Concrete on Paper examines concrete's past and present as a construction material. The exhibit showcases scientific papers on hydraulic materials and specialized imitation stone products in the late 18th century, along with popular do-it-yourself house building manuals of the mid-19th century.

On the first and second levels of the Penn Museum Library, visitors can view a collection of photographs by Penn students that reflect key themes from their fieldwork experiences in the past year. Contributing student photographers are from Penn's departments of Anthropology, Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World, Classics/Ancient History, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and History of Art. Free with Penn ID.

The Institute of Contemporary Art presents the first in-depth survey of the work of Carl Cheng, who has worked through six decades presenting work in a variety of media to reflect on environmental change. The exhibit covers both floors of the ICA.

Penn Libraries and the Penn Museum present materials held in their collections that reflect upon the creators, modes, and influences of the Ainu, Indigenous peoples connected to the northern islands of Japan and parts of Russia. This exhibit is co-curated by Stephen A. Lang, Eri Mizukane, Rebecca Mendelson, and Deborah Stewart.

 

 

A new exhibition curated by students in Penn's School of Arts & Sciences will explore the deep human history associated with the color blue. Into the Blue will span 4,000 years—displaying 20 objects from across the Penn Museum’s collections, including select artifacts from the Middle East, China, Africa, ancient Egypt, and Central America. The exhibition will examine three themes: Obtaining Blue, Making Blue, and Synthesizing Blue. On view through spring 2026. Included with Museum admission.

Orchestra 2001 presents chamber music by Justinian Tamusuza, a leading voice in contemporary African art music and Uganda’s foremost living composer. Tamusuza’s sound bridges African and European cultural and stylistic boundaries.

Brìghde Chaimbeul, a leading purveyor of Celtic experimentalism and master of the Scottish smallpipes, will give an artist talk and demonstration. This event is supported in part by The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation. Free and open to the public.

Penn will recognize outstanding staff members who play key roles in the University’s successes. The awards are presented in three categories: Models of Excellence, Pillars of Excellence, and Model Supervisors. Special guests include Penn's Glee Club and the 2025 Models of Excellence staff honorees.

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation will hold a reception and artist talk celebrating the opening of “Makoto Fujimura: Transfiguration,” a triptych to be displayed in the Arts Lounge at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Free and open to the public.

Convened by Ellen Munsterman of Penn’s School of Nursing, this workshop will feature a panel discussion on strategies for leading a classroom in English as an instructor who speaks English as a second language. Facilitated by Se Hee Min, who specializes in family and community health, and Hyejeong Hong, a biobehavioral and health sciences expert. This is part of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Innovation Teaching Certificate Series. All graduate students are welcome.

Organized by Penn's Faculty Senate, this panel will focus on the sustained criticism of higher education and ask whether the four-year college degree will (and should) survive, and whether there are plausible alternatives to the conventional college degree. The event will be moderated by Penn Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. Register for in-person or virtual attendance.

Deirdre de la Cruz, an associate professor of History and Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan, will discuss how the historical and contemporary specificities of the Philippines and its diaspora both contribute to and complicate ongoing conversations around museums and historical justice. Free and open to the public.

Barbara Greenspan Shaiman, a Penn alumni and founder of the nonprofit organization Champions of Caring, will detail her ten-step approach for building a personally meaningful legacy. The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Shaiman will share stories from her family history and over thirty years of her own life experience in education, business, and social entrepreneurship.

In this virtual talk, Mia D’Avanza, the Penn Libraries’ Director of the Fisher Fine Arts Library, and Michael Carroll, Assistant Director of the Fisher Arts Library, will share how sustainable, recycled, and eco-friendly materials spark innovation and creativity. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look into how the Materials Library supports research at Penn. This event is open to the public. Register to attend.

The two-day conference will feature four distinct panels, a keynote address on Thursday evening, and a closing session. These sessions will examine how political crises may influence scholarly pedagogies and methodologies. Speakers will interrogate the broader insights that global media studies can offer in the wake of crises.

Proxy Landscapes is a two-day symposium that will explore how numerous landscapes act as proxies for remote sites, processes, and transformations that are otherwise inaccessible or unobservable. Designers, historians, anthropologists, and theorists will discuss landscapes that carry traces of hidden phenomena or act as indicators of latent processes. The symposium is organized by associate professor Robert Pietrusko of the Department of Landscape Architecture and hosted by the McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology. Free and open to the public.

