Student work sought for psychology art competition

The Department of Psychology is inviting all Cornell undergraduate and graduate students to explore the human condition through two-dimensional art, and submit their work for a juried annual competition.

Artists are encouraged to imaginatively and critically explore different elements of human psychology -- such as thought, emotion, behavior or perception -- in their work. All submissions will be reviewed and exhibited in Uris Hall during the spring 2009 semester, with the winner receiving a $2,000 prize and his or her artwork acquired for permanent display. A selection panel will also choose three works for honorable mention prizes of $100 each.

Professor of psychology and department chair Tom Gilovich said he was inspired to sponsor an art competition for several reasons. First, the hallways around the psychology department had essentially been bare since a renovation three years ago.

"When we redid the internal space, we got rid of some really old and horrible artwork, if you could call it that," Gilovich said. "We didn't want to put it back, so we had three years without any art on the walls."

Concurrent with the renovation in 2005, Gilovich asked a student advisee, Robyn Finkelstein '06, a dual major in psychology and art and design, to redesign the display in Uris of the department's Wilder Brain Collection. Finkelstein did the redesign as a joint project with Bernadette Acuna '07. They added the brain donors' biographies and photos, new lighting and lettering to the display case.

When the display case was completed in spring 2006, "I said to my wife, 'if they can do that, there must be a ton of creative people here,'" Gilovich said. "Instead of buying just any artwork, we could just tap this talent."

Cornell students may submit one work dealing with the theme of psychology to 211 Uris Hall by Feb. 27, 2009. All art must be submitted ready to hang, and a completed submission form (available in 211 Uris) attached to the back.

All submitted artwork will be exhibited from March to early May in Uris Hall, and prize winners will be announced in April. All but the winning work must be picked up by May 14, 2009. For more information, contact Elizabeth Chandler at evc1@cornell.edu.

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