Winter Wit invites you to explore the role of humor in visual arts, encouraging you to reflect on what you find funny and how it can be expressed through different mediums. Juried by local artist Mary Fortuna, this exhibit highlights an often-overlooked aspect of art, engaging viewers in fresh and unexpected ways. Step out of the winter gloom and into a space that celebrates creativity, cleverness, and laughter.
Join us on Saturday, Feb 8, at 11am for a conversation with some of the featured artists and then on Thursday, Feb 13, at 5:30 pm for an ekphrastic reading based on this and the other exhibits, PLUS a special comedy night in the spirit of the exhibit on Thursday, Jan 23 at 5:30pm! These events are free and open to all.
Please join the artists in celebration at the opening reception where everyone is welcome on Friday, January 17th, from 5-7pm.
Juror’s Statement – Winter Wit: The Funnier Side of Art
What’s so funny about this show? Apparently, animals are inherently funny, whether they’re animals acting like people, or people acting like animals. Skewing the viewpoint changes our perception and can make ordinary things funny. People doing dumb stuff, or failing to do smart stuff, is often funny. Jello is always funny, just look at it! All that jiggling! Rhymes with giggling. Leonard and Carol, the couple who can do anything you need, from breaking horses to preaching and singing at a revival, are always good for a laugh, even when they’re serious. When has Tarzan ever been anything but funny? An homage to the brilliant Edward Gorey is beautiful and engaging and conveys the weird and unsettling humor in his work.
We’re in the season, especially in a combative election year, when we all need a good laugh. I hope viewers of this exhibit get a kick out of the range of humorous artworks offered by the selected artists. I appreciate the opportunity to immerse myself in all this beautiful and witty art and to leave the world to deal with itself, at least for a little while. Thank you to all the artists who gave me a brief escape from the woes of the world, and to Crooked Tree Art Center for the chance to get a close look at all this funny business.
Mary Fortuna
November 2024
