Press Release Archive
What's So Funny
Gallery Project presents What’s So Funny, a multimedia exhibit in which 34 local, regional and national artists represent things in life they find humorous. The exhibit opens on Wednesday, October 20 and runs through Sunday, November 28. The opening reception is Friday, October 22 from 6-9.
Humor is rooted in culture, so what is funny to one person might be lost on another. American humor tends to be more obvious and less oblique and can sometimes is considered by other culturesto be over the top (see movies such as The Hangover and Kick Ass.) But there are other forms of American humor, the standup comedian, that are culturally aware, raucous, in your face, political, and hyper real (e.g., Chris Rock, Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin and Dane Cook).
Humor can overcome resistance and bypass preconception to make a point. Humor can diffuse conflicts and differences to build a moment of shared experience. A chuckle or doubled-over belly laugh can release the pain and relieve the tension of this uniquely challenging epoch.
Humor can be biting, pointed, sarcastic, or broad and oblique. It can be direct or implicit, intellectual, conceptual, or just plain silly, even goofy. It can be visual, verbal, sonic, active, time based, or subtly reflective. It can be personal, social, political, environmental, intergalactic, or seemingly pointless.
This exhibition invites each artist to offer expressions of humor with or without a point, humor that is for some reason is funny to them or makes sense in the broader cultural milieu.
Contributors to the exhibit include Walter Behrnes, Nathan Boyer, Sarah Buckius, Dolan Cleverly, Susan Coe, Christopher Crowder, Rocco DePietro, Leslie Donaldson, Anthony Fontana, Todd Frahm, Matt Gordon, Katie Halton, Stephanie Henderson, Merrill Kazanjian, Paul Marquardt, Bob Marsh, Vince Mountain, Mike Myers, Frank Pahl, David Parker, Teresa Petersen, Tim Péwé, Gloria Pritschet, Bethany Shorb, Michele Signorino, Mike Sivak, Ryan Standfest, Trevor Stone, Rob Todd, Sarah Trahan, Malcolm Tulip, Tom Walsh, Ellen Wilt and Robin Wilt. The exhibit is curated by Gloria Pritschet and Rocco DePietro
Gallery Project is a fine art collaborative. Its mission is to provide a venue for contemporary art that is culturally aware, individualistic, courageous, and thought provoking. Gallery Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It is located at 215 South Fourth Avenue in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Spring/Summer gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday, noon-9; and Sunday, noon-4. The gallery is closed on Mondays. For more information, please call 734-997-7012 or contact us through our website: www.thegalleryproject.com.