What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events taking place at the University this weekend and next week:
Performances
"Kiss of the Spider Woman" — April 3-7, Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, State College. Based on the Academy Award-nominated film of the same name, Penn State Center Stage presents this captivating tale of fantasy, imprisonment and fear.
Danish String Quartet — 7:30 p.m., April 6, Schwab Auditorium, University Park campus. In their Penn State debut, the Danish String Quartet will perform Béla Bartók’s String Quartet No. 1; Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 7, Op. 59, No. 1; and a selection of Nordic folk tunes from the ensemble’s albums Wood Works (2014) and Last Leaf (2017).
Penn State Jazz Festival — April 6-7, multiple locations, University Park campus. The 19th annual Penn State Jazz Festival will feature the multi-award winning vocal quartet New York Voices, world renowned jazz pianist Xavier Davis, and trombonist Jay Ashby.
Happy Valley Indian Performing Arts Festival — April 6-8, multiple locations, University Park campus. The Society for Indian Music and Arts and Nritya, both student organizations at Penn State, will present the fourth annual Happy Valley Indian Performing Arts Festival from April 6-8 at locations around University Park and State College.
"Anticipation" with Essence of Joy — 3 p.m., April 8, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, University Park campus. Essence of Joy its final concert of the 2017-18 year. The concert will celebrate the history of the ensemble and honor the retirement of its founding conductor and music director, Anthony T. Leach.
"you & me" by Mummenshanz — 4 p.m., April 8, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The Swiss theatre troupe, renowned for their creative use of masks and props, will bring a unique show to Penn State combining their trademark masks and acrobatics that focuses on the love and mutual joy the audiences and the performers experience.
Faculty viola and piano recital — 4 p.m., April 8, 128 Music Building II, University Park campus. Penn State faculty members Timothy Deighton and Christopher Guzman will collaborate to present a viola and piano recital that includes music by baroque giant Johann Sebastian Bach, Romantic era composer Frédéric Chopin, and 20th century master Paul Hindemith. Free.
Straight No Chaser — 7:30 p.m., April 11, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Nationally-recognized a capella act Straight No Chaser will bring their contemporary take on vocal music to Penn State as part of their "Speakeasy Tour."
Events
Comfort & Style: A modern journey down the Mississippi — April 5, Cafe 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 Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Earth Fest 2018 — April 7, Penn State Shenango. Enjoy live music and entertainment, an educational presentation on climate change, children’s activities, a local artists’ market, Berkey Creamery Ice cream, and information from sustainability-minded local organizations and businesses.
"A Conversation with Gayle Sierens" — 7 p.m., April 10, 101 Chambers Building, University Park campus. Award-winning television journalist and TV sports trailblazer Gayle Sierens will visit Penn State for a public discussion, presented by the University's chapter of the Association of Women in Sports Media and the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. Free.
Student Farm DIY workshops — April 7 and 11, multiple locations, Univeristy Park campus. Learn how to raise worms, reduce your personal food waste, and grow shiitake mushrooms at two workshops led by students from the Penn State Student Farm. Free, but registration required.
Lectures
“Educational leadership for population health" — 6:30 p.m. April 5, Ballroom ABC, Nittany Lion Inn, University Park campus. Dr. David Nash, a board-certified internist who is internationally recognized for his work in public accountability for outcomes, physician leadership development and quality-of-care improvement, will present the 21st Annual Stanley P. Mayers Endowed Lecture. Free.
“Risky Business: The Driving Factors of Creative Idea Development" — 12:30 p.m., April 5, Downsborough Community Room, Schlow Library, State College. Scarlett Miller, associate professor of engineering design and industrial engineering at Penn State, will discuss the factors that contribute to the filtering of creative ideas during the design process and the role of risk-taking. Free.
"Why watching TV is good for you" — 5:30 p.m., April 9, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Robin Nabi, a professor of communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will present the spring 2018 Robert M. Pockrass Memorial Lecture on the emotional benefits of media consumption. Free.
"You Can't Make a Solar System without Breaking a Few Asteroids" — 7:30 p.m., April 10, 100 Thomas Building, University Park campus. Joseph Masiero, a staff scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a Penn State alumnus, will present as part of the 2017-18 Friedman Lecture Series in Astronomy. Free.
“Plasto-Art: An Eco-Aesthetic Process of Remaking” — 4:30 p.m., April 10, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Noted contemporary artist Ifeoma U. Anyaeji will discuss her unique environmental art, which uses repurposed objects like plastic bags and bottles, and draws on traditional Nigerian techniques to imbue mundane materials with surprising significance through intricate designs. Free.
Mathematics and Athletics with John Urschel — 7 p.m., April 12, State Theatre, State College. John Urschel, a former Penn State football captain and NFL player with the Baltimore Ravens who is now a doctoral candidate in applied mathematics at MIT, will deliver the keynote presentation of the 2018 Penn State Sports Analytics Conference. Free.
Exhibits
"Pop at the Palmer" — Jan. 9-May 13, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Prints from the museum's permanent collection by Pop Art notables such as Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist, Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg. Free.
"Dox Thrash, Black Life and the Carborundum Mezzotint" — Jan. 16-May 20, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibit features Philadelphia-based artist Dox Thrash, who pioneered a new approach to printmaking known as the carborundum process in the late 1930s. Free.
"What Big Eyes You Have! Looking at the Wolf in Fairy Tales" — Jan. 16-May 13, Eberly Family Special Collections Library exhibition room, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. The exhibit takes a close look at historical depictions of the wolf in well-known and lesser-known fairy tales. Free.
"Home: Contemporary Indigenous Artists Responding" — Feb. 26-Aug. 21, Walter and Dori Goldstein Music and Media Center, Pattee Library, University Park campus. A dozen indigenous artists feature their works in printmaking. Free.
"Plastic Entanglements" — Feb. 13-June 17, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Sixty works explore the complex story of plastic. Free.
"Depth of Field" — March 8-Aug. 14, Diversity Studies Room, Pattee Library, University Park campus. The exhibit offers an unfiltered look at war photography and assesses its impact on audiences. Free.
"Keith Lemley: A Theory of Everything" — Oct. 26, 2017-Sept. 30, 2018, Woskob Family Gallery, 146 S. Allen St., State College. Penn State alumnus and artist Keith Lemley will craft a new work that combines maple and neon and unify them through geometry and form. Free.