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
Cantus — 7:30 p.m., March 31-April 7, via livestream. Vocal ensemble Cantus will give the virtual performance "One Giant Leap." Free.
"Sea Wall" by Simon Stephens — 7:30 p.m., April 9-12, virtual format. Penn State Centre Stage Virtual presents "Sea Wall" directed by second-year master of fine arts candidate Alison Morooney, a short and vivid story about love and loss, faith and wonder, grief and family.
"Testimony" from Kronos Quartet — 7:30 p.m. April 14-21, virtual format. The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State presents the virtual return of the Kronos Quartet in a presentation of the string ensemble’s performance film “Testimony," a free concert recording featuring music and spoken-word artists reflecting on current events in the United States.
Events
Shaver's Creek Book Club — April 8-29, via Zoom. Shaver's Creek Environmental Center will host a weekly book club featuring "Black Faces, White Spaces" by Carolyn Finney. Free, but registration required.
Smith Creative Writers Reading Series: "Sweet Sorrow" — 6 p.m., April 15 & 22, via Zoom. New graduates of Penn State Behrend's creative writing program will read from their work as the final installment of the 2021 Smith Creative Writers Reading Series.
Lectures
"Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love & Hate in a Torn America" — 12:15 p.m., April 8, via Zoom. Emmy Award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa will discuss her latest book about immigration in America. Free.
Penn State Behrend Smith Creative Writers Reading Series: George Looney — 6 p.m., April 8, via Zoom. George Looney, distinguished professor of English and creative writing at Penn State Behrend will be featured. Free.
"The California Condor: Twenty Years of Species Recovery" — 5 p.m., April 8, via Zoom. Chris Parish, wildlife biologist and co-founder of the North American Non-Lead Partnership, will describe his work to save California condors from extinction.
“Cognitive Evaluation of Diverse Populations" — 12 p.m., April 8, virtual format. Dr. Chen Zhao, neurologist at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, will touch on the role that unconscious bias plays in medical research. Registration required.
"An Overview of Black Holes in Galaxies across the Universe" — 4 p.m., Apirl 9, via Zoom. The ninth annual Losoncy Lecture in Physics and Astronomy will be presented by Ruth Daly, professor of physics at Penn State Berks.
"Rivers of Power" — 11:30, April 9, via Zoom. Laurence C. Smith, the John Atwater and Diana Nelson University Professor of Environment and Society and professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Brown University, will give the annual E. Willard Endowed Lecture to discuss some of the many ways that humans have used rivers over time, and how we continue to do so today.
"Planning for the Unplanned: Designing Resilience in Energy Systems" — 2 p.m., April 12, via Zoom. A panel of energy experts from Penn State and industry will discuss how energy systems are currently designed to be resilient to extreme weather events, and how they may need to be designed in the future.
“Ends+Stems: One Chef’s Mission to Reduce Household Food Waste" — 7 p.m., April 12, via Zoom. The Student Farm at Penn State will host chef Alison Mountford for a virtual presentation on how to reduce food waste and help the environment through cooking.
Nuclear fusion, emerging technologies and remaining challenges — 4 p.m., April 12, via Zoom. Jean Paul Allain, professor of nuclear engineering and head of the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering at Penn State, will discuss the recent progress made in nuclear fusion, emerging technologies and the remaining challenges to realizing energy generation from a star here on Earth.
Penn State Behrend Speaker Series: Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha — 7 p.m., April 13, via Zoom. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician who exposed the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, will discuss her work as a clinician and community advocate.
“Experiencing the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Children, Peace Communication and Socialization” — 4:30 p.m., April 14, via Zoom. A panel of leading scholars in communication will discuss the forthcoming titular book by Yael Warshel, assistant professor of telecommunications and media industries, research associate in the Rock Ethics Institute, and affiliate faculty of international affairs, international and comparative education, African Studies, and Middle Eastern studies at Penn State.
School of Public Policy leadership series: Wayne Palmer — 3 p.m., April 14, via Zoom. Penn State alumnus Wayne Palmer, former principal deputy assistant secretary for the Mine Safety and Health Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor, will discuss his career and experiences in public policy.
"Civility, Rhetorical Impatience, and the Reclamation of Time: The Case of Sandra Bland" — 12 p.m., April 14, via Zoom. Ersula J. Ore, Lincoln Professor of Ethics in the School of Social Transformation and associate professor of African and African American Studies at Arizona State University, will give the Center for Democratic Deliberation’s 2021 Kenneth Burke Memorial Lecture.
Penn State Mont Alto Race, Equity, and Action series: Ijeoma Oluo — 12:15 p.m., April 14, via Zoom. The bestselling of "So You Want to Talk About Race" will engage in a thoughtful and challenging discussion of race and racism with the campus community.
Cross Bridges Summit: "Political Influences on Black Women’s Health” — 3 p.m., April 15, via livestream. Penn State Greater Allegheny in McKeesport will host its final Crossing Bridges Summit event of the 2020-21 academic year, with a panel discussion moderated by Associate Teaching Professor of History Johnathan White.
Pride Month: Actress Dominique Jackson — 7 p.m., April 15, virtual format. As part of Pride Month, Penn State Berks will host Dominique Jackson, best known for her leading role of Elektra Abundance on the FX television series "Pose," to discuss her life and experiences from fleeing persecution as a transgender woman in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago to starring in a major television series.
Exhibits
"Field Language: The Painting and Poetry of Warren and Jane Rohrer" — Through June 6, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This major loan exhibition examines the art of Warren Rohrer as it evolved in conversation with poet Jane Turner Rohrer, his partner of nearly 50 years. Free.
"The Wit and Whimsy of Lucille Corcos" — Through May 9, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. A prolific painter and illustrator, Lucille Corcos depicted American life with an incomparable verve during the mid-20th century. 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.