If the past few months in quarantine have made it hard for you to laugh, youre not alone. The world around us is shifting tremendously in some ways that are necessary and could potentially lead to a new paradigm in our everyday lives. In the group of unexpected changes we face in work and play, the world of comedy is at the center. Zoom calls have become the new improv stage for virtual stand-up shows, and sometimes, if the audience is just mute enough, comics are just monologuingwhich is entirely bad. Grassroots Comedy is striving to be a balm for weary times with their sixth episode of Well, Well, Well, a comedy show where comics share their deep insights on wellness. In this upcoming episode, comedians act as a conduit for the sustainability of communities around us, compounded with topics of mental and emotional wellness. Proceeds will go to frontline agency Bread for the City, which works to uproot racism and provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty. Is comedy leading the charge in societal change? Will comedy save us all? Remains to be seen, but laughing for a cause could be a great start. The show begins at 8 p.m. on July 16. Registration is available at eventbrite.com. $5 minimum donation. Mikala Williams

Yuno Baswir's paintings teeter compellingly between order and chaos. Baswir, who has a new online and in-person exhibit at Studio Gallery DC, creates his new series of 24 inch by 36 or 48 inch acrylics by painting his canvases flat on a table. Each starts with a steady background color, ranging from royal blue to lavender to lime; Baswir then superimposes that layer with a broad cluster of small, white, circular shapes made by hand using a special tool. The circular shapes are organized in irregular but pleasing patterns that suggest vibrating atoms or television static. Baswir imbues his paintings with spirituality. I intentionally and consciously use the act of painting to remember and praise The Most High, he says. The round shapes were inspired by prayer beads, and by the look of the gathering of hundreds of thousands of human beings in one place for the one purpose of worshiping and praising their Creator. The paintings can be seen online at Studio Gallerys website and the artists website, and also in person at the gallery by appointment on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and without appointment on Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 6 p.m. The exhibition is available at studiogallerydc.com and yunodelwizarbaswir.com. Call (202) 232-8734 for in-person appointments. Free. Louis Jacobson

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City Lights: See if Laughter Is the Best Medicine or Browse a Spiritual Abstract Exhibition - Washington City Paper