| Penn Today

2026-05-01

USA at 250 Years: Innovative Research on Aging

Part of America 250 at Penn programming and hosted by the Population Aging Research Center, this conference will unite aging researchers from across Penn and external aging centers. The retreat fosters collaborations for innovative research on aging, with themes spanning health disparities, global health, dementia-related conditions, and long-term care in older adults. Free and open to the Penn community. Register to attend.

All Day

Hybrid; McNeil Building, 3718 Locust Walk

2026-04-26

Penn Live Arts: Delbert Anderson Quartet

Recognized by The New York Times for being “at the forefront of a vibrant Native American jazz scene,” Delbert Anderson, a Diné jazz trumpeter and composer, and his quarter will blend traditional Diné spinning songs with jazz and funk in a Philadelphia debut featuring the world premiere of Beyond Belief, a multi-part meditation on Navajo history and the tribe’s broken relationship with America. This performance is part of America 250 at Penn programming and the Penn Live Arts series “America Unfinished.” Students can receive a discount with Penn ID.

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St.

2026-04-09

The Revolutionary Age: France, Haiti, and America

Part of America 250 at Penn programming, this conference will focus on the revolutionary upheavals that shook metropolitan France and the French colonies and populations in North America during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This event will be held in conjunction with the exhibit “The Time to Right all Wrongs: France, Haiti, and Philadelphia in A Revolutionary Age.” Free and open to the public.

All Day

Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, 3420 Walnut St.

2026-03-31

Realizing Franklin’s Vision for Penn

The young Ben Franklin statue on Penn’s campus.

Part of America 250 at Penn programming, this panel of undergraduate and graduate student leaders will discuss their experiences with different forms of community-engaged scholarship, including Academically Based Community Services, designed to realize Benjamin Franklin’s founding vision for Penn. Attendees will be invited to participate in small group conversations about how to achieve Franklin’s vision.

4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce St.

2026-03-28

First Medical School in America: 1765

In 1765, Philadelphia became home to the nation’s first medical school. More than 250 years later, the Perelman School of Medicine continues to blend innovation and tradition, shaping the future of healthcare. This “Firstival,” part of a free weekly public event series offering entertainment, activities, and storytelling by Historic Philly’s Once Upon a Nation historical experts, will feature a sculpture painted over by Jenn Procacci, offering a glimpse into the architecture and style during which the school was founded. This event is part of America 250 at Penn programming.

11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

2026-03-06

Open Studio Session: Indigenous Space

Part of America 250 at Penn programming, this Common Press open studio offers an opportunity for participants to print a broadside—a single-sided print meant for public display—about the Lenape, the original inhabitants of the land around the Historic Rittenhouse Town papermill. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Fisher Fine Arts Library, 220 S. 34th St.

2026-03-05

Money and the Making of the American Revolution

Part of America 250 at Penn programming, the McNeil Center for Early American Studies will host Andrew David Edwards, lecturer in early American history at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, for a seminar about his debut book “Money and the Making of the American Revolution.” Free and open to the public. Sign up for registration information.

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Hybrid; McNeil Center, 3355 Woodland Walk

2026-02-26

Painting Loss in Revolutionary America

Part of America 250 at Penn programming, the McNeil Center for Early American Studies will host Wendy Bellion, professor of art history at the University of Delaware and renowned author and editor, who will host the seminar “Rachel Weeping: Painting Loss in Revolutionary America.” Free and open to the public.

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Hybrid; McNeil Center, 3355 Woodland Walk

2026-02-20

Papermaking Open House: Rag Preparation

Participants will learn how rags from the Common Press cloth collection are processed in preparation for papermaking. Attendees can assist with removing buttons, tags, and zippers, and help cut the fabric into tiny pieces. This open house is part of America 250 at Penn programming. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Fisher Fine Arts Library, 220 S. 34th St.

2026-02-14

Penn Live Arts: Johnny Gandelsman

Noted by The Philadelphia Inquirer as “a violinist who can do anything,” Johnny Gandelsman, a Grammy® Award-winning member of the Silkroad Ensemble, performs This is America, featuring works by U.S. composers, including the world premiere of a Penn Live Arts commission by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tyshawn Sorey. These performances are part of America 250 at Penn programming and the Penn Live Arts series “America Unfinished.” Students can receive a discount with Penn ID.

All Day

Various locations