What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events taking place at the University this weekend and the next two weeks:
Performances
Urban Bush Women: "Hair & Other Stories" — 7:30 p.m., March 14, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. This dance-theatre company weaves contemporary dance, music and text with the history, culture and spiritual traditions of African Americans and the African diaspora.
13th annual President's Concert — 7:30 p.m., March 20, Hershey Theatre, Hershey, Pa. The Penn State School of Music Philharmonic Orchestra and the Centre Dimensions Jazz Ensemble will perform.
"Cabaret" — March 21-23, Schwab Auditorium, University Park campus. The Penn State Thespians presents the musical "Cabaret."
Murphy's Celtic Legacy — 7:30 p.m., March 21, Pullo Center, Penn State York. The Irish dance group Murphy's Celtic Legacy will perform traditional dances.
Events
Friends: "The One with the Themed Dinner" — March 14, 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.
"From Draft to Design: The Making of a Book" — 3-5 p.m., March 14, Mann Assembly Room, Paterno Library, University Park campus. The event will feature a pop-up exhibit of the Association of University Presses Book, Jacket and Journal Show, and a panel of publishing professionals from Penn State Press. Free.
Central Pa. Home and Garden Show — March 15-17, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. The annual show gives visitors a chance to meet with contractors when deciding to build a new home, plan a remodel or a landscape.
Afro-Brazilian Capoeira and Samba Day — March 16, HUB-Flex Theatre, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. A series of workshops on Afro-Brazilian samba and capoeira. Free.
Passports & Plates: Make Dinner Your Destination — March 19, 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.
Taste the Spotlight: A Sample of Broadway's Best — March 20, 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.
Sunset Paradise: Tastes of a Traditional Hawaiian Luau — March 21, 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.
Lectures
"Global Challenges to Human Rights Today" — 8 p.m., March 14, Alumni Hall, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Prince Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein of Jordan and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will discuss the topics of responsive citizenship, including what students and citizens can do to make a difference to protect and improve human rights, civic engagement, conscience and ethics. Free.
SPA Distinguished Speaker Series: Josh Radnor — 8 p.m., March 14, Heritage Hall, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The "How I Met Your Mother" actor will appear as part of the Student Programming Association lecture series. Free, but ticket required.
"The Power of Storytelling" — 7 p.m., March 18, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Matt Ford, CEO and co-founder of Vignette Global, will discuss his experience founding an agency focused on addressing humanitarian issues by supporting organizations with media production and online storytelling. Free.
E.J. Dionne — 4 p.m., March 19, Katz Building auditorium, University Park campus. Author and Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne will discuss the need for America to become empathetic again in order for democracy to survive. Free.
"Unpacking White Feminism" — 6:30 p.m., March 20, Flex Theatre, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Activist, writer and lecturer Rachel Cargle will discuss the intersection of race and womanhood as part events sponsored by the Gender Equity Center's observation of National Women's History Month. Free.
Exhibits
"Subjective Spaces: Drawings and Collages by Robert Reed" — Jan. 5-May 19, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This intimate retrospective features 16 selections from Reed's drawings and collages. Free.
"Impressionism at the Art of Medical Communication" — March 11-21, Borland Project Space, Borland Lab, University Park campus. This exhibition presents the work of students from the course "Impressionism and the Art of Medical Communication," a course co-taught by faculty in the College of Medicine and the Department of Art History. Free.
"Plug In, Turn On" — Feb. 7-March 31, HUB-Robeson Galleries, HUB-Robeson Building, University Park campus. This two-person exhibition of works by Pittsburgh-based artists Ian Brill and Kevin Clancy, alongside "Architecting Atmospheres," an exhibition of Penn State architecture students, uses sound, light and space to create environmental atmospheres. Free.
"Race and Revolution: Still Separate, Still Unequal" — Jan. 29-April 6, Woskob Family Gallery, 146 S. Allen St., State College. This traveling exhibition of contemporary artwork and historical documents explores the ongoing issue of school segregation in the United States. Free.
"Amazing Stories: Recent Acquisitions" — Jan. 12-May 26, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This exhibit highlights a large selection of prints by artists whose work relies heavily on representation and storytelling to explore ethnic identity and stereotypes, multicultural histories and personal narratives. Free.
"From the Rooftops: John Sloan and the Art of a New Urban Space" — Feb. 3-May 12, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The museum will feature a major loan exhibition of Ashcan School painter John Sloan, who focused on New York City rooftops in the first half of the 20th century. Free.
"The Secret Lives of Girls and Women" — Jan. 29-Sept. 1, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. This exhibit of archival materials from the University Libraries' Eberly Family Special Collections Library examines the spectrum of "secrets" of the female experience. Free.