What’s happening at Penn State? Here’s a look at some of the cultural events \u2014 both in-person and virtual \u2014 open to the University and local community:<\/p>\n
Performances<\/p>\n
Bach’s Lunch<\/a> \u2013 12:10-12:45 p.m., Feb. 19, 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.<\/p>\n One Vision of Queen<\/a> \u2013 7:30 p.m., Feb. 20, Pullo Center, York campus. One Vision of Queen will showcase a tribute to one of rock\u2019s most iconic bands, led by vocalist Marc Martel. Martel delivers a high-energy, theatrical experience packed with Queen\u2019s greatest hits, from \u201cBohemian Rhapsody\u201d to \u201cUnder Pressure.\u201d The show also honors Freddie\u2019s legacy of musical exploration with operatic pieces.<\/p>\n Lunar New Year<\/a> \u2013 1-4 p.m., Feb. 21, Perkins Student Center, Berks campus. Penn State Berks will hold a Lunar New Year celebration with a live performance by the Chinese Cultural Art Institute. The event will also include activities like face painting, story telling, arts and crafts, and light refreshments. Free.<\/p>\n Rhapsody Series: \u201cResonant Images\u201d<\/a> \u2013 4 p.m., Feb. 22, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. This performance features a collaboration between double bassist Patricia Weitzel and pianist Seulki Yoo with video projections by Professor Curtis Craig. This imaginative recital blends music and visuals to create a multisensory journey across cultures and soundscapes, transforming the recital hall into a canvas for global storytelling.<\/p>\n Harlem Globetrotters<\/a> \u2013 7 p.m., Feb. 24, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. The Harlem Globetrotters\u2019 \u201c100 Year Tour\u201d is coming to the Bryce Jordan Center for a once-in-a-century celebration of a century of jaw-dropping moves and heart-throbbing thrills.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Morris and Essex Line\u201d<\/a> \u2013 Multiple performances, Feb. 24-March 6, Pavilion Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents “The Morris and Essex Line,” a new musical. With music by Joshua Salzman and book and lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, the musical explores the parallel connection between a suburban mother\u2019s midlife crisis and her child\u2019s coming of age, and asks the question \u201cWhat if you could meet the person you used to be?\u201d<\/p>\n Events<\/p>\n National Black History Month events<\/a> \u2013 Multiple dates and locations throughout February. Several Penn State campuses across the commonwealth will be holding events this month in commemoration of National Black History Month.<\/p>\n THON<\/a> \u2013 Feb. 20-22, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. More than 700 students from Penn State campuses will stay on their feet for 46 consecutive hours to raise money to fund pediatric cancer research and to support pediatric cancer patients and their families. Free.<\/p>\n Blind Date with a Book<\/a> \u2013 Through February, Weltman Lobby, Pattee Library, University Park campus. Shelves in Pattee Library’s Weltman Lobby will be filled with wrapped books described by just a few clues and keywords. Books may not be unwrapped until after they are checked out at the lending services desk. Both fiction and nonfiction books in a variety of genres are available for students to check out for a reading date.<\/p>\n Creative Studio at the Palmer: Somatic Circles<\/a> \u2013 5:30-7:30 p.m., Feb. 19, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Draw simultaneously with both hands to stimulate both sides of your brain and boost creativity, increase mindfulness, and help process stress. Hosted by Erin E. Carter, EdD, ATR-BC, Assistant Teaching Professor of Creative Arts Therapies, and Erin Bolger Welsh, Art Educator, these sessions offer art-based creative activities designed to encourage relaxation, connection with others, and rejuvenation of spirit.<\/p>\n Botanical Watercolors<\/a> \u2013 2-3:30 p.m., Feb. 22, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. In this meditative class suitable for beginners, we will embrace creative flow and engage with beauty as we paint simple compositions based on nature. Registration is required.<\/p>\n Open Dance Class for Adults<\/a> \u2014 1 to 2:15 p.m., Feb. 22, Dance Studio, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. This free class is open to those 18 and older and will feature movement and engagement through modern dance technique and improvisation. Dancers of all levels, styles, backgrounds and experiences are welcome.<\/p>\n African American Read-In<\/a> \u2014 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Feb. 23, Titelman Study, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. This year\u2019s read-in, themed “Black Female Celebrity,” will feature the Monday Marathon and a keynote address by Penn State faculty member Jeanine Staples-Dixon from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.