#not that kind of boner get your mind out of the gutter

Punny Pop-up Premieres Today!

We’re not fooling around when we say that our new pop-up is the funniest one we’ve ever done! Punny Pick-Me-Ups: Humor as social medicine prescribed by professional punsters, curated by GA Kellie Clinton, is on display now in our gallery!

While doctors have never been able to formally prescribe laughter as medicine, the idea has been around since at least the 1600s. Using medicine as a coping mechanism to both external and internal “ailments” in life is extremely prevalent and a common practice in modern society. This is evident through the endless amount of stand-up comedy available to stream on Netflix and other social media sites. But what did it look like before Netflix? Joke books! This exhibit explores how those jokes and joke books have changed from the mid-17th century through the mid-20th century.  It focuses on writers of all different backgrounds putting pen to paper to write wits, jests, satires, bon mots, boners, and more responding to external factors (like war) and internal factors (like feelings of greed and pride) in their lives.