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
NEPACMS concert — 7 p.m., Jan. 16, Hayfield House, Wilkes-Barre campus. The NEPA Chamber Music Society (NEPACMS) will perform "Origins," a concert featuring a selection of folk music.
Compagnie Hervé Koubi: "What the Day Owes to the Night” – 7:30 p.m., Jan. 22, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. In its Penn State debut, Compagnie Hervé Koubi will present “What the Day Owes to the Night.” The contemporary and theatric dance piece uses explosive movement to metaphorically retrace company founder Koubi’s family history. The program features music by Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as Hamza El Din with Kronos Quartet, and traditional Sufi music.
Dancing with the Stars – 7 p.m., Jan. 23, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Dancing with the Stars is back on tour to heat up the winter with a brand-new live production. The stage show will feature your favorite professional dancers from the hit television series performing glittering new numbers as well as some of the showstoppers featured in season 33.
Events
Martin Luther King Jr. events — Multiple events and locations. Events and activities honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. will be held over the next few weeks at several Penn State campuses. The theme for 2025 is "Change Continues With Us."
The Joyfull: Compagnie Hervé Koubi Edition – 6 p.m., Jan. 21, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Join the Center for Performing Arts and Student Affairs for an evening of food and entertainment, focused on North African-inspired cuisine.
"DVAL Presents" opening reception — 5:30-7 p.m., Jan. 21, Henry Art Gallery, Great Valley campus. An opening reception for "DVAL Presents," an exhibit that 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. The exhibit will be on display through March 14.
"An Injury to One" film screening and panel discussion — 7 p.m., Jan. 22, Online. This latest film in Penn State Sustainability's Intersections film program uses the the 1917 murder of a labor activist in Butte, Mont. to highlight the intersection of labor rights and environmental degradation. The online film screening will be followed by a panel discussion led by Penn State's Center for Global Workers' Rights (CGWR) and Labor School. Free.
Lectures
“Educating the Sustainability Leaders of Tomorrow: PA’s New STEELS Standards” — 12 p.m., Jan. 17, via Zoom. Tamara Peffer, executive director of the PA Advisory Council on Environmental Education, and Amanda Smith, Penn State director of the K-12 Engagement Network, will discuss the state’s new science standards that now require the teaching of sustainability, and an innovative community of practice created by Penn State to support K-12 school districts across the commonwealth in addressing these standards.
"Dialogue with the Earth" — 4 p.m., Jan. 22, Stuckeman Family Building Jury Space, University Park campus and via Zoom. The College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School is hosting the two founding partners of Bilgin Studio, a Turkish-based architecture firm, for a virtual lecture on the Kalyon Karapinar Central Control Building, Turkey’s largest solar power plant and one of Europe’s largest solar farms.
“How Canonical Architectural Histories Erased the Americas" — 5 p.m., Jan. 23, Stuckeman Family Building Jury Space, University Park campus. Fernando Lara, professor of architecture at the Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, will visit the Stuckeman School to discuss his latest book, “Spatial Theories for the Americas: Counterweights to Five Centuries of Eurocentrism.”
In-person exhibits
High School Art Exhibit — Through Jan. 31, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. More than 60 examples of original local high school student artwork in the following categories: two-dimensional drawings and paintings; photography; and three-dimensional artwork. Participating schools include Lake-Lehman, Crestwood, Dallas, Wilkes-Barre Area Creative and Performing Arts Academy and Sue Hand’s Imagery will be on display. Free.
“Liberty and Justice for All” — Through Jan. 23, Ronald K. DeLong Gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. Three artists whose work examines the ideas of social justice, civic engagement and democracy will be featured in an exhibit exploring liberty and justice.
"Unknown Forest" — Through Jan. 27, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The exhibit features paintings and drawings by New York-based artist, Avani Patel, whose cultural background has had a profound impact on forging her identity as an artist. Indian culture is the starting point of her work.
"Myth, History, and the Written Word: Manuscript and Print Culture in Latin America" — Through Feb. 7, 2025, Special Collections exhibition space, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. The rare and distinctive Latin American collections held by the Eberly Family Special Collections Library are the focus of this exhibition, curated by Manuel Ostos, librarian and curator of Romance Language and Latin American Collections. Free.
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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
“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.