This two-day conference explores the latest advances and urgent questions in people analytics, including upskilling, AI, and the future of work, as well as networking opportunities for students, academics, and industry experts.

Erica Weitz, an assistant professor at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety in the Perelman School of Medicine, will present about skills related to managing media overload and discuss strategies for putting down our devices.

Penn Jazz Ensembles will present a night of jazz repertoire. The group’s style is varied, drawing influence from early jazz, 1950s-era straight ahead jazz, Cuban jazz, vocal jazz, and jazz arrangements of current popular music. Free and open to the public.

This panel, hosted by Penn Engineering Entrepreneurship as part of their day-long 25th anniversary celebration, will highlight the importance of AI for the next generation of business leaders and showcase how Penn will continue to be at the forefront of this evolving field.

This panel, moderated by Paniz Musawi Natanzi, a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Humanities at the Wolf Humanities Center, brings together artists, librarians, and scholars to discuss challenges in maintaining archival collections related to Afghanistan and its diasporas.

This expert panel will explore the stakes and challenges involved with bringing African artists to an international stage, asking key questions about the future of art in a contemporary context. The event is sponsored and organized by the Undergraduate Advisory Board in the History of Art Department at Penn.

This multimodal, milestone performance will honor the past five decades of the Penn Dance company. Each piece will reflect a journey through the company’s evolution, from its founding in 1975 to the thriving community it is today. The event will also pay tribute to Penn Dance alumni who have shaped the company over the years.

Participants will explore a unique view of Morris Arboretum while walking up the gentle Magnolia Slope to see magnolias, dogwoods, and conifers. This rarely walked area captures the spring beauty of flowering trees contrasted with the majestic conifers.

The Center for Information Networks and Democracy will convene its second annual workshop featuring a robust lineup of scholars to discuss how AI is transforming the information environment, including how we can analyze (and anticipate) the consequences of that transformation. A Penn ID is required to attend.

Eugenie Birch, co-director of Penn Institute for Urban Research (IUR), and William Glasgall, a Penn IUR fellow and Volcker Alliance public finance advisor, will host a panel of current and former global mayors examining how cities can plan for financial growth and shared prosperity amid technological change and the green transition.

Presented by Penn’s Makuu: The Black Cultural Center, this event will allow community members to connect on conversations around cultural heritage, exciting research opportunities, shared experiences, and more. Sign-ups to be released.

This panel will explore the barriers to productive dialogue and examine the roles that Penn faculty and students have to play in cultivating classrooms that support critical thinking, curiosity, and civil discourse. Lunch will be provided. Register to attend.

Marcy Norton, an associate professor of History at Penn, explores how ongoing encounters between Indigenous and settler communities in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Amazonia transformed the modern world. During this talk, as part of the Global Discovery Lecture Series presented by Penn Alumni Lifelong Learning, Norton will challenge the idea that treating animals as livestock is a natural and normal way to interact with other creatures. Attendees will be invited to question the notion that animal domestication and husbandry are necessary for cultural progress. Register to attend.

Through a film screening of “The Eighth Amendment: Cruel and Unusual Punishment” and subsequent discussion, participants will examine the origins and nature of the Eighth Amendment. The event will focus on the concept of “evolving standards of decency” in the U.S., especially pertaining to the death penalty for juvenile offenders.

Yann LeCun, chief AI scientist at Meta and recipient of the ACM Turing Award, the “Nobel Prize of Computing,” will join the School of Engineering and Applied Science for a fireside chat exploring the future of artificial intelligence. Register to attend.

Attendees will experience “Black Odyssey,” an a cappella journey celebrating the resilience and culture of the Black community through soulful melodies and rich harmonies.

Graduate students Max Johnson and Eliana Fishbeyn take the stage in this edition of Music in the Stacks, a collaborative series between the Albrecht Music Library and the Department of Music bringing musicians into Penn library spaces for performances throughout the year. Registration is required for those without a PennCard.

During the week of Earth Day, Penn Sustainability presents an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to engage in cross-disciplinary events designed to foster environmental stewardship and positive change. This year’s theme is Our Power, Our Planet.

