MARCIA R. SMILACK, PhD

Reflectionist,
Photographer and Writer

EDUCATION:

PhD With Distinction
Brown University, Department of English
Providence, Rhode Island
(Doctoral Dissertation)

BA With Distinction In Major
University of Wisconsin, English Major
Madison, Wisconsin

SPECIAL RECOGNITION IN PHOTOGRAPHY

LECTURES AND PRESENTATIONS


2011      University of California, San Diego, CA

2011      Museum of Modern Art / Kiev, Ukraine

2010      Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (with picture)

2008      McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

2008      Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

2007      University Of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL

2006      The School For Visual Arts, New York City, NY

2006      Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany + Video

2005      University Of Texas, Houston, TX

2005      The College Art Association, Atlanta, GA

2004      University Of California, Berkeley, CA + review

2003      The Rockefeller Institute, New York, NY

2003      Synergy Design Center, Vineyard Haven, MA

2002      Bunch Of Grapes, Authors Series, Vineyard Haven, MA

1999      Feather Stone Meeting House For Arts, Oak Bluffs, MA

1999      Harvard University, Graduate School of Landscape Design, Cambridge, MA

1999      Yale University, New Haven, CT

For details on the lectures, check Abstracts Page

2010         Wednesday Is Indigo Blue, By Dr. Richard Cytowic and Dr. David
                 Eagleman, MIT Press

2009         The Neuro Revolution: How Brain Science Is Changing Our World, 
                 By Zack Lynch

2008         Synesthesia: Art and the Mind, Catalogue to the exhibition at the 
                 McMaster Museum of Art

2008         Synaesthesia: A 'Golden Thread' Through Life? Ed. Alexandra Dittmar,
                 Die Blaue Eule

2008         Synästhetisches Design: Kreative Produktentwicklung für alle Sinne,
                 By Michael Havercamp, Hanswer 

2007         The Hidden Sense, By Dr. Cretien van Campen, MIT Press  

2006         The Neurobiology of Painting, Essay by Amy Ione

2002         Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens by Patricia Lynn Duffy, Times Books  
 
1991         Dreams: 1900 – 2000: Science, Art and the Unconscious Mind,
                 Ed. Lynn Gamwell, Cornell University Press

2011      Ask Magazine: Arts and Sciences For KIds

2009      Science & Vie, Et Si nos 5 sens n’en faismient qu’un . . . By Eva Zadah

2008      Vineyard Gazette, “Hockney, Van Gogh, Meet Marcia Smilack,”
              By Holly Nadler

2008      Leonardo On-Line Reviews, “Synesthesia: Art And The Mind,” By Amy Ione

2008      Julliard Journal, “The Making Of An Art Exhibition: A Curator's View,” By
              Professor Greta Berman

2007      Hearing Beautiful Paintings: A Reflectionist Informs,  by Zack Lynch, author of
              "BrainWaves" Blog
2007      Associated Press, “The Sound Of Photos,” By Brandie Jefferson

2006      Tampa Tribune, “Picture A World Where Senses Collide,” By Michael Winter

2006      Seed Magazine, “The Most Beautiful Painting You've Ever Heard,” By
              Virginia Hughes

2006      Vineyard Style, “Wondrous Water Works: The Mindful Music Of Photographer
              Marcia Smilack,” John Budris

2003      Vineyard Gazette, “Reflectionist Marcia Smilack Pictures The Sounds Of The
              Sea,” By Rachel Rohr

1999      Colorado Camera, “Hearing Red,” By Lisa Marshall

1997      Vineyard Home & Garden, “Double-Takes: The Dancing Light Of Marcia
              Smilack’s Photo Surrealism,”  Jib Ellis

1996      Vineyard Times,, “Marcia Smilack’s Camera Sees Double,” By Jacqueline
              Sexton

1996      Art & Antiques Magazine, Summer Issue

WIKIPEDIA, ENTRIES: Synesthesia and Synesthesia in Art

"I taught myself to take pictures by shooting whenever I experience a synesthetic reaction to what I see: if  I experience a sensation of texture, motion or taste, I take the picture. If the reflection elicits the sound of cello, I shoot the picture. I photograph reflections on moving water. It works like this: I watch the surface of the sea until I experience one of my synesthetic responses. When I do, I trust it to be a reliable signal that tells me it is the right time to take the picture, so I click the shutter. Within the creative process, I think of my synesthetic responses as vital messengers that arrive faster than thought to deliver one urgent message which I always heed: beauty is lurking."

– Reflectionist Marcia Smilack on her photography technique

OTHER:

Header Art  From Virginia Hughes, Science Writer, Website

    
FEATURED IN DOCUMENTARY FILMS

2002            Chroma By Carrie Schultz
2002            I Hear With My Eyes By Richard Skidmore
1994            The Meaning Of Dreams By Linda Harrar, for the Discovery Channel

 FEATURED IN TELEVISION INTERVIEWS

2007                Mirai No Hosoku, The East Company, Tokyo, Japan
2007                The Vineyard View With Ann Bassett, MVTV Television

2009                NPR, The Art in Synesthesia, By Sonoe Nakasone
2007                Weekend America, A Different Sense Of Things
2008                Blog Radio: Fashionista's Corner

GALLERIES AND EXHIBITIONS
(Partial List)

WRITING AND PUBLICATIONS

         RECENT PUBLICATION:
         Épistémocritique : Volume 11, Automne 2012. Neurosciences, arts et littérature.
         "The Language of Synesthesia" by Marcia Smilack, January 2013