Ongoing and Upcoming Programming

The Borough of State College has a wide range of arts and culture programming.

Looking at US: Celebrating America’s 250th

Larger-than-life reproductions of artworks from the Palmer Museum of Art’s permanent collection installed throughout downtown State College.

Guided by a community-driven working group and funded by The Knight Foundation Fund at Centre Foundation, the project features 19 large-scale reproductions of artworks from the Palmer’s permanent collection throughout downtown State College.

These installations activate downtown façades, sidewalks, and local businesses, creating a seamless and walkable cultural corridor that links Penn State’s artistic resources with the broader community.

The Borough invites the community to experience the installation throughout downtown, then continue the journey on campus at the Palmer Museum of Art to see the original works and explore more treasures from the museum’s American art collection.

The Borough of State College served as a project partner for Looking at US: Celebrating America's 250th. Learn more about the project here.

Downtown State College Art Walk

Explore the variety of public art pieces installed throughout Downtown State College. 

State College public art is a work in progress. The committee — in collaboration with The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, the Downtown State College Improvement District, and State College residents — is an independent group of public art enthusiasts whose goal is to showcase art, and to be a resource, advocate, and workforce for public art.

Use this guide to go on an art walk in the Borough of State College.

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts is one of Pennsylvania’s most anticipated summer traditions. Hosted each July in the Borough of State College and on the Penn State University Park campus, Arts Fest offers a lively mix of art, music, performances, and creative activities.

Arts Fest is among the top-ranked juried art fairs in the country, the highlight of the State College summer, one of the biggest non-football alumni weekends for Penn Staters, the summer’s economic anchor for downtown State College businesses, and the place to be for art lovers near and far the week after Independence Day.

For many of the 125,000+ alumni and visitors each year, the Arts Festival is an enduring tradition, experienced with friends and family, and not to be missed.  

The Borough of State College serves as an Arts Fest sponsor.