decades-long practices of corporations hiring people who seem to have reputable scientific credentials, but who instead spread scientific disinformation and doubt in order to prevent public regulation and oversight.
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.
Lectures
“Invisible Wounds of a Warming World" – 3:30 p.m., Oct. 31, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus and via Zoom. Thelma Abu, assistant professor of environment and human interactions at the University of Connecticut, will examine how climate extremes, particularly rising temperatures in semi-arid regions of Africa, affect mental health outcomes in low-resource settings.
"Unmasked" – 1:30-3 p.m., Oct. 31, 113 Borland, University Park campus. The Center for Pedagogy in Arts and Design will host Mark Stephens from the College of Medicine for a Halloween mask-painting workshop exploring identity and reflection. Stephens has published on how mask-making can be a tool for professional identity formation, as well as its influence on impostor-ism in medical trainees.
“The Critical Minerals Rush — Not So Fast" – 4 p.m., Nov. 3, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus and via Zoom.Geochemist Rens Verburg, senior vice president and technical fellow in geochemistry at the engineering and professional services firm WSP USA, will discuss what it takes to develop a mining operation and process critical minerals.
“Architecture after Vignola: Classicism, Conformity, and Copying in the Era of Print” – 5:30 p.m., Nov. 5, 201 Thomas Building, University Park campus. Michael J. Waters, an assistant professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University, will explore how print came to shape an established transmedial system of architectural design across Europe and beyond, offering a new understanding of classicism in the era of mechanical reproduction.
“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.
In-person exhibits
“Tradition Renewed” – Nov. 3-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.
“Parenthetic Passages” – Through Oct. 30, HUB Gallery, University Park campus. Camille Hoffman is a painter who critically reimagines the romantic American landscape through layered and immersive site-specific installation. In “Parenthetic Passages,” she creates an environment that emphasizes the wisdom of water and the concept of shell memory, reflecting on the evolving relationships and accumulated human experiences alongside oceanic knowledge.
"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.
“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.