What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — open to the University and local community:
Performances
“Rhinoceros” – Multiple performances, Oct. 6-18, Pavilion Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents "Rhinoceros," by Eugène Ionesco, directed by Sam Osheroff. What happens when everyone you know turns into a rhinoceros? In Ionesco’s razor-sharp absurdist comedy, a sleepy town is suddenly overrun by a stampede of conformity. As neighbors, co-workers and friends transform into horned beasts, one person must decide whether to follow the herd or stand alone.
Kurbasy: “Songs of the Ukranian Forest” – 7:30 p.m., Oct. 9, Recital Hall, School of Music, University Park campus. Musical collective Kurbasy presents an audio-visual theatrical exploration of a country’s proud peoples and their history through song. Drawing from a rich trove of lullabies and legends, the artists conjure their views of the natural world, beliefs and rituals, to trace contemporary connections to a rich cultural past through vocal harmonies and instrumentation.
Air1 Worship Now Tour – 7 p.m., Oct. 10, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. The Air1 Worship Now Tour will bring a night of worship to Penn State. Join Phil Wickham, Charity Gayle, Josh Baldwin and Benjamin William Hastings for a worship experience filled with powerful music, praise and community.
Rhapsody Series: "No Strings Attached" – 4 p.m., Oct. 12, Recital Hall, School of Music, University Park campus. Penn State wind faculty and students present a vibrant program ranging from Mozart’s "Harmoniemusik" to jazz-inspired trios and octets. This performance promises a kaleidoscope of colors, styles and traditions — celebrating the rich heritage of wind music.
The Joyfull: Feast Edition – 6 p.m., Oct. 13, HUB-Robeson Center Alumni Hall, University Park campus. The Joyfull series invites the community to enjoy a meal, performance and conversation to encourage cultural nourishment and replenishment. The program, entertainment and menu will be announced closer to the event.
Disney’s Moana: Live-to-Film Concert – 6:30 p.m., Oct. 14, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Disney Concerts and AMP Worldwide present Disney’s Moana Live-to-Film Concert. The event features a full-length screening of the beloved movie, accompanied by live performances of a unique on-stage musical ensemble of top Hollywood studio musicians, Polynesian rhythm masters and vocalists.
Kulkarni Cultural Series: “Can We Dance Here?” – 7:30 p.m., Oct. 14, Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre, Harrisburg campus. Soles of Duende, a Brooklyn-based multicultural, all-female percussive dance trio and musicians, unites powerhouse dancers and musicians to create a seamless ensemble where music and movement are inseparable.
Events
National Hispanic Heritage Month – Through October, various campuses. Penn State units at campuses across the commonwealth will hold events in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated as a time to honor and celebrate the historic background, culture, heritage and many influences of the Hispanic and Latino communities throughout the years.
Penn State Homecoming Week 2025 — Through Oct. 11, University Park campus. Penn State Homecoming Week continues with the Pride in Our Community Pep Rally, Student-Alumni Ice Cream Social, the Homecoming parade and the Homecoming football game against Northwestern.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Heart of Ohana — A Taste of Polynesia – Oct. 9, 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.
Eberly College of Science Exhibition Tour – 3-5 p.m., Oct. 10, Osmond Lab and Millennium Science Complex, University Park campus. The Eberly College of Science and Materials Research Institute will showcase very early, groundbreaking technology used by Erwin W. Müller to see the atom for the first time, as well as modern versions of the equipment at the Materials Characterization Lab.
Drop-in Tour: Indigenous Peoples' Day – 2 p.m., Oct. 12, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Drop in and discover the Palmer’s world-class collections and exhibitions with a friendly and knowledgeable museum guide.
Indigenous Peoples Day events — Oct. 13-14, University Park campus. The Indigenous Peoples' Student Association and the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance at Penn State, in coordination with the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State and the Penn State Filipino Student Association, are offering events in October in recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Aether - Where Elements Meet the Plate — Oct. 14, 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.
PA Dignity Day — 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Oct. 15, Hintz Family Alumni Center, University Park campus. Penn State and the Borough of State College are partnering to host PA Dignity Day as part of the international celebration of Global Dignity Day. This year’s event will feature a free half-day conference that includes keynote speakers, dignity training and community discussions, where attendees can share insights about fostering dignity in their communities with others.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: The Blind Tiger — Feast Like It’s Forbidden – Oct. 16, 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.
