Debra Gaylord

Westchester County

New York City Metropolitan Area

Bronxville-Eastchester

New York

Jeff Edwards

Mount Vernon

New Rochelle

Scarsdale

Pelham

Larchmont-Mamaroneck

Rivertowns

Harrison

White Plains

Bergen County

Englewood-Englewood Cliffs

New Jersey

Sarah Lawrence College

<a href="https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/news-events/galleries/heimbold-gallery/upcoming-exhibits/does-this-taste-funny.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Gallery at Heimbold Visual Arts Center</a> and <a href="https://lehmangallery.org" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lehman College Art Gallery</a> are pleased to present Does This Taste Funny?, a sweeping two-venue group exhibition showcasing the work of 41 contemporary artists. The exhibition marks a collaboration between Sarah Lawrence College, where co-curator John O'Connor is faculty in the Visual and Studio Arts Program, and Lehman College, CUNY, where co-curator Melissa Brown teaches in the Department of Art.&nbsp;
Join us for the opening reception on Tuesday, September 8, from 5-8 p.m. in The Gallery at Heimbold Visual Arts Center on the Sarah&nbsp;Lawrence campus.
Does This Taste Funny? explores humor in contemporary art as a generative method for shifting perception. While humor in art is often mistaken for a lack of seriousness, other fields treat laughter as anything but trivial: developmental psychologists read early laughter as evidence of a mind forming expectations about the world, political theory recognizes the joke as a tool of dissent, and linguists study the punchline as a window into how meaning is built.
Within this framework, the participating artists actively embrace humor to disarm viewers and bypass intellectual defenses. The curators have organized these artistic strategies into six distinct thematic groupings, demonstrating how artists wield specific comedic styles to their advantage. Artists leverage The Body through slapstick and physical comedy to provoke visceral empathy, and they lean into Material Absurdity to highlight the irrationality of daily life. They deploy Politics via satire and dark humor as a weapon to undermine authority, while utilizing Language through wordplay and puns to reveal how meaning is constructed and deconstructed. Finally, they turn a critical eye inward with Art Humor, poking fun at opaque institutional conventions through parody, spoof, and sharp observation, and they explore Technology through deadpan delivery and the uncanny to critique our increasingly digital existence.
By utilizing these strategies, the exhibition frames humor as a method to evade our preconceptions about the world, exposing incongruities in our political, personal, and institutional lives. Throughout the show and its connected programming, the artwork serves as a catalyst for a dialogue that reaches across psychology, politics, the art world, philosophy, language, and comedy itself.
The Gallery at Heimbold Visual Arts Center: On view September 8 – December 13, 2026. 
Lehman College Art Gallery: On view September 9, 2026 – January 16, 2027. 
<h3>Artists</h3>
Charles Atlas Brian Belott Ana Benaroya Claudia Bitrán&nbsp; Tony Bluestone Becky Brown Wells Chandler Roz Chast Kari Cholnoky Shamus Clisset Jeremy Couillard Chris Crary Aline Kominsky-Crumb Lily Dabe Jill Danenberg Robert DeJesus Radamés “Juni” Figueroa Al Freeman Tom Friedman Water McBeer Ray Johnson Irena Jurek Michael Mahalchick Tony Matelli John Vasquez Mejias Riad Miah Kristen Mills Rachelle Mozman Solano Elizabeth Murray Ebecho Muslimova Narcissister Scott Reeder Tyson Reeder Spain Rodriguez Peter Saul Cindy Sherman Michael Smith Federico Solmi Jacques Louis Vidal Karl Wirsum

Local Event: Opening Reception: Does This Taste Funny? Humor in Contemporary Art

Opening Reception: Does This Taste Funny? Humor...

The Gallery at Heimbold Visual Arts Center and Lehman College Art Gallery are pleased to present Does This Taste Funny?, a...

Opening Reception: Does This Taste Funny? Humor in Contemporary Art

Constitutional law scholar and New York Times bestselling author Melissa Murray returns to Sarah Lawrence to discuss her new book, The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader. Published as the nation marks its 250th anniversary, Murray’s accessible guide brings historical context and contemporary perspective to our founding document, examining how each article and amendment came to be and how they continue to shape our lives and rights today. The event will feature a conversation between Murray and Sarah Lawrence College President Cristle Collins Judd, along with questions from the in-person audience. A book signing and reception will follow.This is the inaugural event in SLC100:&nbsp;2026-2027 Presidential Event Series. It is free and open to the public. Guests are welcome to attend in person on campus or watch online via Zoom. <a href="https://www.givecampus.com/schools/SarahLawrenceCollege/events/in-conversation-melissa-murray-and-president-cristle-collins-judd" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Registration is required.</a>

Local Event: Melissa Murray in Conversation with President Cristle Collins Judd

Melissa Murray in Conversation with President...

