Carol Steen
Encyclopedia
Carol Steen is an artist, writer, curator, and synesthete who lives and works in New York
. She has had over 20 solo gallery exhibitions, her first solo exhibition was at the Detroit Institute of Arts
, and her work has been in over 50 group exhibitions including shows at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
, the Brookgreen Gardens Museum
in South Carolina, the Cranbrook Museum in Michigan, and the DeCordova Museum
in Massachusetts.
Steen has been the recipient of fellowships from the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire; the Printmaking Workshop in New York City; and the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA); among others.
Her work is in the collections of several public art collections including the Detroit Institute of Arts
, the Robert McGlaughlin Gallery
in Canada, and the Library of Congress
.
and for her work in making the knowledge of synesthesia available to people. Steen experiences colors while viewing letters and numbers (grapheme-color synesthesia
), music (timbre-color synesthesia), and (touch-color synesthesia) in response to acupuncture and pain. She has shared her synesthetic experiences on the first website on synesthesia created by Karen Chenausky, Adam Rosen and Carol Steen in 1996 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
.
She studied art at Cranbrook Academy of Art where she gained her Master of Fine Arts. She has taught at the University of Michigan
, and at William Paterson University
. She currently teaches at Touro College
, New York.
She is co-author, with Greta Berman and Daphne Maurer, of the book Synesthesia: Art and the Mind (2008) which documents an exhibition of art by genuine synesthetic artists, and two who were thought to be. This exhibition was held at the McMaster Museum of Art. It was co-curated by Carol Steen and Greta Berman and ran from September 2008 through December 2008.
Steen has presented her work at numerous conferences on synesthesia including; The University of Edinburgh, 2008; University of Granada, 2007; University of California Berkeley, 2004; University of California San Diego, 2002; Yale 1999; and the University of Cambridge, Trinity College, 1997; among many others. She has been a co-chair and panelist for talks on Synesthesia and Art at the College Art Association’s annual conferences in 2005 and 2009. She has presented her work at the School of Visual Arts in NYC in 2007, at The Juilliard School every year since 2000, and at M.I.T. in 1997.
She has been in numerous television and radio documentaries including “60 Minutes”, the BBC, and NPR, and in many books, magazines and newspapers including, the Smithsonian Magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
In addition, Steen is the co-founder, with Patricia Lynne Duffy
, and current board member of the American Synesthesia Association
.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She has had over 20 solo gallery exhibitions, her first solo exhibition was at the Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
, and her work has been in over 50 group exhibitions including shows at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
, the Brookgreen Gardens Museum
Brookgreen Gardens
Brookgreen Gardens is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve, located just south of Murrells Inlet, in South Carolina. The property includes several themed gardens with American figurative sculptures placed in them, the Lowcountry Zoo, and trails through several ecosystems in nature reserves on...
in South Carolina, the Cranbrook Museum in Michigan, and the DeCordova Museum
DeCordova Museum
The DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is a sculpture park and art museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts focused on modern and contemporary art, and holds a collection focused on work in all media, especially works by artists with connections to New England...
in Massachusetts.
Steen has been the recipient of fellowships from the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire; the Printmaking Workshop in New York City; and the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA); among others.
Her work is in the collections of several public art collections including the Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
, the Robert McGlaughlin Gallery
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, is the largest public art gallery in the Durham Region of Ontario. The gallery houses a significant collection of Canadian contemporary and modern artwork...
in Canada, and the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
.
Experience of synesthesia
She is notable for her artworks which make use of her experiences of synesthesiaSynesthesia
Synesthesia , from the ancient Greek , "together," and , "sensation," is a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway...
and for her work in making the knowledge of synesthesia available to people. Steen experiences colors while viewing letters and numbers (grapheme-color synesthesia
Grapheme-color synesthesia
Grapheme → color synesthesia is a form of synesthesia in which an individual's perception of numbers and letters is associated with the experience of colors. Like all forms of synesthesia, grapheme → color synesthesia is involuntary, consistent, and memorable...
), music (timbre-color synesthesia), and (touch-color synesthesia) in response to acupuncture and pain. She has shared her synesthetic experiences on the first website on synesthesia created by Karen Chenausky, Adam Rosen and Carol Steen in 1996 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
.
She studied art at Cranbrook Academy of Art where she gained her Master of Fine Arts. She has taught at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, and at William Paterson University
William Paterson University
William Paterson University is a comprehensive public institution located in Wayne, New Jersey serving nearly 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students through five colleges: , , , , and ....
. She currently teaches at Touro College
Touro College
Touro College is a sponsored independent institution of higher and professional education, in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by Dr. Bernard Lander, the College was established primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American community...
, New York.
She is co-author, with Greta Berman and Daphne Maurer, of the book Synesthesia: Art and the Mind (2008) which documents an exhibition of art by genuine synesthetic artists, and two who were thought to be. This exhibition was held at the McMaster Museum of Art. It was co-curated by Carol Steen and Greta Berman and ran from September 2008 through December 2008.
Steen has presented her work at numerous conferences on synesthesia including; The University of Edinburgh, 2008; University of Granada, 2007; University of California Berkeley, 2004; University of California San Diego, 2002; Yale 1999; and the University of Cambridge, Trinity College, 1997; among many others. She has been a co-chair and panelist for talks on Synesthesia and Art at the College Art Association’s annual conferences in 2005 and 2009. She has presented her work at the School of Visual Arts in NYC in 2007, at The Juilliard School every year since 2000, and at M.I.T. in 1997.
She has been in numerous television and radio documentaries including “60 Minutes”, the BBC, and NPR, and in many books, magazines and newspapers including, the Smithsonian Magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
In addition, Steen is the co-founder, with Patricia Lynne Duffy
Patricia Lynne Duffy
Patricia Lynne Duffy is an instructor in the UN Language and Communications Programme. She has an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University...
, and current board member of the American Synesthesia Association
American Synesthesia Association
The American Synesthesia Association is a not-for-profit academic and public society whose mission is to foster and promote the education and the advancement of knowledge of the phenomena of synesthesia, a neurological condition in which stimulation in one sensory modality leads to experiences in...
.
External links
- Entry at the CLARA Database of Woment in the Arts. National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) . Accessed January 2011