<\/p>\n Nature Sketching<\/a> \u2013 10-11:30 a.m., Feb. 24, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This art class for adults explores a variety of art materials and techniques as we connect art and nature. All experience levels are welcome, from beginner to professional. Free.<\/p>\n Caf\u00e9 Laura Theme Dinner: Art Gallery Archives<\/a> \u2013 Feb. 24,\u202fCaf\u00e9 Laura, Mateer Building, University Park campus.\u202fStudents 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 Caf\u00e9 Laura restaurant. Reservations required.<\/p>\n Yoga and Mindfulness at the Palmer<\/a> \u2013 Noon, Feb. 25, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Join Sima\u202fFarage for yoga, mindful movement, and meditation at the museum. All bodies are welcome, and no experience is necessary. This program is presented through a partnership with Penn State Health Promotion & Wellness.<\/p>\n Pinewood Derby Competition<\/a> \u2013 5-6:30 p.m., Feb. 25, Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building lobby, Berks campus. Penn State Berks will hold its inaugural Pinewood Derby competition for college and high school students, as well as community members. Participants may use either a traditional pinewood derby kit or a 3-D printed car. Registration required.<\/p>\n Bird Walk<\/a> \u2013 8-9:30 a.m., Feb. 26, the Arboretum, University Park campus. Drop in to the Arboretum for a guided bird-watching walk, led by avian expert Joe Gyekis. Please dress for the weather, wear shoes suitable for walking on rustic trails, and bring binoculars if you have them.<\/p>\n Art After Hours: We Are Here<\/a> \u2013 5-8 p.m., Feb. 26, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Experience special exhibition \u201cInsistent Presence: Contemporary African Art from the Chazen Collection\u201d and reflect on the power of what it means to be present. Enjoy music and dance performances and explore how the human body acts as a vessel for social and political histories and contested identities through a collage art-making activity.<\/p>\n Caf\u00e9 Laura Theme Dinner: Global Goals – A Taste of the World Cup<\/a>\u202f\u2013\u202fFeb. 26,\u202fCaf\u00e9 Laura, Mateer Building, University Park campus.\u202fStudents 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 Caf\u00e9 Laura restaurant. Reservations required.<\/p>\n Lectures<\/p>\n Beekeeping Around the World: Israel<\/a> \u2013 Noon, Feb. 19, via Zoom. Penn State Extension will host a webinar series for those interested in learning about beekeeping practices and challenges in different parts of the world. Each week will feature a different location, and presenters will discuss what beekeeping is like there.<\/p>\n “Sex is Bodies, Behaviors and Lives: The Biological Limits of the Binary and the Benefits of a Spectrum Approach”<\/a>\u202f\u2013 4:30 p.m., Feb. 19, Freeman Auditorium, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Agust\u00edn Fuentes, professor of anthropology at Princeton University, will deliver the 2026 Darwin Day Lecture, which seeks to bring lucidity and reason to a contentious issue and clarify why the binary view of sex and gender may not only be misguided but also harmful.<\/p>\n “Health & Healthcare Access: Resources for Rural Pennsylvania”<\/a>\u202f\u2013 Noon, Feb. 20, via Zoom. Lisa Davis, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health at Penn State, will highlight actions being made and services created to enhance the health status of rural Pennsylvanians and ensure that rural residents have access to high-quality, affordable health care.<\/p>\n Gallery Talk + Conversation: Insistent Presence<\/a> \u2013 Noon, Feb. 20, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Enjoy an interdisciplinary gallery conversation with Beatrice Opokua Atencah, John M. Anderson Assistant Teaching Professor of Art, and Dorothy Takyiakwaa, Assistant Teaching Professor in African Studies, about new special exhibition \u201cInsistent Presence: Contemporary African Art from the Chazen Collection.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeyond the Binary: Evolution, Identity, and the Rebellion of Becoming Human\u201d<\/a> \u2013 2:30 p.m., Feb. 20, 112 Chambers Building, University Park campus. Agust\u00edn Fuentes, professor of anthropology at Princeton University, joins Hil Malatino, Penn State professor of women\u2019s, gender, and sexuality studies and philosophy, and Michel Lee Garrett, author, editor and LGBTQIA+ advocate, for a panel discussion to examine how evolutionary concepts direct our understanding of modern life, identity and justice.<\/p>\n Ashtekar Frontiers of Science: Resources<\/a> \u2013 11 a.m.