Arts and Entertainment

Things to Do at Penn State: Oct. 5-12

A selection of cultural events happening on campus this weekend and next

The Traveling Wall will be on display at Innovation Park from Oct. 5-8. Credit: American Veterans Traveling TributeAll Rights Reserved.

What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events taking place at the University this weekend and in the coming week:

Performances

"Sweet Charity" — Oct. 3-8, Playhouse Theatre. "Sweet Charity" follows Charity Hope Valentine in her pursuit of finding true love in this Penn State Centre Stage production. 

Penn State Flute Day7:30 p.m., Oct. 6, 110 Music Building I. Interlochen Arts Academy flute professor Nancy Stagnitta will present a recital. Free.

Casting Crowns7 p.m., Oct. 6, Bryce Jordan Center. The Christian rock group Casting Crowns brings its "The Very Next Thing Tour" to Happy Valley.

Penn State Philharmonic7:30 p.m., Oct. 7, Eisenhower Auditorium. The Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra presents its first concert of the 2017-18 year.

"Faculty Artist Series" — 1 p.m., Oct. 8, Palmer Museum of Art. The Palmer Museum of Art will host a series of Sunday afternoon concerts while the School of Music facilities are undergoing construction and renovation. The weekly concerts will be held in the "BIG Deal" exhibition on the museum’s second floor. Free.

Essence of Joy3 p.m., Oct. 8, Worship Hall, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center. The choir will perform two contrasting arrangements of the spiritual "Ride the Chariot" and two arrangements of "America the Beautiful."

Dave Liebman Big Band6 p.m., Oct. 8, Nittany Lion Inn. The Penn State Jazz Educators Club will host jazz master Dave Liebman and the Dave Liebman Big Band.

Symphonic Band and Symphonic Wind Ensemble 7:30 p.m., Oct. 9, Eisenhower Auditorium. Repertoire highlights include American composer Vincent Persichetti's "Pageant," and a movement from Michael Daugherty's "Brooklyn Bridge" featuring student clarinetist Emily Rickard, co-winner of the 2016 Symphonic Wind Ensemble concerto competition.

Flip FrabriQue7:30 p.m., Oct. 11, Eisenhower Auditorium. Contemporary circus troupe Flip FabriQue celebrates friendship and fun with its gravity-defying production "Catch Me!"

Events

Tuscany to Sicily: A gastronomic journey — Oct. 5, Cafe Laura, Mateer Building. 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.

The Traveling WallOct. 5-8, Innovation Park. An 80 percent scale replica of the Vietnam War Memorial will be on display as part of a project by WPSU on the Vietnam War. Free.

Eats of the East: A Trip Down the Coast Oct. 11, Cafe Laura, Mateer Building. 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.

Pumpkin festival Oct. 8, 13-14, the Arboretum at Penn State. The Arboretum will host its annual pumpkin festival. Free.

National Coming Out WeekOct. 9-13. The LGBTQA Student Resource Center will celebrate National Coming Out Week with programs focused on gender identity and expression. Free.

Barley, Wheat and Rye: The Food Drinks So You Do Not Have ToOct. 12, Cafe Laura, Mateer Building. 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.

Lectures

Research Unplugged — 12:30 p.m., Oct. 5, Schlow Centre Region Library, State College. Mark Guiltinan and Siela Maxima of the Department of Plant Science will kick off the October speaker series. The cacao tree provides income to millions of farmers in developing countries and provides the raw ingredient for making chocolate. As part of a USAID and USDA project seeking to assist farmers in increasing cacao production levels, Guiltinan and Maximova will share stories of their interactions with the local indigenous populations living in Colombia. Free.

Sustainability Showcase — Noon, Oct. 6, third floor, Life Sciences Bridge. Matt Royer, director of the Agriculture and Environment Center, will present "Watershed sustainability and the Conewago Creek Initiative." Free.

Distinguished Speaker Series: Jill Biden8 p.m., Oct. 10, Eisenhower Auditorium. Jill Biden, former second lady and co-founder of the Biden Foundation, will be featured. Free, but tickets required.

"Mechanisms of Mind" series3:30 p.m., Oct. 11, 16 Borland. Christopher Chabris of Union College's psychology department will present "Collective Intelligence as a Characteristic of Small Groups" as part of the monthly "Mechanisms of Mind" series hosted by the Arts and Design Research Incubator. Free.

"The Color of Law" 6 p.m., Oct. 11, 116 Lewis Katz Building. Author Richard Rothstein will speak on "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America." The title of his talk also is the title of his new book, which details how local, state and federal policies led to a segregated America that continues to the present day. Free.

Healthy Aging Community Lecture Series10 a.m., Oct. 12, Foxdale Village, 500 E. Marylyn Ave., State College. Nancy Dennis, associate professor of psychology, will present "Memory As We Age." Free.

Research Unplugged — 12:30 p.m., Oct. 12, Schlow Centre Region Library, State College. The School of Visual Arts' Tom Lauerman will present "Art and 3-D Printing: The Possibilities of Clay." He will demonstrate his unique approach to 3-D printing with clay, and discusses its development and compelling applications in design, architecture and engineering. Free.

Exhibits

"Asher B. Durand: To Begin Again" — Sept. 5-Dec. 10, Palmer Museum of Art. This exhibit focuses on the early career of this leading artist of the Hudson River School. Free.

"BIG Deal: Sizeable Paintings" — Sept. 5-Dec. 17, Palmer Museum of Art. The museum showcases some of its monumental canvases from its permanent collection, many of which have not been on view in recent years. Free.

"Minna Citron after Atelier 17" — Sept. 5-Dec. 10, Palmer Museum of Art. Four decades of printmaking by artist Minna Citron. Free.

"Field to Front: Nittany Lions at War, 1917-1919" — April 23, 2017-April 30, 2018, the Penn State All-Sports Museum. The exhibit chronicles the contributions of Nittany Lion lettermen during World War I and follows their service from training in the U.S. to fighting in France and Italy. Free.

"Japonism and American Modernism" — Oct. 6, Palmer Museum of Art. Art historian Randy Ploog curated this one-day exhibit as part of the Palmer Museum's "Paper Views" series. Free.

"Skinnydipping" — Oct. 12-Nov. 4, Woskob Family Gallery, 146 S. Allen St., State College. "Skinnydipping" is an exhibition of two- and three-dimensional work that explores what it means to be a young American today. Free.

Last Updated October 6, 2017