Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — open to the University and local community:
Performances
Bach's Lunch – 12:10-12:45 p.m., Oct. 1, 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.
"Sister Act" — Multiple performances, Oct. 6-17, James P. and AJ Jimirro Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage, the professional arm of the School of Theatre in the College of Arts and Architecture, will present "Sister Act," the tale of a nightclub singer who turns a convent's lackluster nun choir into a glitzy performing ensemble.
Events
National Hispanic Heritage Month events – Multiple dates and locations throughout September and October. From mid-September through the end of October, Penn State units at campuses across the commonwealth will hold events in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 as a time to honor and celebrate the historic background, culture, heritage and many influences of the Hispanic and Latino communities throughout the years. The unifying theme for this year’s observances is "La unidad es nuestra fuerza" — “Unity Is Our Strength."
Marathon Read – 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Oct. 1, Burrowes Lawn, University Park campus. During this 14th annual 12-hour communal reading event, students, faculty, staff and community members will read aloud continuously in five-minute increments. The theme for this year’s event is “Well-Versed: Music and Literature." Food will be provided throughout the day.
Stuckeman Research Open House – 1:30 p.m., Oct. 1, Stuckeman Family Building, University Park campus. The Stuckeman Research Open House brings together research faculty and students from all three departments — architecture, graphic design and landscape architecture — and the school’s three research centers to showcase their work.
Spooky Plants Walk – 4-5 p.m., Oct. 1, the Arboretum, University Park campus. Discover the science and history of spooky plants with Arboretum programs coordinator and plant nerd Rebecca Horwitt. From warding off werewolves to wands for water witches, there are so many fun stories to uncover!
Palmer Museum of Art Fall Reception – 5:30-7:30 p.m., Oct. 1, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The Palmer will celebrate ongoing special exhibitions "Dreaming American Futures: Invitational 250" and "Telling Stories: Rethinking American Art at the Palmer," as well as the openings of "Out of the Shadows: Drawings and Watercolors by American Women" and "America Works: Building and Sustaining the Nation."
"Crime & Parody" film screening and Q&A – 7 p.m., Oct. 1, 113 Carnegie Building, University Park campus. Award-winning filmmaker Will Thwaites will participate in a question-and-answer session about a documentary that has screened at nearly two dozen festivals around the world.
Schuylkill Scarecrow Festival – Oct. 1-31, southern Schuylkill County, Schuylkill campus. This family-friendly festival will transform communities across southern Schuylkill County into an outdoor gallery of imaginative scarecrow displays created primarily from repurposed, reclaimed and recycled materials. Visitors can explore the displays at their own pace through a self-guided walking and driving tour.
"100 Years of the Penn State Ph.D." — 3-4 p.m., Oct. 2, 117 Osmond Building or via Zoom webinar. The community is invited to join the Eberly College of Science, Department of Physics and the Fox Graduate School to celebrate 100 years of doctoral degrees at Penn State; the legacy of Penn State's first doctoral degree recipient, Marsh White; and the impact of physics research and education today. Registration requested.
Nittany Lights – 7-10 p.m., Oct. 3, the Arboretum at Penn State, University Park campus. Nittany Lights brings together talented students and professional lighting designers to transform the garden into a magical wonderland after dark. Bring your family and friends and drop in for an immersive, fun-filled evening of whimsy, wonder, and creativity.
Commonwealth Sustainability Week — Oct. 5-9, Multiple events, Virtual. Penn State Sustainability and the Pennsylvania GreenGov Council invite the public to participate in engaging conversations around the future of sustainability in Pennsylvania and innovative initiatives that are building a more resilient commonwealth for all.
Banned Books Week Read-In – 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Oct. 6, Leisure Reading Room, Central Pattee Library, University Park campus. To take action against book bans, Penn State University Libraries is collaborating with Libro.fm and Silent Book Club to host an event to offer students and community members the opportunity to celebrate their freedom to read.
"Threaded Paths" – 5-7 p.m., Oct. 7, Woskob Family Gallery, 146 S. Allen St., State College. The College of Arts and Architecture offers a hands-on textile workshop exploring memory, personal journeys and the stories held in materials. Participants will create a 10 inch-by-10 inch textile piece using thread, yarn, fabric, found materials, stitching, layering and collage.
Brown Democracy Medal ceremony and lecture — 4 p.m., Oct. 8, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park campus. Trusting News executive director Joy Mayer and project manager Mollie Muchna will accept the Brown Democracy Medal from Penn State's McCourtney Institute for Democracy and present a lecture from their forthcoming book, “The Transparency Imperative: Journalism, Trust, and the Future of an Informed Democracy."
Fall Festival – 5:30-8 p.m., Oct. 8, Soccer Field, Scranton campus. Designed to celebrate the autumn season and bring the campus and local community together, the festival will feature a variety of family-friendly activities and attractions, including live music, fall-themed games, a petting zoo, a fall foliage walk and a photo station. Attendees also can enjoy complimentary local apple cider, a s’mores station and food available for purchase from local food truck vendors.
Lectures
Anderson Lecture Series: Wonjung Choi – 11:30 a.m., Oct. 7, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Wonjung Choi is a Korean-born, Virginia-based artist whose multidisciplinary work delves into the complexities of identity formation in a globalized world. Through labor-intensive installations, sculptures, and research-driven practices, she examines the intricate process of cultural evolution, where migration plays a central role.
"Local food prices, SNAP purchasing power, and food insecurity" – Noon, Oct. 7, 157 Hosler Building, University Park campus. Luyi Han, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education at Penn State, will present as part of a fall seminar series hosted by the Initiative for Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy (EEEPI).