-12:30 a.m., Feb. 21, 001 Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, University Park campus. Charlie Anderson, professor of biology, and Joseph Cotruvo, professor of chemistry, will deliver lectures followed by a Q&A session.<\/p>\n 2025-26 Penn State Laureate Pearl Gluck<\/a> \u2013 7 p.m., Feb. 23, Perkins Center Multipurpose Room, Berks campus. Filmmaker Pearl Gluck, 2025-26 Penn State Laureate and associate professor in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, will deliver a presentation focused on efforts to inspire regional storytelling, foster connections across campuses and local communities and create pathways for artistic engagement.<\/p>\n “Water, Energy, and Data Centers in Pennsylvania”<\/a> \u2013 Noon-1 p.m., Feb. 24, Room 342, Rodney A. Erickson Food Science Building, University Park campus. The Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science will hold its first talk in the new seminar series, featuring Wangda Zuo. Zuo, professor of architectural engineering and Institute of Energy and the Environment Fellow, will discuss the challenges and opportunities of keeping data centers cool, including an overview of the current landscape. Free.<\/p>\n \u201cAI collaboration in managing crisis, risk and disaster\u201d<\/a> \u2013 Noon, Feb. 24, via Zoom. This webinar, featuring industry and academic experts of public crisis management, will focus on the use of artificial intelligence in emergency communications. Viewers will learn about the implications of using emerging technologies in crisis situations. Free.<\/p>\n Growing with the Penn State Extension Master Gardener Program<\/a> \u2013 Noon-1 p.m., Feb. 24, via Zoom. The Penn State Extension Master Gardener Program is a statewide, volunteer-driven program that advances the land-grant mission of translating research-based horticultural science into meaningful community education and service. This presentation outlines the program’s mission, history, scope, and statewide impact, emphasizing how science-based education, volunteer engagement, and partnerships enhance communities throughout Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n Climate Conversation Caf\u00e9: Matt Goldberg<\/a> \u2013 1 p.m., Feb. 24, Earth and Environmental Systems Building, University Park campus and via Zoom. Matt Goldberg, director of experimental research at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, will discuss persuasion, politics and public engagement. The talk will explore what it means to study climate change through the lens of communication research, with a focus on how people make sense of uncertainty, disagreement and declining trust in institutions<\/p>\n National Engineering Week: Panel Discussion<\/a> \u2013 6-7 p.m., Feb. 24, Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building lobby, Berks campus. Penn State engineering alumni will share perspectives and advice on the field of engineering and studying electro-mechanical engineering technology and mechanical engineering.<\/p>\n Beekeeping Around the World: Zimbabwe<\/a> \u2013 Noon, Feb. 26, via Zoom. Penn State Extension will host a webinar series for those interested in learning about beekeeping practices and challenges in different parts of the world. Each week will feature a different location, and presenters will discuss what beekeeping is like there.<\/p>\n Gallery Talk + Conversation: Insistent Presence<\/a> \u2013 5:30 p.m., Feb. 26, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Enjoy an interdisciplinary gallery conversation and poetry reading about special exhibition \u201cInsistent Presence: Contemporary African Art from the Chazen Collection\u201d with Gabeba Baderoon, associate professor of Women\u2019s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, African Studies and Comparative Literature, and award-winning poet and visual artist Jolyn Phillips.<\/p>\n In-person exhibits<\/p>\n “Living Landscapes and More”<\/a> \u2013 Through Feb. 27, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. A new solo exhibition by Mountain Top artist Johar Manzar will feature a variety of artworks. Manzar is a board-certified assistant professor and physician-scientist at MD Anderson, where she works in pediatric radiation oncology. She holds a doctorate in biomedical engineering and studied medicine at the Mayo Clinic.<\/p>\n “My FireFlies \u2013 Creating Peacemakers in Our Region”<\/a> \u2013 Through Feb. 27, Art Space, Classroom Building, Room 100, Schuylkill campus. An exhibition by Ibiyinka \u201cIbi\u201d Alao, an internationally recognized artist, architect and author whose work explores themes of peace, childhood memory and renewal. He earned a master\u2019s degree in architecture from the University of Ife in Nigeria and won first place among artists from 61 countries in the United Nations International Arts Competition. He also serves as a United Nations Arts Ambassador.