Is It Real? showcases the artwork of ten nationally acclaimed sculptors working in clay, wood, paper, and metal. Made in the trompe l’oeil style, thirty pieces challenge the viewer in multiple ways. Some of the sculptors elevate ordinary, everyday objects while tricking our senses through the use of unconventional materials. Is that “cloth” dishtowel hanging from a peg on the wall real–or is it something else? Others explore various aspects of nature, society, and the built environment. All will delight you with their humor and irony and make you do a double-take in more ways than one.

The John F. Peto Museum is the restored home and studio of the renowned 19th century still-life painter. The first floor of the museum is set up as it was in Peto’s time with original furnishings, artworks, and artifacts. The museum is open for guided tours of the house and special exhibition on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 pm to 4 pm and by appointment. Admission is $10 adults, $5 children, 12 and under. For information call 732-929-4949.

The exhibition, “Is It Real? Contemporary Sculpture that Tricks the Eye,” is made possible in part by a grant administered by the Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission from funds administered by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and generous support from the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation.