UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A wide variety of Penn State museums and special galleries will be open to the public during the spring “Night at the Museums” event, scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. on April 23.
Organized by the Penn State Museum Consortium, this year’s event will include the addition of the Penn State trolley, which will provide transportation among the various sites at University Park, courtesy of Penn State Outreach.
“This is an opportunity to get familiar with our collections, whether you’re part of the University or the broader community,” said Rita Graef, director of the Pasto Agricultural Museum and Armsby Respiration Calorimeter in the College of Agricultural Sciences. “Visitors can choose their own adventure, starting and ending wherever they like.”
An additional feature will be the unveiling of a newly updated display case featuring Old Coaly, a mule that came to Penn State from Kentucky in 1857 and assisted in the construction of Old Main.
The evening includes a wide range of activities, from the All-Sports Museum to the Frost Entomological Museum to the Palmer Museum of Art to the Arboretum at Penn State.
“Our exhibits feature something for everyone and for all ages,” said Graef, who is chair of the museum consortium. “We hope our students and faculty will be inspired by what they see, as well as our visitors who come from outside of campus.”
Museums and sites
All-Sports Museum
Visitors to the All-Sports Museum will get their first opportunity to pick up the spring football poster, copies of which the team will be signing during the autograph session at the stadium on Saturday.
Armsby Respiration Calorimeter
The Armsby Respiration Calorimeter, built in 1902 and preserved in its original location, is a nationally significant scientific instrument that shaped modern nutrition and metabolism research. This instrument, used for more than 60 years in animal nutrition and metabolism research, is typically only open by appointment.
Frost Entomological Museum
Just a short walk away, the Frost Entomological Museum will have a couple of microscopes available for visitors to examine specimens up close.
HUB-Robeson Galleries
The HUB-Robeson Galleries will feature the annual Graduate Research Exhibition, a celebration of the culmination of the visual arts graduate students' work, experimentation and commitment to making art that challenges both themselves and their audiences.
Palmer Museum of Art
The Palmer Museum of Art will feature contemporary ensemble performances by students in the School of Music, from 5 to 8 p.m., with poetry readings by Penn State students.
Additional museums and sites include:
- Arboretum at Penn State
- Center for the Performing Arts
- College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery
- PAC Herbarium
- Nuclear Reactor at the Radiation Science and Engineering Center
Trolley and bus transportation
In addition to the trolley, visitors can also ride the Centre Area Transportation Authority buses, with free transportation available on the Blue Loop and White Loop, as well as the Red Link.
All sites will have a scannable QR code available that connects to the University Park Map site.
The Penn State Museum Consortium
The Penn State Museum Consortium is a network of museum and archival professionals and education specialists associated with the unique facilities and irreplaceable collections housed at Penn State’s University Park campus. These collections and spaces are used by members of the Penn State community for teaching, research and public service across many academic disciplines.