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
Move Mix Festival – 5:30 p.m., Sept. 25, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The third annual Move Mix Festival will feature Egypt-born oud prodigy and world-versed musician Mohamed Abozekry. His playful “bass slap” performance style blends hints of blues with his take on jazz for a unique experiment at contemporary folk music. Free.
"Venetian Mysteries: The Lost Music" – 7 p.m., Sept. 25, Esber Rehearsal Hall, Music Building I, University Park campus. The Penn State School of Music in the College of Arts and Architecture will host the North American premiere screening of "Venetian Mysteries: The Lost Music.” The program will begin with a brief talk by Marica Tacconi, distinguished professor of musicology and art history at Penn State, and end with a Q&A with Tacconi and soprano Liesl Odenweller, artistic director of the Venice Music Project. Free.
Rhapsody Series: “Tails and Tales” – 4 p.m., Sept. 28, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus. Horn professor Sarah Schouten and narrator Robert Hickey bring beloved nursery rhymes, Aesop’s fables and animal portraits to life. With music by Anthony Plog, Jeffrey Agrell and Clark McAllister, this whimsical afternoon captures the joy of storytelling in sound. Free.
Final Boss Big Band — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 1, Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre, Harrisburg campus. Penn State Harrisburg’s Kulkarni Cultural Series will press start on a night of nostalgia and big band power, with an 18-piece jazz ensemble transforms legendary video game soundtracks into high-octane jazz. Music from games like Mario Bros., Zelda, Pokémon, Cuphead, Final Fantasy and more are reloaded with bold brass and virtuosic solos.
Parker McCollum — Oct. 2, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Country music star Parker McCollum, whose highly anticipated Jan. 25 performance was unfortunately cut short due to illness, promises that this rescheduled show will be an entirely new experience, featuring new production, new support acts and new songs.
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.
Art After Hours: Journey to Nature's Underworld – 5-8 p.m., Sept. 25, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Plunge into the apocalyptic environments represented in the special exhibition “Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld." The event includes an interdisciplinary gallery conversation, interactive art activities, and opportunities to speak with representatives from the Civic Engagement Alliance about service events and alternative breaks focused on the environment and sustainability.
Palmer Art Kids: Art in Bloom – Noon-1 p.m., Sept. 26, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Preschool children and caregivers can discover fascinating works of art inspired by the natural world, listen to stories, and create crafts inspired by the museum’s collections. Through sensory rich experiences, young learners can deepen their connection to the world around them while expressing themselves through art. This program is designed for preschool children ages 3-5 who have not yet started kindergarten, accompanied by an adult caregiver. Free.
Drop-in Tour: Through the Guide's Eye – 2 p.m., Sept. 26, 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.
Open Dance Class — 1 to 2:15 p.m., Sept. 28, Dance Studio, room 148, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. The free class is open to anyone over the age of 18 and features movement and engagement through modern dance technique and improvisation. Dancers of all levels, styles, backgrounds and experiences are welcome.
Brake Clinic at the Bike Den – 6:15-7:15 p.m., Sept. 30, The Bike Den, University Park campus. Attend a free Brake Clinic to learn to identify, install, and adjust various bicycle brake calipers (and their corresponding levers) including disc (cable and hydraulic), side pull, cantilever and V-brakes. Several examples will be present, and participants are encouraged to bring their own bikes for maintenance.
Malcolm X Centenary – 1-6 p.m., Sept. 30, Hintz Family Alumni Center, University Park campus. An event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of civil-rights activist Malcolm X (1925-65), will feature several keynote addresses; a faculty and student panel discussion on Malcolm X's life and legacy; and community engagement and performances.
"World Peace Poetry Night: Peace Begins With Us" – 6-7 p.m., Sept. 30, Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre, Harrisburg campus. Take part in an evening of reflection, inspiration and unity with Voices of Peace. Featuring five artists, educators and activists from diverse cultural, ethnic and social backgrounds, Voices of Peace uses the transformative power of poetry to confront the devastating effects of war while amplifying messages of hope, resilience and solidarity.