Creative Studio at the Palmer: Collage Fodder – 5:30-7:30 p.m., Oct. 16, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Zen out with mark-making, painting, and printing to create a collection of decorated papers to use for later collage in your Sustainable Art Journal. Creative Studio sessions offer art-based creative activities designed to encourage relaxation, connection with others, and rejuvenation of spirit. Hosted by art educators, interns or guest artists, these sessions will focus on the practice of creativity, exploring artistic mediums and making personal connections rather than on final products.
Penn State Altoona Candy Crawl — 5:15 to 6:45 p.m., Oct. 16, Altoona campus. The Trunk-or-Treat-style event will feature 20 student organizations with members handing out candy to children from the community.
Community Fall Festival — 5:30-7:30 p.m., Oct. 16, Soccer fields, Scranton campus. Penn State Scranton is inviting the local community to celebrate the autumn season at its first-ever Community Fall Festival. The festival is free and open to the public and will offer a variety of fun, family-friendly activities for kids and adults of all ages.
Lectures
"The Circular Economy: University of Pittsburgh’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation" – Noon-1 p.m., Oct. 9, via Zoom. Curious to learn about circular economy? In this session, the Mascaro Center will discuss its work leading circular efforts and then transition to highlight the Circularity Assessment Protocol — a tool that is being used by cities and communities to develop, measure and implement circular economy strategies
Gallery Talk: Private Lives/Public Spaces – 4:30 p.m., Oct. 9, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Enjoy a gallery conversation with exhibition co-curators and summer 2025 graduate interns Alicia Skeath and Keisha Oliver.
Behrend Speaker Series: Ala Stanford – 7:30 p.m., Oct. 9, Burke 180, Behrend campus. The 2025-26 Speaker Series will feature Ala Stanford, the founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium and a former regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Stanford, a pediatric surgeon, began her college experience at Penn State Behrend. She went on to earn a degree in biology from the Penn State Eberly College of Science and a medical degree from the Penn State College of Medicine. She was the first Black female pediatric surgeon to be trained entirely in the United States.
"Lights Out: Protecting Wildlife and Ecosystems through Smarter Lighting" – Noon-1 p.m., Oct. 10, via Zoom. Discover how turning off unnecessary lights can protect wildlife and restore ecosystems. An expert panel explores the impact of light pollution on migratory birds, insects and natural habitats and how “Lights Out” initiatives make a difference.
"Barbie, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and the Inevitable Prosperity of Women’s Sports" – 12:30 p.m., Oct. 13, Dean's Hall, Penn Stater Conference Center, University Park campus. Caroline Fitzgerald, founder and CEO of GOALS, a consultancy and media platform dedicated to growing women’s sports, will present a talk on “the business case for women’s sports” and discuss how women’s sports are at a tipping point and are poised for incredible growth ahead.
“On Edgar Allan Poe: A Life” – 2-3:30 p.m., Oct. 13, via Zoom. Richard Kopley’s lecture will consider Edgar Allan Poe in Richmond in 1836; with relevant selections from Kopley’s book, “Edgar Allan Poe: A Life.” Richard Kopley has written books on Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. He has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Poe Studies Association and has served as a Fulbright Specialist and a Virginia Humanities Fellow.
“Molecular Arms Races Between Host and Viral Genomes” – 3 p.m., Oct. 14, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Harmit Singh Malik, professor and associate director in the Basic Sciences Division at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, and affiliate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, will present the Russell E. Marker Lectures in Evolutionary Biology.
"Drawn Out of The Lab and Into the Landscape" — 4 p.m., Oct. 15, Stuckeman Family Building Jury Space, University Park campus and via Zoom. The Stuckeman School in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State is hosting Virginia San Fratello, architect, interior designer and educator as a part of the Department of Architecture’s fall 2025 lecture series.
In-person exhibits
"ART BUILDS!" – Through Oct. 10, Patterson Building, University Park campus. "ART BUILDS!" is a group exhibition focused on the power of art making to create new possibilities. Building, constructing and imagining are all important aspects of the human experience, and making art provides a unique and necessary mode of invention. Contributors to the exhibition have explored threats to freedom and democracy through an exploration of antifascist art education.
