Being in Theatre 100, a class that is raved about across campus (it’s mentioned in a past blog post), has exposed me to a sector of Penn State life that I’d never before paid much attention to. As a class requirement, I had to attend three shows. They were the first Penn State productions I had ever seen, and they represented an assorted mix in genre, as they were purposely selected by the professor.
Just this weekend, I fulfilled my last Theatre 100 requirement by attending Penn State’s version of Mass, a theatrical piece that incorporated more than 300 singers, dancers, musicians, and actors on stage at one time. The sheer size of the show was its own spectacle independent from the show itself. The magnitude of involvement signified the interest in the arts here at PSU.
I never thought of Penn State as an artsy school, but come to think of it, a thriving arts scene certainly exists. This is, in part, due to the fact that the university is huge. One of the perks is that there’s something for everyone!
The College of Arts and Architecture, which happens to be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year, is home to the music, theatre, visual arts, art history, architecture, and landscape architecture departments. Across campus there are six performance stages, as well as six exhibition or gallery spaces. A multitude of clubs relating to the arts exist, representing everything from flute to belly dance to a cappella to improv comedy to song writing.
Some of the buildings that house art classes.
Now that I’m more aware of the art happenings around campus, I’ve found that their presence is not contained in a singular region. Instead, the arts are interspersed in many aspects of student life. The students whose course of study is art related don’t hoard their creations only to be seen amongst themselves. Exhibitions of sorts can be seen throughout the year, and throughout campus.
In fact, this weekend students hosted an Arts Crawl that featured art displays, live music, film showings, and dance and magic performances.
The poster for this year’s Arts Crawl.
Music is central to student activities. This is evident in the number of choice acts that the university accommodates. Penn State students have seen (without charge!) Imagine Dragons, Fun., Matt Nathanson, Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco, Little Big Town, among many, many others. As a spring semester culmination, Penn State holds the annual, and much anticipated, Movin’ On concert. It is known to feature a line up of big name acts. This year, students are getting excited for MGMT to grace the stage.
Little Big Town’s performance at Movin’ On my freshman year.
Each summer, more than 125,000 gather in downtown State College for the nationally recognized Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Arts Fest, as it’s more commonly known, celebrates the arts with sidewalk sales, sand sculptures, street painting, performances, and an array of other vendors.
Penn State satisfies art’s creator and its onlooker alike. It’s another reason I think this university is just great!
