Members: Free
General public: $20
Students &\
; Children: $5
Tickets required. Ticket sale
s will open one month before the event.
The member discount will autom
atically be applied at checkout.
From its start in 1952 as a popular humor comic book\, MAD evolved into a beloved magazine that spoke truth to power and attracted g enerations of devoted readers. Always historically and socially timely—an d always very funny—MAD’s influence is vast and ongoing. Join us for a pa nel discussion on the art\, satire\, and cultural impact of What\, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine\, moderated by CAM Director of Lea rning and Interpretation Emily Agricola Holtrop and featuring author and scholar Judith Yaross Lee\, illustrator and art director Sam Viviano\, an d artist C.F. Payne. \;
\nThis program will be interpreted in American Sign Language by \;Ghostlight Stage Company.
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Judith Yaross Lee is Distinguished Profe
ssor Emerita of Communication Studies at Ohio University (Athens\, OH)\,
where she also held the Charles E. Zumkher Chair in Rhetoric and Public C
ulture until her 2019 retirement. A leading authority on American humor\,
especially in print\, Lee has published six books and some 60 articles o
n the history and cultural significance of American popular rhetorics\, m
ost recently Seeing MAD: Essays on Mad Magazine’s Humor and Legacy (Unive
rsity of Missouri Press\, 2020) and “American Comedies\, Imperial Heritag
e” (The Oxford Handbook of Screen Comedy\, 2025). \;
C.F. Payne
Now in Lebanon\, OH\, C.
F. Payne’s illustrations have appeared in magazines\, advertisements\, an
d children’s book for more that 35 years. A graduate of Miami University
(Oxford\, OH)\, with a BFA\, and the Illustrators Workshop (South Kortrig
ht\, NY)\, Payne began his freelance career upon his move to Dallas\, TX\
, in 1980. He has taught illustration for more than 25 years\, with 19 at
the Columbus College of Art and Design. Currently Payne serves as the Di
rector of the MFA in Illustration program at the Hartford Art School at t
he University of Hartford. His art has been exhibited in numerous museums
and university galleries including the Cincinnati Art Museum\, the Natio
nal Portrait Gallery\, the Norman Rockwell Museum\, Huntington Art Museum
\, the Baseball Hall of Fame\, and more. Payne’s art has appeared on the
covers of Time Magazine\, MAD Magazine\, Der Spiegel\, The New York Times
Magazine\, Sports Illustrated\, and Reader’s Digest. He has illustrated
20 children’s books\, some by Sue Macy\, Marissa Moss\, Phil Bildner and
noted actor/authors John Lithgow\, Steve Martin\, astronaut Mark Kelly\,
and Mark Twain’s classic\, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In 2018\, Payne
was elected to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame. \;
Sam Viviano
Sam Viviano is a
n award-winning illustrator and art director. Born in Detroit and a gradu
ate of the University of Michigan\, Viviano moved to New York City in the
mid-seventies to pursue a career in the arts. For more than 20 years\, h
e was a successful illustrator specializing in caricature and cartooning\
, his work appearing in magazines\, books\, and advertising. Most notably
\, Viviano was a regular contributor to MAD Magazine. In 1999\, he joined
the MAD staff as Art Director\, a position he held for the next 19 years
. \; Viviano won the prestigious National Cartoonists Society award f
or Best Magazine Illustration in 2009. In 2014 he was inducted into the M
edia Industry News Design Hall of Fame. He has lectured extensively throu
ghout the world on his career and the history of MAD. Viviano is proud to
have been a member of seven USO tours to draw caricatures for U.S. troop
s stationed in Europe\, the Middle East. and stateside. Most recently\, h
e was Lead Advisor to the enthusiastically received MAD exhibition at the
Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge\, Massachusetts. Viviano and his w
ife Diane\, a pediatrician\, live in New York City\, along with a boister
ous cairn terrier named Wallaby. \;
image credit: Judith Yaross Lee headsh ot by Ben Siegel of Ohio University Media Services. \;
\nIf you need accessibility accommodations\, please contact us in advance at access@cincyart.org or fill out the accessibil ity request form.
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