Research

Things to Do at Penn State: April 22-29

A selection of virtual and in-person cultural events happening at the University this weekend and next week

Musician Charles Maimarosia, of the Solomon Islands, is one of the featured artists in “Small Island Big Song: An Oceanic Songline,” a film to be streamed free from April 23-30. Credit: Rush PhotographyAll Rights Reserved.

What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — taking place at the University this weekend and next week:

Performances

"Front Row: National" — April 21-28, via livestream. Musician and activist Anthony McGill will be the featured soloist in the next episode of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's "Front Row: National." Free.

"The Last Five Years" — April 22-25, via livestream. Master of fine arts candidate Jennifer Delac directs this modern musical that chronicles the five-year life of a marriage, from meeting to breakup and from breakup to meeting.

"Two Rooms" April 29-May 1, via livestream. Penn State Altoona will offer a virtual production of Lee Blessing's "Two Rooms." After each performance, the cast and crew will discuss the performance and answer audience questions. Free, but registration required.

Events

Cafe Laura Theme Dinner: "Below Sea Level: Cuisine from the Continental Shelf" — April 28, Cafe 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 Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required for dine in, and online take out is available.

Succulent container workshop 6 p.m., April 22, via livestream. The Student Farm at Penn State is hosting a succulent container workshop for University Park students. Students can pick up supplies on campus prior to the event and participate in the virtual planting workshop. Free, but registration required.

Finally Unplugged Fest 2-8:15 p.m., April 23, Intramural Building, University Park campus. University Park students are invited to this in-person, team-based outdoor event for free food and prizes. Free.

"Small Island Big Song: An Oceanic Songline"April 23-30, via livestream. More than 100 artists representing 16 island nations in the Pacific and Indian oceans unite for a musical cinematographic event. Free.

Lectures

Smith Creative Writers Reading Series: "Sweet Sorrow" readings — 6 p.m., April 22, via Zoom. Graduates of Penn State Behrend's creative writing program will read. Free.

Research Coffee Hour: Student Employee Showcase 11 a.m., April 26, via Zoom. Students from the University Libraries' Eberly Family Special Collection Library will hose a discussion and Q&A to talk about the ins and outs of working in a special collections library, with a focus on the projects they've worked on throughout the academic year. Free.

Pockrass Memorial Lecture Series: Francesca Sobande 11 a.m., April 26, via livestream. Cardiff University lecturer Francesca Sobande will present "Spectacularized and Branded Digital (Re)presentations of Black People and Blackness." Free.

2021 EESI EarthTalks series: "How do we avoid a global hothouse?" 4 p.m., April 26, via Zoom. A panel of Penn State experts will discuss solutions to minimizing global warming that have been proposed throughout the semester during the EarthTalk series. Free.

Ethics in political communications4:30 p.m., April 27, via livestream. A panel of leading scholars in communication, political science and rhetoric will examine how new media technologies, the spread of misinformation and the pressures of campaigns create challenges to ethical communications in politics. Free, but registration required.

Meeting the Moment with Michael Mwenso: Bill T. Jones and Janet Wong7:30 p.m., April 28, via Zoom. Tony Award-winning choreographer and innovative dance artist Bill T. Jones and Janet Wong will be featured. Free.

2021 William D. Minter Lectureship in Conservation: Cathleen Baker2 p.m., April 29, via livestream. Cathleen A. Baker, paper and book conservator, publisher of the Legacy Press and conservation librarian emerita at the University of Michigan Library, will be featured. Free.

Exhibits

"Field Language: The Painting and Poetry of Warren and Jane Rohrer"  Through June 6, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This major loan exhibition examines the art of Warren Rohrer as it evolved in conversation with poet Jane Turner Rohrer, his partner of nearly 50 years. Free.

"The Wit and Whimsy of Lucille Corcos" — Through May 9, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. A prolific painter and illustrator, Lucille Corcos depicted American life with an incomparable verve during the mid-20h century. Free.

THON logo exhibition — Online. The THON website is featuring a virtual gallery showcasing logos from previous events, as well as profiles of each student designer. Free.

"Celebrating the ADA: The Legacy and Evolution of Disability Rights and Lived Experience at Penn State"  Online. 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.

"African Brilliance: A Diplomat's Sixty Years of Collecting" Online Catalog — Online. A digital catalog of African works collected by retired U.S. ambassador Allen C. Davis, including text entries, high-resolution 360-degree images and contextual videos at the Palmer Museum of Art. Free.

"African Brilliance" Virtual Tour — Online. Explore an interactive tour created with teachers, students and families in mind. The tour includes installation images, pictures of selected works, videos for guided viewing and related art-making activity suggestions. Free.

"Drawing on a Legacy: Highlights from the John Driscoll American Drawings Collection" — Online. High-resolution images, text selections and a photo gallery of works on paper donated by Penn State alumnus John P. Driscoll, including early landscape views and botanical sketches, animal scenes and still lives, and portraits and preparatory figure studies. The works include a number of well-known 19th-century American artists. Free.

"Photography=Abstraction" — Online. The Palmer Museum of Art's virtual pop-up exhibition is an interactive gallery with images, text and informational videos for selected works. Free, Google Chrome browser recommended.

Snowiss Gallery of American Art — Online. Tour the Palmer Museum of Art's first-floor Snowiss Gallery. Free.

"Women in Art: Activism and Resistance" virtual tour — Online. This self-directed, interactive online tour features a selection of objects by female artists in the Palmer Museum of Art's collection. In celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this tour highlights artists working in a variety of media during the 20th and 21st centuries who have contributed to political, social and cultural change. Free.

"Human Expectations II" — Through June 20, Display Cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus, and online. The work of five artists embody a search for expression and experience through material. Free.

"When the Bough Breaks" — Through April 30, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Nine different artists address the issue of climate change through a unique representation of trees. Free.

"Something Means Something Else" — Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. This three-part mural by artist Tamara Gayer focuses on the intricacies of the current moment in sexual and gender identity. Free.

"Small Planet" — Through January 2022, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The HUB-Robeson Center has commissioned a site-specific wall painting located in the first-floor eateries by artist Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann titled "Small Planet." Free.

 

Last Updated April 21, 2021