“A Brief Moment in the Sun” – Through Oct. 14, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. “A Brief Moment in the Sun” is an exhibition of paintings by Pittsburgh-based artist Jamie Earnest. Earnest's work hovers between the familiarity and ghostly incorporation of shadows, silhouettes and surfaces that serve as both material and metaphor.
“Parenthetic Passages” – Through Oct. 30, HUB Gallery, University Park campus. Camille Hoffman is a painter who critically reimagines the romantic American landscape through layered and immersive site-specific installation. In “Parenthetic Passages,” she creates an environment that emphasizes the wisdom of water and the concept of shell memory, reflecting on the evolving relationships and accumulated human experiences alongside oceanic knowledge.
"Signature" – Through Nov. 12, Freyberger Gallery, Berks campus. A new exhibition honors the works of art created by Penn State Berks students and faculty. “Signature" showcases the vision, talent and voices of students and the campus community. Works ranging from paintings and drawings to photographs, sculpture and mixed media pieces will be on display, representing the diversity that makes Penn State Berks such a lively and vibrant campus.
“Fused: Works in Encased Wax” – Through Nov. 20, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. A new solo exhibition by artist Terri Yacovelli, titled "Fused: Works in Encaustic Wax," examines themes of nature and spirituality through encaustic paintings created with vivid color, dramatic texture and luminosity. This ancient technique combines heated resin, beeswax and pigment applied in layers onto any porous surface.
Anna Boothe: “Icons for Sagacity” – Through Nov. 30, Exhibition Cases, HUB-Robeson Gallery, University Park campus. Anna Boothe creates icons out of cast glass and found objects referring to the female form of facets of herself. Boothe initially hand-carves individual elements in wax or case directly from botanicals. After being transformed into glass, the parts are combined with other glass components. The technique results in translucent objects that glow from within.
“A Puncher’s Chance” – Through Dec. 5, Abington Art Gallery, Abington campus. In this exhibit, interdisciplinary artist James Maurelle explores the “puncher’s chance” — a term used when an underdog has the potential to win by landing a powerful blow. In an instant, the smallest opportunity shifts the scales, defying the insurmountable odds.
“A Study of Movement: The Fleet, Fierce and Feathered” – Through Dec. 5, Abington Art Gallery, Abington campus. Penn State Abington student Sophie Bell mimics stop-motion animation of animals in movement through a series of graphite animal drawings. The works aim to allow viewers to truly appreciate the individual characteristics and personalities of each creature depicted in the work.
“Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld” – Through Dec. 7, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The first two-person survey exhibition of these renowned artists, “Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld” explores their shared allegiances and sustaining friendship over three decades. The exhibition will unite some 25 sculptures and paintings by both artists along with related works on paper and a major new collaborative piece, offering an absorbing journey into the depths of the threatened natural world.
“Structures, Systems, and Society: Work at the Interface of Art and Engineering” – Through Dec. 21, 2025, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. A diverse selection of objects from the Palmer’s collection appear alongside works by Penn State makers to investigate three intersections between art and engineering. Structures explores the physical forms and frameworks that support innovation, blending function and aesthetics in design. Systems examines the interconnected processes behind artistic and technological creation, highlighting shared methods like visualization and iteration. Society focuses on the cultural and ethical impact of engineering, showing how art fosters empathy, equity and responsible innovation.
“Public Spaces / Private Lives” – Through Dec. 21, 2025, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. “Public Spaces/Private Lives” presents a selection of works on paper that explore how we live, navigate and express ourselves in both private and public settings. Spanning from the mid-1800s to the early 2000s, the exhibition includes scenes of homes, neighborhoods, rooftops, sidewalks, city streets, parks, eateries, public institutions and transit systems mostly set in the United States, with a few works depicting Ireland and France.
“Sounding the Abstract” – Through Jan. 2, 2026, Woksob Family Gallery, downtown State College. "Sounding the Abstract" is a multimedia installation created by Woohun Joo, assistant professor of digital arts and design in the Penn State School of Visual Arts. The installation explores the relationship between visual and auditory perception by creating ambient soundscapes that correspond to geometric artworks through a real-time "reading" of the images.
“Dispositions” – Through Jan. 2, 2026, Woksob Family Gallery, downtown State College. “Dispositions” is an exhibition of art installations by Yasmine Abbas that explores the experience of existing between cultures and places, with a focus on "neo-nomads" and their strategies for navigating life between cultures and unfamiliar territories. Abbas is an assistant teaching professor of architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School.
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.