Pride

How can we recognize when pride stands in the way of progress? When does ego become central to performance? Jean Grae, a performer and true renaissance artist in the entertainment industry, will discuss the emphasis and impact of pride and ego-centricity in this competitive and fast-paced environment. To unpack the flaws of these attitudes in the entertainment industry and beyond, cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Phillip Corlett will break down the ways in which our perceptions of self are ultimately a delusion, prompting us to re-imagine industries less centered on “I” and more centered on “we.”

Ticket holders have the opportunity to join author and performer Kevin Townley for a gallery tour prior to the theater program at 6:00 PM or directly following the program at 8:30 PM. Tours are 35 minutes and will explore the permanent collection and the interactive Mandala Lab installation which inspired the Brainwave: Emotion talk series. The program will examine how both sacred and secular art can help us to unlock the wild wisdom of human emotion.

Please note that this event may be filmed or recorded.

About the speakers

Jean Grae is a multipotentialite that has created a life in various entertainment industries for over 25 years. Rapper, producer, composer, singer, humorist, author, actor, director, editor, designer, puppeteer, and minister of her own church only partly describe her activities. You can currently find Jean as the voice of Monica on Dicktown (FX) and composing/scoring the animated feature Did I Do That To The Holidays: A Steve Urkel Story (a Warner Bros. December 2022 release). She is writing her first book, In My Remaining Years, due out under the Flatiron/Janklow & Nesbit imprint in 2024.

Dr. Philip Corlett trained in Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. He came to the Yale University Department of Psychiatry to explore the maintenance of delusions. He was named a Rising Star and Future Opinion Leader by Pharmaceutical Marketing Magazine and joined the Yale faculty in 2011 where he continues to explore the cognitive and biological mechanisms of delusional beliefs (such that there is a self) as well as predictive learning, habit formation, and addiction.

About Our Guide

Kevin Townley is a writer, filmmaker, actor, singer, and meditation instructor. His film and television work include appearances in My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Men in Black III, The Detour, and Law & Order. He has written extensively for the Waterwell theater company and for Rookie magazine. He has also led hundreds of art tours in museums across the country including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, and the Rubin Museum of Art. His first book, Look, Look, Look, Look Again: Buddhist Wisdom Reflected in 26 Artists is published by Lionheart Press and available at the Rubin Museum shop. (Members’ price: $27.39 incl. tax) www.kevintownley.nyc

Lead support for Brainwave is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Additional support is provided by Cheryl Henson.

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