This skillshare event, held annually at Bartram’s Garden in West Philadelphia, is designed for Philadelphia-based gardeners and local food growers. Activities include working together on the land, sharing a lunchtime meal, and two workshop blocks for beginner and seasoned gardeners focused on building self- and community reliance.

In honor of Earth Day, attendees will recycle and upcycle with the Leon Levy Dental Medicine Library. Participants can bring old t-shirts and learn how to transform them into no-sew reusable grocery bags.

Hosted by the Houston Hall Student Union during Earth Week, the annual Spring Porch Party will include activities like home bamboo planting, an “Eight Dimensions of Wellness Fair,” and games like corn hole, giant Jenga, and bouncy basketball. Free snow cones, plant-based lattes, and spring-themed refreshments will be provided.

Emma Copley Eisenberg, the Philadelphia-based author of the novel “Housemates,” a national bestseller and named best book of the year by The Boston Globe, People, NBC, Them.Us, Autostraddle, and Kirkus Reviews, will visit for a reading and conversation with the Penn community.

Bethany McGlyn, a doctoral candidate and Jefferson Scholars Foundation Fellow at the University of Virginia, will discuss the study of craft labor, material culture, and social reform in the early national period of Philadelphia between 1783-1840.

The Center for Media at Risk Visiting Scholar Moya Bailey will discuss making her first solo-directed documentary, “Misogynoir in Medicine.” The conversation will focus on the shifts that occur when collaborating with a team of creators and interviewees who shape the project through their active participation.

Attendees will learn more about the sustainable collections housed in Penn’s Materials Library, including buttons made from discarded milk, bricks made from paper, and packaging made from mushrooms. Visitors can also browse the circulating book collection about sustainable design, art, and architecture.

Focusing on classical mythology, participants will uncover how these stories have shaped lives, reflected values, and inspired extraordinary feats of exploration and imagination. Attendees will learn how myths once rooted in specific places and contexts continue to resonate with modernity.

During this reception, the Vice Provost for Education and the Center for Teaching & Learning will celebrate the 2025 recipients of the Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students. The event is free and open to the Penn Community. Register in advance.

Penn hosts this year’s Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States—held annually since April 1895.

Lubaina Rangwala, program head of urban development and resilience with the Sustainable Cities and Transport team at the World Resources Institute, India, will discuss opportunities and challenges for climate action planning in Indian cities, with emphasis on a case study of Mumbai (not pictured).

The School of Veterinary Medicine and Biology Department staff will provide an overview of wildlife at Kaskey Park during the Spring BioBlitz. Participants can help spot and identify wildlife, take photos, upload information to the iNaturalist app, and learn from experts about frogs, insects, birds, and other animals.

This symposium brings together scholars of digital culture to consider global perspectives on the changing nature of leisure, humor, and play in the digital age. Speakers will examine the blurring boundaries between leisure and work through notions like “fan labor,” the broadening of “digital play” outside of its typical framing in early childhood development, the ramifications of viral memes and online humor for political and social landscapes worldwide, among other themes. Register to attend.

Food is central to daily life and eating can sometimes prompt feelings of stress, shame, and frustration. Aligned with National Nutrition Month, this session will discuss common feelings about food and ways to navigate feelings of stress.

Hosted by the Kislak Center, Penn alumna Susan Molofsky Todres offers a rare glimpse into a wide array of memorabilia stored in the University Archives. Collections include Penn-centric material from the 19th and 20th centuries. RSVP to attend.

Participants will receive step-by-step instructions for origami designs, ranging from “simple” to “complex,” and will fold origami with sheets of bioplastics made at the Fisher Fine Arts Materials Library. The event will include a demonstration of making DIY bioplastics.

As part of the America 250 at Penn and Music in the Pavilion series, esteemed musicians Julianne Baird, Sarah Fleiss, and Joyce Lindorff will perform songs and instrumental selections from the music room of Eleanor “Nelly” Parke Custis Lewis, George Washington’s step-granddaughter.

From hidden structures and sculptures to peculiar walkways, trees, and vistas, participants will learn about garden features off the beaten path or hidden in plain view. Free with general admission. Visitors will meet at the Welcome Center.

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation will announce the recipients of its 2025 annual grant awards and celebrate students and faculty awarded earlier in the academic year. Penn Vice Provost for the Arts Timothy Rommen will share welcoming remarks.

