Campus Life

Things to Do at Penn State: Feb. 18-25

Classical musician Anthony McGill is the featured musician in the next virtual episode of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s “Front Row: National.” Credit: Matthew SeptimusAll Rights Reserved.

What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — taking place at the University this weekend and next week:

Performances

"Madness of Hercules" — 7 p.m., Feb. 18, via livestream. Join Penn State Wilkes-Barre for a staged reading of “Madness of Hercules,” designed to guide the community in understanding and responding to acts of gun violence. 

Clarinetist Anthony McGill on "Meeting the Moment" 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23, via Zoom. Anthony McGill, the New York Philharmonic’s first African-American principal player, the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State’s “Meeting the Moment with Michael Mwenso” livestream.

Events

Black History Month — Through Feb. 28, various campuses. The University celebrates Black History Month with events and opportunities running throughout the month of February. Free.

2021 African American Read-In — Feb. 21-22, virtual format. The annual African American Read-in at Penn State Altoona will take place virtually Feb. 21-22. This year’s theme is "Black Literature Matters," with a special focus on poetry. 

Lectures

"Nature Matters for Black Lives: Disrupting Narratives about Race and Place" — 4 p.m., Feb. 18, via Zoom. Myron Floyd, dean of the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University, will present as part of the Penn State College of Health and Human Development's Dean's Lecture Series.

Data Science Community Research Talk — 1 p.m., Feb. 18, via Zoom. Hadi Hosseini, assistant professor of information sciences and technology, and Shaun Mahony, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, will present.

"COVID-19 Research from a Policy Influence Perspective" — Noon, Feb. 18, via Zoom. Robert Lennon, associate professor of family and community medicine, will present as part of the Translational Science Seminar Series.

EarthTalks: Lightsource bp CEO Kevin Smith — 4 p.m., Feb. 22, via Zoom. Kevin Smith, CEO for the Americas at Lightsource bp, will discuss Lightsource's solar partnership with the University and the future of solar power.

"Following the Line" — 3 p.m., Feb. 22, via Zoom. Adébayo Bolaji, a multi-disciplinary artist based in London, will present as part of the School of Visual Arts' John M. Anderson Endowed Lecture Series.

Creating Content in 2021 — 6 p.m., Feb. 23, via Zoom. Bellisario College of Communications alumni Lisa Lucas, executive producer at Animal Planet and Discovery, and Kathleen Pavelko, president & CEO emerita of WITF Public Media, will present about network and public television.

“Climate and human influences on fire in California forests” — 11:15 a.m., Feb. 24, via Zoom. Alan Taylor, professor of geography, will present as part of the 2021 Climate Dynamics seminar series.

“Landscape Design and the Open Society" — 6 p.m., Feb. 24, virtual format. Laurie Olin, distinguished teacher and landscape architect , will present as part of the Stuckeman School's spring virtual lecture series.

“Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century” — 4 p.m., Feb. 25, via Zoom.  Harvard political theorist Danielle Allen will speak, hosted by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy.

Exhibits

"Field Language: The Painting and Poetry of Warren and Jane Rohrer" — Palmer Museum of Art through June 6. This major loan exhibition examines the art of Warren Rohrer as it evolved in conversation with poet Jane Turner Rohrer, his partner of nearly fifty years.

"The Wit and Whimsy of Lucille Corcos" — Palmer Museum of Art through May 9. A prolific painter and illustrator, Lucille Corcos depicted American life with an incomparable verve during the mid-20h century.

"Anxiety Project" — HUB-Robeson Galleries and online through March 14. Works by William Doan, professor of theatre, focused on mental health, are on view. Free.

THON logo exhibition — Online. The THON website is featuring a virtual gallery showcasing logos from previous events, as well as profiles of each student designer. Free.

"Celebrating the ADA: The Legacy and Evolution of Disability Rights and Lived Experience at Penn State" — Online. The University Libraries virtual exhibit explores the first 100 years of national disability rights legislation and the movement's impact on the Penn State community. Free.

"African Brilliance: A Diplomat's Sixty Years of Collecting" Online Catalog — Online. A digital catalog of African works collected by retired U.S. ambassador Allen C. Davis, including text entries, high-resolution 360-degree images and contextual videos at the Palmer Museum of Art. Free.

"African Brilliance" Virtual Tour — Online. Explore an interactive tour created with teachers, students and families in mind. The tour includes installation images, pictures of selected works, videos for guided viewing and related art-making activity suggestions. Free.

"Drawing on a Legacy: Highlights from the John Driscoll American Drawings Collection" — Online. High-resolution images, text selections and a photo gallery of works on paper donated by Penn State alumnus John P. Driscoll, including early landscape views and botanical sketches, animal scenes and still lives, and portraits and preparatory figure studies. The works include a number of well-known 19th-century American artists. Free.

"Photography=Abstraction" — Online. The Palmer Museum of Art's virtual pop-up exhibition is an interactive gallery with images, text and informational videos for selected works. Free, Google Chrome browser recommended.

Snowiss Gallery of American Art — Online. Tour the Palmer Museum of Art's first-floor Snowiss Gallery. Free.

"Women in Art: Activism and Resistance" virtual tour  Online. This self-directed, interactive online tour features a selection of objects by female artists in the Palmer Museum of Art's collection. In celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this tour highlights artists working in a variety of media during the 20th and 21st centuries who have contributed to political, social and cultural change. Free.

"Human Expectations II" — Through June 20, Display Cases, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus, and online. The work of five artists embody a search for expression and experience through material. Free.

"When the Bough Breaks" — Through April 30, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. Nine different artists address the issue of climate change through a unique representation of trees. Free.

"Something Means Something Else" — Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. This three-part mural by artist Tamara Gayer focuses on the intricacies of the current moment in sexual and gender identity. Free.

"Small Planet" — Through January 2022, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The HUB-Robeson Center has commissioned a site-specific wall painting located in the first-floor eateries by artist Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann titled "Small Planet." Free.

Last Updated February 18, 2021