UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State will host "The Joyfull: Feast Edition" at 6 p.m. on Oct. 12 in Alumni Hall, HUB-Robeson Center at University Park. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
"The Joyfull: Feast Edition" program will celebrate the rich history and contributions of indigenous arts and culture. It will feature a catered buffet and an intimate artist performance by Dakota Sioux rapper Stuart James.
“So often, we are typically represented in the past, the buckskin, the feathers, the more traditional pieces,” said Jacinta Garcia, community support and belonging specialist at the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, one of the event partners, explaining modern artist representation. “It's really important to us to showcase what native people are doing now.”
James, a songwriter and producer from the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota, will perform after the meal. The motivational native hip-hop artist tells his stories rooted in truth, resilience and purpose.
“I believe natives are some of the best storytellers on Earth, so it’s kind of already embedded in us,” James said. “We were just surrounded by great storytellers, so I think that part, creatively, when I started making songs, that already kind of had its influence on me.”
Read more about James and modern representation in a Center for the Performing Arts feature story.
“The Joyfull: Feast Edition” is presented by the Center for the Performing Arts in partnership with the Indigenous Peoples Faculty/Staff and Student Alliances, Paul Robeson Cultural Center and Penn State Student Affairs.
Free related events
Resistance Day Rally
Noon–1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12
HUB-Robeson Center Monumental Staircase
No registration is required for the pop-up event.
James and Ernie Comedy
5-6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12
Lion’s Lair, 008 HUB-Robeson Center
The James and Ernie Comedy duo will present an event free to the community leading into the "The Joyfull" event. In “Laugh Now, Cry Later,” the humor speakers will offer their perspectives on Native American life, current affairs, addiction, sobriety and survival.
The event is free, and no registration is required.
“The Life and Times of Shy Rez Boy”
3-4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13
Flex Theater
No registration is required for the pop-up event.
“Humor-Healing: A Journey of Empowerment and Healing”
3-4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14
Foster Auditorium, Patee and Paterno Library
No registration is required for the pop-up event.