<\/p>\n “30 x 30”<\/a> \u2014 Through March 9, Henry Art Gallery, Great Valley campus. Founded in 1996 by three artist friends, the Montgomery County Guild of Professional Artists (MCGOPA) has spent three decades fostering creativity, community and public appreciation for original artwork. The \u201c30 x 30\u201d show commemorates this milestone with a vibrant showcase of diverse styles, mediums and artistic voices. Each piece reflects the unique perspectives of MCGOPA\u2019s members and the dynamic range of talent that defines the guild.<\/p>\n \u201cSqueeze Me In\u201d<\/a> \u2013 Through May 2, Woksob Family Gallery, downtown State College. This exhibition features artworks created by Beatrice Opokua Atencah, John M. Anderson assistant teaching professor of art in the College of Arts and Architecture\u2019s School of Visual Arts. The exhibition explores how identity is rediscovered and transformed through clothing by combining craft processes \u2014 dyeing, sewing and beading \u2014 with spatial considerations and the complex history of corsetry as frameworks for examining acceptance and belonging.<\/p>\n “Like It Is”<\/a> \u2013 Through May 9, Ronald K. DeLong Gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. This exhibit features the work of abstract artist Femi J. Johnson. Johnson was born in Manhattan, New York, and raised in Easton, Pennsylvania. His early talent in graphite and charcoal led to a professional career as a master draftsman and designer for companies in Pennsylvania and New York before he returned his focus to fine art.<\/p>\n “Insistent Presence: Contemporary African Art from the Chazen Collection”<\/a> \u2014 Through May 10, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibition presents 40 works of sculpture, painting, ceramics, printmaking and photography by 22 living artists who have lived and worked on the African continent or in the diaspora.<\/p>\n “Playing Favorites: Highlights from the Special Collections Library”<\/a> \u2013 Through May 13, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. For this endeavor, those who teach, catalog, research, acquire, curate and describe rare book and archival materials were invited to choose one or two items to share with a wider audience \u2014 in hopes that visitors will be enraptured with the eclectic results.<\/p>\n “Refugee”<\/a> \u2014 Through June 5, Woskob Family Gallery, 146 S. Allen St., Downtown State College. An exhibition of large-scale paintings created by School of Visual Arts alumnus Michael Fratangelo.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough Different Eyes: Industrial Worlds by Women Artists\u201d<\/a> \u2013 Through December, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery, University Park campus. This exhibit explores the lives of women artists in 20th-century industrial Pennsylvania through their artwork and premiers the curatorial work of undergraduate students Alexis Woodring, a public relations major, and Gabriella Heidorn, an art history major with a minor in French and Francophone studies, who both have special interests in American art.<\/p>\n \u201cHybrid Zones\u201d<\/a> \u2013 Through March 8, 2027, HUB Gallery, University Park campus. \u201cHybrid Zones\u201d is an immersive exploration of the post-industrial landscape of Eastern Pennsylvania\u2019s anthracite coal region. Through drawing, photography, and video installation, the artists trace the environmental and psychological imprint of centuries of resource extraction. In this powerful new body of work, Rachel Bacon and Meredith Davenport confront the entanglement of human and nonhuman systems, reflecting on how deeply industrial history is inscribed into the land\u2014and into us.<\/p>\n “The Way I Saw It: A Photography Retrospective”<\/a> \u2013 Through Aug. 1, 2027, Penn State All-Sports Museum, University Park campus. \u201cThe Way I Saw It\u201d celebrates the work of Penn State alumnus Pat Little, who started out with the Daily Collegian and spent over three decades as a photojournalist with the Centre Daily Times, Associated Press and Reuters. Starting from a million photo negatives then narrowed down to a set of 5,000 photographs, the exhibit presents a final curated collection of 100 unique and powerful images of Penn State athletes, coaches, venues and fans, shot by Little between 1977 and 2005.<\/p>\n Virtual exhibits and online resources<\/p>\n In addition to in-person events, a number of virtual exhibits and online resources are available through University departments. The Palmer Museum of Art<\/a> and Penn State University Libraries<\/a> offer a rotating selection of historical and artistic collections to view via their websites, as well as other online resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What’s happening at Penn State? 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