About the exhibition:

Dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling that we all get from time to time. Many minds work in the binary but exist in an infinitely complex world.

When we cannot reconcile the contradictions between our core beliefs and our behaviors, human nature., human nature tells us to relieve the discomfort by any means necessary. People adopt new beliefs and discard previously deeply held “truths”; they hide or ignore their discordant behaviors; or they seek out confirmation that their actions and beliefs are aligned and harmonious despite evidence to the contrary. In essence, we gaslight ourselves into thinking there is no contradiction in our thoughts and actions to avoid the feelings that come with being in a world in flux.

America has long been a place of extreme contradictions. Regardless of social or political affiliations, we find it hard to make room for the many truths that come with living in America so we dig our heels in, dividing ourselves up into smaller factions. American Dissonance is a group exhibition that showcases thoughtful vignettes of American life. The work in this exhibition embodies the myriad ways that people get by. In a time when big looming geo-political issues can cast a long shadow on our lives, this exhibition is an ant’s eye view of American life and hopefully a return to solid ground. A place where we can hopefully find each other again.

American Dissonance will be on view in Gallery 2 from April 3 - April 19, 2025 with an opening reception on Saturday, April 5th from 4-7pm.

Featured DVAA ARTISTS:

Barbara Dirnbach, Brian Kelley, Colleen Hammond, Damien Pine, Dana Suleymanova, Daniel Feinstein, Daniel Neufeld, David Heshmatpour, Deena Flanagan, Edward W Keer, Erika Kuciw, Gary Grissom, Geoffrey Agrons, Heather Marie Scholl, Jay Roth, Jihan A Thomas, Joseph Eggleston, Lara Bros, Lily Colman, Lisa Hendrickson, Marvin Greenbaum, Monica Kane, Ona Kalstein, Phoebe Murer, Pomona Za, Rob Lybeck, Robert Gorchov, Rosemary Luckett, Sammy Kovnat (SKOVeS), Sharon Bloomfield Hicks, Stuart Lehrman, and Tom Sonnenberg