OK, here’s one for the “weird, random stuff” file. Listen and learn, folks.

The Lab Art & Ideas is a gallery over in Belmar, the shopping and entertainment district that has risen from the crumbling ruins of the old Villa Italia mall in Lakewood. The Lab seems to really like mixing up art and ideas (hence the name, I’m sure) but still — this is just plain odd. Tonight they are offering a lecture at the gallery on the topics of Piano Miniatures & Hearty Shrubs.

Yes, I am totally being serious.

I have the event flyer right here. Tonight’s $5 lecture (Is there an audience for a talk about tiny pianos and boxwood? Just curious.) starts with a 6 p.m. reception, followed by speakers on the two blatantly unrelated topics from 6:30 – 8 p.m.

So I have to admit that I’m a little bit intrigued, just because you have to be pretty damn optimistic and kinda gutsy to offer this sort of event with no fear of the chirping-cricket, empty-venue outcome. It’s a weekly thing too, so no worries if you can’t make tonight’s randon pairing. There’s one every Thursday. Some of them are strange, others are really strange, but several are actually very appealing to me. Next week, it’s Susan Sontag & Paint by Numbers. Take a look at the rest:

6/30 – Tattoo Art & Ibsen’s Medeas
7/7 – Meat Sausage & T.S. Eliot
7/14 – Mexican Muralists & Woody after Mia
7/21 – Modern Origami & Native American Pottery
7/28 – Clyfford Still & Cajun Cuisine
8/4 – Jacques Derrida & New African Music
8/11 – Feminist Art & Burlesque Theater
8/18 – Contemporary Opera & Murder Ballads
8/25 – Punk Rock & Zen Buddhism
9/1 – Contemporary Photography & Exotic Orchids

I am totally there for the zen of punk rock, burlesque, and the origami night. Fo’ sho.

Want in on it? Call 303-742-1520 for reservations.