Artist Talk: Ryan RedCorn – 5:30 p.m., Oct. 8, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Ryan RedCorn is an Osage photographer, filmmaker, graphic designer, and comedian. He was a writer/story editor and actor on FX’s critically acclaimed Reservation Dogs, and his photographic work is represented in the Palmer Museum’s permanent collection. RedCorn's work translates his experiences with education and family lineage into art, including ongoing work on a feature documentary on the history of his Osage people.
In-person exhibits
"The Magician's Daughter" – Oct. 1-Nov. 6, Sheetz Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A body of work by Ivyside Juried exhibition winner Lisa Co invites visitors to reflect on care, emotional comfort and the unseen experiences that shape our lives. Using printmaking, bookmaking and collage, Co creates layered works featuring repeated imagery, dreamlike spaces and ethereal figures. The exhibition explores themes of longing, vulnerability and the quiet acts of care that connect us to ourselves and others.
"Outside Over There" – Oct. 1-Nov. 6, McLanahan Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A body of work by Ivyside Juried exhibition winner Celine Browning presents a powerful series of blind contour drawings that explore the experience of witnessing today's rapidly unfolding news. Created using a drawing method in which the artist looks only at the subject and never at the page, the works began as a response to images of ICE raids in Minneapolis in early 2026 and have since expanded to include photographs from news sources and the artist's own documentation.
“Still Creating: The UArts Community Lives On” – Through Oct. 1, Henry Gallery, Great Valley campus. In the wake of the unexpected closure of the University of the Arts (UArts) in 2024, the creative community was left with a deep sense of loss. "Still Creating: The UArts Community Lives On" emerges from a shared belief that art can preserve memory, honor resilience and reconnect people across time and place.
“Beyond the Ridge” – Through Oct. 2, Art Space, Schuylkill campus. Artist Jon Bond often finds subject matter for his art in the nature surrounding his Berks County home, and twenty-five works in this show were inspired during Jon’s hikes on the lands surrounding Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. In this selection of paintings, his muted palette brings forth mysterious elements, scenarios and objects with an almost dreamlike quality.
Hidenori Ishii – Through Oct. 31, HUB Gallery, University Park campus. Hidenori Ishii's practice encompasses painting, screen-printing, and installation, focusing on the complex interplay between civilization and nature. A diverse array of paintings, mixed media pieces, and installations delve into themes of reflection and transparency, as well as the connections between inside and outside spaces.
"Walk With Us" – Through Nov. 19, Multiple locations, Berks campus. A community-based art exhibition that relates the firsthand experiences of people and families impacted by incarceration and asks the viewer to consider the future of justice in Berks County.
“Dreaming American Futures: Invitational 250” – Through Nov. 29, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, the Palmer invited artists to submit works that address the following themes: Activating Change, Bridging the Divide, Pursuit of Happiness and A More Perfect Union. The works on view include paintings, sculpture, ceramics, mixed-media assemblages, photographs and works on paper.
“Telling Stories: Rethinking American Art at the Palmer” – Through Nov. 29, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This installation experiments with thematic approaches to the Palmer Museum of Art’s American art collection, grouping works of various genres, styles and periods together under the themes “Follow the Money” and “American Places" and exploring multiple interpretations of individual artworks.
“Out of the Shadows: Drawings and Watercolors by American Women” – Through Dec. 6, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Brought literally and figuratively out of the shadows, these works by American women artists from the 1820s to the 1950s illuminate an often overlooked yet fundamental history of American art. The audience is invited to consider the relationships between access, medium, and gender that this exhibition brings to light.
“LIGHT” – Through Dec. 11, Ronald K. De Long Gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. This group of artists examines the layered definitions of a single concept, LIGHT. Through a deliberate juxtaposition of contrasting materials and conceptual frameworks, the exhibition fosters dynamic, unexpected visual relationships.
“America Works: Building and Sustaining the Nation” – Sept. 16 to Dec. 13, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. “America Works: Building and Sustaining the Nation” traces the deep connections among work, power and nation-building in the United States. While exploring the culture and politics of working people, America Works addresses how changes in technology, law and policy, and activism on the part of workers have impacted labor dynamics throughout history.
“Through Different Eyes: Industrial Worlds by Women Artists” – 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.
"Recipes" – Through Jan. 8, 2027, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Working in encaustic — a process that uses molten paint made from beeswax, pigment and damar resin — artist Christine Sajecki grinds pigments harvested from her environment and incorporates recycled commercial pigments saved from years of studio practice. Her work explores ways to use waste and culinary byproducts in painting.
"Black Geographies in Circulation" – Through Feb. 26, 2027, Pattee Library, University Park campus. This exhibit highlights a selection of archival stamps and postcards from the Charles L. Blockson Collection of African-Americana and the African Diaspora that help trace the movement of African-descended people, their experiences, ideas and collective memory across geographic and cultural boundaries.
“Hybrid Zones” – Through March 4, 2027, HUB Gallery, University Park campus. “Hybrid Zones” is an immersive exploration of the post-industrial landscape of Eastern Pennsylvania’s 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—and into us.
"The Way I Saw It: A Photography Retrospective" – Through Aug. 1, 2027, Penn State All-Sports Museum, University Park campus. “The Way I Saw It” 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.
Virtual exhibits and online resources
In addition to in-person events, a number of virtual exhibits and online resources are available through University departments. The Palmer Museum of Art and Penn State University Libraries offer a rotating selection of historical and artistic collections to view via their websites, as well as other online resources.