Zine makers and DIY-print enthusiasts are invited to join the annual Zine Fest at Kelly Writers House, co-organized by students in Weitzman School Lecturer Kayla Romberger’s Pixel to Print course.

Attendees will learn about the historical significance of Philadelphia’s coffeehouses as hubs of political activity and debate in the decade leading up to the Declaration of Independence. This event is part of Penn's America 250 programming.

 

 

A roundtable of Penn faculty and alumni will discuss the history of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Americans in the Greater Philadelphia area over the last half-century. With 2025 marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam and other conflicts in Southeast Asia, the Asian American Studies Program invites community members to share stories of resilience and achievement to foster understanding and promote reconciliation.

 

 

The opening reception of “Scattered Earth, Sounded Depth: Penn Fine Arts MFA Thesis Exhibition” will feature the work of Eissa Attar and Alvin Luong, marking the return of the MFA Thesis Exhibition to campus. This event provides attendees the chance to hear directly from the artists and connect with the Penn community.

This talk will introduce some of the approaches graduate students and early-career scholars are taking to create or contribute to podcasts for sharing research more broadly. The event will address the growing field of educational podcasts, publishing and peer review considerations, and paths to get started on conceptualizing, recording, and editing podcasts at Penn.

This guided tour of letterpress printing and typography will include the history of letterpress printing, type, and books from 1000 C.E. to now. There will also be demonstrations of how movable type is used, as well as the mechanical history of all the different machines at Common Press.

The Philadelphia Children's Festival celebrates its 40th birthday. This year's festival features a supercharged circus of extreme sports, a refugee's powerful memoir brought to life onstage, and a story of friendship and plucky determination told through vibrant visuals and puppetry.

 

 

Experts at the Steven Miller Conservation Laboratory have uncovered new insights into several artifacts, including the ashes of a burned Shakespeare folio. As part of the Global Discovery Lecture Series and co-sponsored by The Penn Libraries, this panel will feature English professors Whitney Trettien and Zachary Lesser, and Head of Conservation Sarah Reidell, for a talk about these mysterious relics and what this means for the present and future of libraries and conservation. Register to attend.

 

 

The 2025 Quattrone Center Spring Symposium will span two days of solution-focused discussions on the future of criminal justice reform. Sessions will be led by policymakers, academics, and legal practitioners, offering a unique opportunity to learn, engage, and build connections that drive tangible change for a fairer future.

The Baccalaureate ceremony and celebration for graduating students will comprise an interfaith program that includes student musical performances, readings, prayers, a special event for the graduates, the unveiling of the new class Ivy Stone, and distribution of a commemorative class pin. Tickets and academic regalia are not required.

Penn Alumni will reunite with classmates at events like Franklin Fest, will stroll down Locust Walk during the Parade of Classes, enjoy the Alumni Picnic, attend panel discussions, raise a toast to Dear Old Penn at reunion celebrations, and attend an all-alumni brunch and memorial service, among numerous other activities.

Penn Nursing’s annual awards program will celebrate the recipients of this year’s Student, Alumni & Faculty Awards. Attendees will hear about the achievements of Penn Nursing alumni, graduating students, and faculty.

 

 

The Weitzman School of Design's Year End Show brings together work from the Class of 2025 in architecture, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, historic preservation, and urban spatial analytics. The gallery opens on Saturday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Afterwards, regular visiting hours will be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free and open to the public.

This event will feature “Discourse and Democracy: The Classroom as a Catalyst for Bridging Differences,” a panel discussion with Professor Sigal Ben-Porath and Associate Professor Abby Resiman, moderated by Dean Katharine Strunk. The event will also honor Penn GSE alumni teachers who are celebrating at least their fifth year in the classroom, ending with a reception to connect with members of the Penn and Penn GSE communities.

This panel discussion will focus on food writing in its many forms—recipes, journalism, cultural history, memoir, reviews, and more. Experts will include seasoned editors, journalists, authors, novelists, and cookbook writers.

 

 

The Penn alumni procession to Franklin Field for the 269th Commencement Ceremony will celebrate graduating seniors. Attendees must register in advance and wear their regalia (provided or their own) to participate.

Toll the Bell is a city-wide sound installation bringing greater awareness to the gun violence epidemic affecting our city and the nation. At 1 p.m. on June 6, National Gun Violence Awareness Day, a prolonged period of bell ringing and other sound-making will take place at 30-plus locations across the city and beyond.