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:
Performances
"Voices in Our Head" — 7:30 p.m., Feb. 20, Recital Hall, University Park campus. The Penn State Symphonic Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin, opens the spring semester with a powerful and evocative program titled "Voices in Our Head," featuring an integration of instrumental, sung and spoken voices.
The Doo Wop Project – 4 p.m., Feb. 22, Pullo Center, York campus. The Doo Wop Project will trace the evolution of Doo Wop from classics to the modern hits. The performance will travel from foundational tunes from the Crests, Belmonts and Flamingos. through the vocal artistry of Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, and The Four Seasons, all the way to Michael Jackson, Jason Mraz, Maroon 5, and Sam Smith.
Rhapsody Series: "Folk Inspirations" — 4 p.m., Feb. 23, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. Professors James Lyon and Anthony J. Costa coordinate an afternoon of chamber music for clarinet and strings, featuring works inspired by folk music from around the globe, including pieces by Jungyoon Wie and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
Nittany Valley Symphony Family Concert – 7 p.m., Feb. 24, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus and via livestream. The Nittany Valley Symphony will perform a one-hour program featuring pieces from the Mother Goose Suite and “Peter and the Wolf.” The event will be livestreamed on the organization’s website for those unable to attend in person. Free.
"How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" — Feb.25-March 7, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Follow a young window-cleaner, J. Pierrepont Finch, as he begins a meteoric rise from the mail room to Vice President of Advertising at the World-Wide Wicket Company. Finch's unorthodox and morally questionable business practices jeopardize not only his career but also his romance with Secretary Rosemary Pilkington. Directed and choreographed by Christopher Campbell, music directed by Joseph Ivan.
Lakecia Benjamin – 7:30 p.m., Feb. 26, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Thrice-nominated for the Grammy Award for her 2023 album “Phoenix,” alto saxophone artist Lakecia Benjamin will make her Penn State debut in Eisenhower Auditorium. She has performed her fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and Latin dance music on stage with legendary artists such as Stevie Wonder, Missy Elliott, Alicia Keys and The Roots.
Harlem Globetrotters – 7 p.m., Feb. 26, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. The Harlem Globetrotters make their return to the Bryce Jordan Center to perform live as they bring their signature trick-shots and basketball moves to the court, taking on their determined rivals, the Washington Generals.
Events
Black History Month events — Multiple dates and campus locations. Penn State campuses across the commonwealth will be holding events from the end of January and throughout February in celebration and commemoration of National Black History Month.
THON – Feb. 21-23, 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.
African American Read-in: Young Readers — 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 24, Titelman Study, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts and the Railroad City Cultural Center, Altoona. Events include the Monday Marathon from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., a keynote address by Shanetia P. Clark, and an evening community program.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Groovy Bites - A Festival Street Feast — Feb. 25, Café 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 Café Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Art After Hours: New Year, New You – 5-8 p.m., Feb. 27, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Join staff from the Palmer, Arboretum, and Herbarium to connect art and flora and fauna, art-making activities inspired by botanicals, a self-guided tour linking plants with collection objects, and more. Light refreshments will be provided.
Gallery Talk: “The Triumph of Nature” – 6 p.m., Feb. 27, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Enjoy an in-depth engagement on special exhibition “The Triumph of Nature: Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art” with Patrick McGrady, Charles V. Hallman Senior Curator.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Le Petit Bistro: Served with French Charm — Feb. 27, Café 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 Café Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Lectures
Gallery Talk: The Global Majority – 6 p.m., Feb. 20, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Enjoy an in-depth engagement on special exhibition The Global Majority with students from SoVA BIPOC, Palmer graduate assistants and interns, and Keri Mongelluzzo, Educator for Academic Engagement and Access.
"Unleashing the Energy and Climate Funding of the DOE & EPA: Now is the time!” — 12 p.m., Feb. 21, via Zoom. David Althoff Jr., director of the energy programs office for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), will lead a conversation with leaders from the DEP about how Pennsylvania can capitalize on millions of dollars of federal funding to make clean energy investments across the state. Free.
Ashtekar Frontiers of Science Lecture: Abhinav Kandala — 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Feb. 22, 100 Thomas Building, University Park campus. Abhinav Kandala, principal research scientist at IBM Quantum who earned a doctorate in physics at Penn State in 2015, will present a talk titled “Accurate quantum computing” as part of the 2025 Eberly College of Science Ashtekar Frontiers of Science Lectures series. Free.
"Deer-Tolerant Native Plants" — 6 p.m., Feb. 25, via Zoom. Instructor Mandy L. Smith, an Extension Educator and the Master Gardener Coordinator for Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, will present an informational session on deer-tolerant native plants in this webinar. Smith will explore native plants that have evolved strategies to withstand deer browsing, providing valuable insights into creating a garden that thrives. Free.
Iman Fayyad talk: “Transient Form” - 4 p.m., Feb. 26, in the Stuckeman Family Jury Space, University Park campus. The College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School will be hosting Iman Fayyad, designer and assistant professor of architecture at Syracuse University, for a lecture titled “Transient Form.” The event is free and open to the public and will be live-streamed via Zoom.
Yoga at the Palmer — 12-1 p.m., Feb. 26, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Join Latisha Franklin for free, drop-in yoga, mindful movement, and meditation classes at the museum. All bodies are welcome, and no experience is necessary.
“The Miller’s Daughter” – Feb. 27-March 1, Multiple locations, University Park campus. The Opera Theatre program will present a captivating series of performances and discussions centered on Franz Schubert’s beloved song cycle, "Die schöne Müllerin," and its innovative operatic reimagining, "The Miller’s Daughter" by Jodi Goble.
