The Department of Contemporary Art and Theater at Shepherd University presents Two Kinds of Funny, a nationally curated exhibition of sculptures that react to the specific ability of visual materials to communicate humor, sarcasm and awkward peculiarity.

Art and Humor often have a unique relationship – each being a skeptic of the other – but generally play best when conspiring to be self-effacing and at times self-aggrandizing. These works illustrate that the construction of comedy, jokes, puns, and one-liners can be a serious endeavor. Extremely diverse in materials and aesthetic sensibilities, the work in the show is unified by pre-defined size and shipping constraints. All sculptures are shipped to the gallery inside a one cubic foot standard moving box, further adding to the artists’ ability to be playful with a purposefully undermined scale.

Opening reception on Oct. 14 in Phaze 2 Gallery located on the first floor of the new Center for Contemporary Art and Theater from 5-7 p.m.

Associate Professor of Graphic Design Kristin Kaineg will also present the lecture Building the Experience and the Artifacts in the Marinoff Theater, Center for Contemporary Arts II, Oct. 14 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. This event is in conjunction with the Faculty Research Forum, a monthly lecture series implemented by the faculty and designed to highlight the current scholarship of Shepherd University faculty members.

The exhibits and lectures are free and open to the public. For more information contact kgergely@shepherd.edu.