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 this weekend and next week:
Performances
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" — Sept. 28-Oct. 9, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents the Tony Award-winning play based on the novel by Mark Haddon. Sensory-friendly performances will be hosted on Oct. 3 and 9.
The Doo Wop Project — 3 p.m., Oct. 10, Pullo Center, Penn State York. The Doo Wop Project begins at the beginning, tracing the evolution of Doo Wop from the classic sound of five guys singing tight harmonies on a street corner to the biggest hits on the radio today.
VOCES8 — 7:30 p.m., Oct.12, Music Recital Hall, Music Building, University Park campus. The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 returns to Penn State with "After Silence," a program of choral works inspired by Aldous Huxley's thoughts on the essential force of music.
"Cartography" — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 14, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The Center for Performing Arts presents "Cartography," a multimedia theater work that prompts audiences to consider each other's origin stories.
Lectures
Research Unplugged: "Toxicology research to support integrated pest and pollinator management — a balancing act" — 1:30 p.m., Oct. 7, Pasto Agricultural Museum, Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, Rock Springs. Fang "Rose" Zhu, assistant professor of entomology, will discuss her work in discovering new theories of insect chemical adaptation, along with developing innovative techniques and strategies for precision pest management and beneficial species conservation. Free.
Penn State Berks Arts and Lecture Series: Michael Sam — 7 p.m., Oct. 7, Perkins Student Center Auditorium, Penn State Berks. Michael Sam, the first openly LGBT player to be drafted in any major American sport, will be featured. Free.
Kate Snow — 6 p.m., Oct. 11, Freeman Auditorium, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Award-winning NBC journalist Kate Snow will visit Penn State and give a guest lecture. Free.
Policy Profiles: Christian Soura — 3 p.m., Oct. 13, via livestream. Christian Soura, executive president of the South Carolina Hospital Association, will discuss his experience in health policy at the state and national levels. Free.
Penn State Mont Alto Evening Talk Series — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 13, in person and via Zoom. Jacob Moore, associate professor of engineering at the campus, will present "Geoengineering and Climate Change." Free, but registration required.
Events
Harvest Festival 2021 — 5-7 p.m., Oct. 7, Student Farm, intersection of Big Hollow Road and Fox Hollow Road, State College. The Student Farm at Penn State will host its sixth annual Harvest Festival, featuring mini pumpkin painting, live music, free food and other activities. Free.
Cafe Laura Theme Dinner: "A Tribute to Queen: Taste the Music" — Oct. 7 and Nov. 4, 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.
59th annual AAUW used book sale: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 9 to 12, Snider Agricultural Arena, University Park campus. More than 150,000 books will be available for sale, with proceeds benefitting scholarships for returning adult women students and grants for community projects and programs that reflect the American Association of University Women State College's mission to advance equity for women and girls. Free admission.
Cafe Laura Theme Dinner: "Cork: Napa Valley meets Happy Valley" — Oct. 13 and Nov. 10, 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.
Cafe Laura Theme Dinner: "A Peruvian Experience: A Trip to Lima" — Oct. 14 and Nov. 11, 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.
Virtual exhibits
"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.
In-person exhibits
"Private Domain" — Through Oct. 8, McLanahan Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for the Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. “Private Domain” is a series of narrative paintings that blend symbolism from mythology and alchemy. In recent years this series has increased in complexity to push the viewer to question what is revealed and what is concealed within the piece, allowing them to conclude multiple interpretations from the visual transformations within the work. Free.
Nishiki Sugawara-Beda — Through Oct. 8, McLanahan Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for the Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. Sugawar-Beda’s work is inspired and established by Japanese calligraphy, which served as a gateway for her to understand her culture and the overall deeper meanings of existence. Through her work, she encourages the viewer to connect to themselves on a deeper level. Free.
"Wind Spirits" — Through Nov. 20, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. “Wind Spirits” is an exhibition of artists Tatiana Arocha, Deirdre Murphy and Rachel Sydlowski, considering the power and delicacy of Earth’s avian creatures and the larger implications that duality poses for human roles in the natural world. Free.
"Ukiyo-e: Images of the Floating World, Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Permanent Collection" — Through Dec. 5, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The art of ukiyo-e flourished in Japan during the Edo period (1615-1867). Period artists specializing in genre scenes, portraits of actors and courtesans, and later, landscape, in a manner that reflected the most contemporary fashions and attitudes, their work became known as ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world.” Free.
"Blackout Poetry" — Through Dec. 10, campus library, Penn State Fayette. “Blackout Poetry” is a creative way to bring new meaning to any written text and make it your own. Redact words in order to create a one-of-a-kind piece. All entries will be displayed in the campus library. Free.
"Patchwork Voices Community Collection" — Through Dec. 10, Coal and Coke Heritage Center, campus library, Penn State Fayette. The Patchwork Voices Community Collection is one of the Coal and Coke Heritage Center's unprocessed collections. Unprocessed means that a traditional finding aid has not been created for researchers to access materials. The collection consists of smaller, family collections. Visitors will find materials such as photographs, letters, recipes, mining certificates, newspapers, magazines, Union materials, clothing and mining tools. Free.
"Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and World War II" — Through Dec. 10, campus library, Penn State Fayette. The exhibit examines the complicated history and impact of Executive Order 9066 that led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Free.
"Celebration of Trees" — Through Dec. 12, Henry Gallery, Penn State Great Valley. The presentation hosts photographs, prints, paintings and mixed media works. All of the artists are inspired by the architecture of trees themselves, formative memories, the experience of being in nature, and environmentalism. To support improved environmental policies and draw attention to climate change, they manifest a connection to the earth and an understanding of the importance of forests. Free.
"Global Asias: Contemporary Asian and Asian American Art from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation" — Through Dec. 12, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This web-based, interactive program 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. Free.
"Place to Place: Recent Gifts of American Drawings and Watercolors, 1900-1950" — Through Dec. 12, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. "Place to Place" offers a jaunt around America in the first half of the 20th century. From New York to New Mexico to New Orleans, a range of sites in several different media are gathered to explore notions of place. International locales represented include Belgium, England, France, Germany and Morocco. Free.
"Documenting the Moment: A Visual Journal" — Through Dec. 31, Ronald K. DeLong Gallery, Penn State Lehigh Valley. The exhibit features a collection of artist Jason Travers’ ink and graphite drawings that capture what he’s seeing in real time at a particular moment. The gallery also is showcasing student works depicting significant moments shown from various perspectives. Free.
"Lost Bird Project" — Through Jan. 26, 2022, exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. "Lost Bird Project" consists of five sculptural monuments to extinct bird species. Conceived by artist Todd McGrain, the "Lost Bird Project" recognizes the tragedy of modern extinction by immortalizing the five most recently extinct North American birds. Free.
"Why Biodiversity Matters" — Through Jan. 26, 2022, exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. "Why Biodiversity Matters" includes avian research and educational materials from Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center and Penn State’s Wildlife and Fisheries program. Free.
"Altar" — Through Jan. 30, 2022, exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Kiana Honarmand’s installation in the exhibition cases utilizes text from the poem “Gift” by Iranian feminist poet Forough Farrokhzad to pay homage to the history of hiding critical commentary in Persian poetry and visual arts.