In-person exhibits
Pop-Up Exhibit: “El tiempo pasa y nada cambia” (“Time passes and nothing changes”) — Feb. 24-25, Pattee Library mall entrance lobby, University Park, and Feb. 27-28, Robert E. Eiche Library, Altoona campus. The exhibit by Panamanian artist Giana De Dier honors the lives of Afro-Caribbean women who supported their families and communities during the construction of the Panama Canal.
Street Flânerie: A Photographic Exploration of Street Life — Through Feb. 21, Patterson Building, University Park campus. This photographic exploration presents images from the last seven years of a street photographer, tracing moments of life across different countries. Flânerie unfolds through the streets without a specific destination. These photographs preserve what would otherwise fade through time, revealing quiet moments, passing expressions, and the beauty of street life—simple, transient scenes that whisper their own untold stories.
Allied Artists of Schuylkill County Member Exhibit — Through Feb. 21, Art Space, Schuylkill campus. This vibrant exhibition will feature works from 28 local artists, showcasing a variety of styles and mediums that reflect the rich artistic talent of the region.
"People, Place, and Things" — Through Feb. 26, Multiple locations at Berks campus. This campus-wide exhibition showcases artists with ties to eastern Pennsylvania whose work engages ideas of place-making and regional identity.
"A Conversation with the World" — Through Feb. 28, Woskob Family Gallery, Downtown State College. “A Conversation with the World,” an acclaimed exhibition of multimedia art by School of Visual Arts faculty member Lonnie Graham, is an exploration of human commonality that transcends cultural boundaries through portrait photography and recorded dialogue.
"Reunion" — Through March 4, HUB Gallery and Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The exhibit by New Mexico-based contemporary artist Cannupa Hanska Luger is an immersive, multi-disciplinary exhibition featuring sculpture, regalia and digital media. The selection of works presented in this iteration makes up a spectrum of possibilities and sheds light on historical truths to tell a narrative of complexity in the act of survival.
"Visionary Visuals Re:Vamped” — Through March 6, Rouse Gallery, Stuckeman Family Building, University Park campus. The Stuckeman School will host exhibition looking at the future through the lens of a changing, modern architecture landscape, organized by Orsolya Gáspár, assistant professor of architecture, and Luisa Caldas, professor of architecture and director of the XR Lab at the University of California, Berkeley College of Environmental Design. Free.
"DVAL Presents" — Through March 14, Henry Art Gallery, Great Valley campus. The exhibit showcases the unfiltered imagination of the Delaware Valley Art League, an association of professional artists that promotes interest in the fine arts within the community and advances the skill and creativity of its membership.
"How Else Can I Tell You" — Through April 3, Sheetz Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for the Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Through layers of uncanny visual metaphors, sensory symbols, and fragments of known things, Sophie Brenneman, assistant teaching professor of visual art studies at Penn State Altoona, creates a body of work that stems from the ache associated with the inability to articulate an idea beyond language; an attempt to try and show the feeling of time, trauma, nostalgia and other abstract ideas.
"Every Day Prey" — Through April 3, McLanahan Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for the Performing Arts, Altoona campus. As an Appalachian artist, Taylor Pate draws inspiration from the landscapes and cultural traditions of her homeland, weaving together the natural world and the narratives of human experience. Viewing nature as both subject and collaborator, she explores cycles of transformation — shedding, renewal, and growth — mirroring the painful yet wondrous evolution of womanhood and girlhood.
"Defining the New Negro: Voices of the Harlem Renaissance a Century Later” — Through April 7, Pattee Library, University Park campus. Drawing upon the distinctive collections of Penn State University Libraries, the exhibition invites visitors to explore the works of featured Black authors and artists and their efforts to redefine Black identity, life and culture.
"The Global Majority" — Through April 13, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibition brings together a selection of photographs and contemporary works on paper to explore representation and the role it plays in fostering a sense of belonging, especially among communities that have been historically disempowered and excluded from museums, asking visitors to think about what it means to feel seen, to be pictured, or to have power over your own image.
"Profiles of Vulnerability and Protection" — Through April 20, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibition considers how perceived vulnerabilities — shaped by gender, racial, economic, and other inequities — can become strengths that spark action and collective movement to change the course of injustice toward safe, peaceful and joyous living.
"A Fly on the Wall, A Story Untold: Objects Imbued with the Human Soul" — Through April 26, Ronald K. De Long Gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. The soulful, down-home spirit of American folk art will be on display, featuring pieces from the private collection of Vincent DiCicco, a passionate collector of Americana and American Folk Art. The items featured portray the likeness of people in paintings, photographs and objects that were used in human interaction.
"Capacities of Care" — Through June 1, HUB Gallery and Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. “Capacities of Care,” a group exhibition curated by Aaron Knochel, associate professor of art education in Penn State’s School of Visual Arts, is a concept framework to understand and explore how care relationships manifest in our lives in distinct and interconnected ways.
“Biomachine” — Through Spring 2025, Hite Lobby, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A collaboration between Daryl Branford and Talley Fisher of Huck SciArts offers a glimpse into the microscopic world of viruses and is a reaction to how humanity must learn to coexist with them.
"I Am a Penn Stater: Nittany Lions in World War II" — Through June 2025, Penn State All-Sports Museum, Beaver Stadium, University Park campus. Timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the conflict, "I Am a Penn Stater" chronicles the contributions of Nittany Lion varsity lettermen and Women’s Recreation Association athletes during the conflict and follows their service from training in the United States, to fighting on battlefields around the globe, to their postwar occupations. Free.
Virtual exhibits
In addition to in-person events, a number of virtual exhibits are available through University departments. The Palmer Museum of Art and University Libraries offer a rotating selection of historical and artistic collections to view online.