This week, the Cincinnati Art Museum opens What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine in the Western and Southern Galleries. This exhibition comes to us from the Norman Rockwell Museum, and it is jam-packed with original illustrations, cover art, action figures, a couple of MAD ties, and, oh, a pair of Alfred E. Neuman boxer shorts — 250+ in all.

Installing a show of this size is no mean feat. Still, our Usual Gang of NOT Idiots across our exhibition design, registration, conservation, and installation departments are absolute pros and have been great to work with in creating this fun and engaging display. 

As a museum educator, serving as curator for this project has been a valuable learning experience. While I’ve curated smaller exhibitions in the past, this one is big, I mean huge, with a lot of moving parts and needs. It has been great fun to look at this through my educator’s eyes, thinking about how our docents will host tours, which objects will be great for comparing and contrasting, which need a bit more room due to their potential popularity, and which may raise a few eyebrows.

We hope that you will join us at the CAM for this exhibition (now thru March 1, 2026) and have a great giggle while learning about the power of satire and humor when addressing significant moments in our history.

Here are a few behind-the-scenes shots of the installation.