Cognitive Dissonance Comes to Carroll House
Connecticut College art professor Gregory Bailey will bring his sculptural installation, Cognitive Dissonance 3/1 to the Carroll House Gallery from March 24-April 16.
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon that refers to the discomfort felt when new information or events conflict with your preconceived notions or beliefs. Although you can often change your attitude or behavior to eliminate the dissonance, most people simply rely on such defense mechanisms as rationalization, justification, blaming, and denial. _Cognitive Dissonance 3/1 _explores three levels of cognitive dissonance, which depart from traditional research into cognitive and cultural dissonance.
Bailey’s work engages in political, social, and cultural awareness while using elements of wit, humor, irony, and visual aesthetic. A unifying theme is the interconnectedness of the environment and the self, and his installations impose an environment upon the viewer; the spectator is invited to become part of the artwork.
Prior to the opening, the artist will offer a lecture at noon on Wednesday, March 23, in the Thorne-Sagendorph Conference Room, and there will be a reception for the exhibit opening on Thursday, March 24, from 4-6 p.m. at the Carroll House Gallery.
Several KSC students from the ceramics and photography programs will show their work at Carroll House along with Bailey’s exhibit. Photography student Will Wrobel (Manchester, NH), and ceramic students Alexa Paola (Middlebury, CT), Katie Houle (Newton, NH), Dana R. Ward Jr. (Exeter, NH), Tasla Feuerbach (Manchester, MA), Kristen Muller (New Fairfield, CT), Emma Stewart (Westmoreland, NH), Erin Stewart (Westmoreland, NH), Charity Thackston (Keene, NH), and Samantha Pratt (Bristol, CT) will display their creations as part of the exhibition.
The Carroll House Gallery at Keene State College is located on Main Street, beside the Alumni Center, and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 12-5 p.m. All Carroll House Gallery events are free and open to the public.