Staged Reading: 'Human Resources' — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 2, Wolf Kuhn Theatre, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. “Human Resources” is a collection of documentary poetry by Erin Murphy, professor of English at Penn State Altoona. The staged reading will feature performances of selections from the book.
Lectures
“A Republic if You Can Teach It: Educating the Next Generation of Citizens” – 4 p.m., Sept. 25, 603 Barron Innovation Hub, downtown State College. From changing state standards to ongoing culture war controversies to artificial intelligence, delivering quality civic education in America’s schools is more challenging than ever. The Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement co-founder Marjorie Rendell and executive director Beth Specker will present from their forthcoming book as part of the Brown Democracy Medal ceremony.
"Teaching Art and Life" — 4 p.m., Sept. 25, Woskob Family Gallery, 146 S. Allen St., State College. Chris Staley, distinguished professor emeritus of art, will discuss his book, "Teaching Art and Life,' with B. Stephen Carpenter II, Michael J. and Aimee Rusinko Kakos Dean in the College of Arts and Architecture, as part of Carpenter's series of talks with faculty authors.
Ali Araghi: Mary E. Rolling Reading Series — 6 p.m., Sept. 25, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Ali Araghi, an Iranian writer and translator and winner of the 2017 Prairie Schooner Virginia Faulkner Award for Excellence in Writing, will offer a reading.
“Mapping the Modern NBA: How Cartography Helped Change Basketball Forever” – Noon, Sept. 26, Paterno Library, University Park campus and via Zoom. Kirk Goldsberry, NBA analyst, author and Penn State alumnus, will deliver a talk exploring how cartography, spatial reasoning and data visualization have helped redefine professional basketball in the 21st century.
"Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley – How They Produced the Greatest Popular Music Ever Heard" – Noon, Sept. 26, Boardroom, Nittany Lion Inn, University Park campus. Jim Jimirro, Penn State alumnus and former chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications division, will present a presentation including classic renditions of songs, underscored by curated visuals and sprinkled with stories, history, fun facts and even insider backstage lore about the productions.
2025 Nelson W. Taylor Lecture in Materials: “Forging the future of steel” – 8:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Sept. 26, Heritage Hall, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Sir Harry Bhadeshia, a professor of metallurgy at Queen Mary University of London and Emeritus Tata Steel Professor of Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge, will deliver the keynote lecture, "Diffusion in iron: sometimes invigorating, at other times lethargic." Additional speakers will present throughout the event.
"Bringing the Night Sky to Life" — 7:30 p.m., Sept. 30, General Studies Building, Mont Alto campus and via Zoom. Kim Herrmann, associate professor of physics and astronomy, will discuss the world's newest telescope, the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, and the astronomer for whom it is named. Attendees will also learn about the four main science areas and the questions that Rubin Observatory will seek to answer, as well the flood of data it will be collecting and how it will help us better understand the skies. Free. Registration required.
“Risky Business: Neural Navigation of Decision-Making” – 5-8 p.m., Oct. 1, Eberly College of Science, University Park campus. Nikki Crowley, Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering, associate professor of biology and of biomedical engineering, and director of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute at University Park, will discuss how the brain assesses risk, the factors that influence our choices to take risks, why risk-taking can be both adaptive and necessary, and how this process changes during development and aging. Additional activities will follow.
In-person exhibits
“Sounding the Abstract” – Sept. 19, 2025-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.
“Tracking Trash: A Community Collection” – Through Sept. 25, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The Palmer Museum of Art and the Arboretum at Penn State are turning litter into learning through a month-long citizen science project where every bottle cap, candy wrapper and coffee cup becomes part of our shared “collection.” By spotting and documenting discarded items in your community, you’ll sharpen your eye for detail, explore the real impact of humans on the more-than-human world, and help us build a visual record that’s equal parts science and art.
Rooted in Resilience: Artistic Perspectives on Alopecia in Women – Through Oct. 6, Henry Gallery, Great Valley campus. This exhibit aims to bring to light the emotional and psychological impact of hair loss, showcasing powerful visual narratives from women artists. This exhibit is curated by VERSIDA, a nonprofit organization that provides programs and services to women with alopecia.
“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.
“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.
“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.