Constitutional law scholar and New York Times bestselling author Melissa Murray returns to Sarah Lawrence to discuss her new...

Melissa Murray in Conversation with President Cristle Collins Judd

Jay Estate

Join us for a reception with the artist on Thursday, September 10, 2026 at 5:30pm. Registration link coming soon!

It is deeply meaningful to share these sculptures at the Jay Heritage Center, a place rooted in the history of American diplomacy. Here, they connect the story of our modern embassies abroad with John Jay’s legacy as a statesman at home and diplomat abroad. — Jorge Otero-Pailos
<h3>About the Work</h3>
Analogue Sites is a series of steel sculptures by Spanish-American artist and preservationist Jorge Otero-Pailos, created in 2019 from fencing salvaged during the preservation of the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, designed by Finnish-American modernist master Eero Saarinen. Otero-Pailos transformed this material as a way of preserving its layered history and drawing attention to the U.S. Embassy Program—an unprecedented Cold War–era initiative by the State Department that made modernist architecture and the arts central to American diplomacy abroad. These sculptures raise awareness of these embassies at a time when they are being decommissioned and left with little to no preservation protection.
At the Jay Heritage Center, two works are placed symmetrically in the restored garden parterres, framing the central path. Their mirrored placement reflects themes of balance and reciprocity central to diplomacy and honors John Jay’s historic missions to Spain, France, and England, and his role as a founding figure in American diplomacy.
Sculptures from this series have been exhibited in New York on Park Avenue; in London at Regent’s Park and at Winfield House, the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom; and in Washington, D.C., at the National Museum of American Design.

Otero-Pailos is an internationally recognized New York–based artist, architect, and preservationist known for his monumental casts of historical buildings. He has exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Venice Art Biennale and the British Parliament, and his works are held in major museum collections. Otero-Pailos also teaches and directs the Historic Preservation program at Columbia University GSAPP.
Photo by Simon Cherry&nbsp; © Otero-Pailos Studio

Local Event: Analogue Sites by Jorge Otero-Pailos

Analogue Sites by Jorge Otero-Pailos

Join us for a reception with the artist on Thursday, September 10, 2026 at 5:30pm. Registration link coming soon!

It is deeply...

Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains

The Westchester Community for Humanistic Judaism will present a Rosh Hashanah service led by Rabbi Frank Tamburello.Refreshments will be served after the service. There is a $10 charge for non-members with tickets purchased <a href="https://www.ubme.com/event/b713c674-825c-4f1f-bbd0-3fb789c55e3f" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">in advance</a>, or $15 per person at the door.&nbsp; Please visit our <a href="https://wchj.org/https://wchj.org/HighHolidays.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">website</a> for more information.

Local Event: Humanistic Rosh Hashanah Service

Humanistic Rosh Hashanah Service

The Westchester Community for Humanistic Judaism will present a Rosh Hashanah service led by Rabbi Frank...

The Jay Heritage Center in Rye, New York will celebrate America at 250 with a toast to Jay Medal honorees Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annette Gordon-Reed, the Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard University and award-winning Lincoln historian Harold Holzer.
The Jay Medal for Service was created in 2012 to recognize individuals who demonstrate a selfless spirit of commitment to and engagement with their community mirroring the multifaceted contributions of John Jay and his descendants. These honorees have demonstrated through their life's work that our shared narratives as a country, complicated as they are, can be better illuminated through the highest caliber of ongoing scholarship and advocacy. Honorees are selected for their excellence in the fields of American history, environmental stewardship, social justice or civic engagement.
Joining the celebration will be Chief Judge of the State of New York and the New York Court of Appeals, Honorable Rowan D. Wilson and historian and philanthropist Elihu Rose who will present the awards at JHC's annual Soirée. Special guests will include David Blight, Frank Cogliano, Joanne Freeman, and Beverly Gage.

The Jay Medal Soirée will be held Saturday, September 19, 2026 at the Jay Estate from 5:30-9:30pm. Cocktails, dinner, award ceremony and dancing. Cocktail Attire.
<a href="https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/hh4hwzr/lp/2df39049-73d1-4b5e-8196-3cbfafe00fd4" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">PURCHASE ADVANCE TABLES AND TICKETS HERE</a> Scroll down for more info about tables and tickets. Request a print invitation by emailing <a href="mailto:jayheritagecenter@gmail.com" target="_blank">jayheritagecenter@gmail.com</a>

Local Event: Jay Medal Soirée

Jay Medal Soirée

The Jay Heritage Center in Rye, New York will celebrate America at 250 with a toast to Jay Medal honorees Pulitzer...

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National Edition

Debra Gaylord, Neighbor

Posting Activity

Opening Reception: Does This Taste Funny? Humor in Contemporary Art

Melissa Murray in Conversation with President Cristle Collins Judd

Analogue Sites by Jorge Otero-Pailos

Humanistic Rosh Hashanah Service

Jay Medal Soirée