Hello
Welcome to our platform! JSybyllaSmith.com is a place for me and YOU to connect. Please explore what I do, ways we can work together, and photographic resources I’ve compiled.
Meet Syb
J. Sybylla Smith is an independent curator and creator of the globally recognized Concept Aware®: How You See & Why It Matters podcast, reaching 20,000 listeners across 79 countries. Sybylla’s creative framework helps visual artists transform abstract ideas into tangible works across multiple formats. With a commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices, she has curated over 30 exhibitions featuring 115+ international photographers. Her forthcoming book, Concept Aware®: How You See & Why It Matters, shares her innovative approach to visual storytelling.
Illuminate. Elevate. Amplify.
Concept Aware®
The Framework
Concept Aware® is an applicable framework of concept development that I created to provide specific tools for visual artists to bring their abstract ideas to fruition in image and text. Concept Aware® addresses equity representation and guides art-makers to approach visual storytelling with an intersectional lens.
The Podcast
Concept Aware® Podcast is a veritable masterclass in concept development. In 85+ conversations, I engage with an international array of contemporary photographers, curators and artists to discuss how they see. We focus on the photobook-making process across all genres of photography, and provide extensive hyperlinked resources with each episode.
Work With Me
Collaboration is the foundation of my work in curation, education and consultation. My role is to illuminate and elevate your creative practice, to provide tools of concept development and accompany your process to clarify and empower your ideas to transform into images, exhibitions, installations and photo books. It begins with a brief exploratory phone call to discuss your needs and how I can specifically address them.
Testimonials
“Sybylla slowly dissected the layers of content around my work, opening me up to see from an elevated vantage point. Her artist statement reflected my work with graphic poetry, offering a visual that stirs deep imagination; she makes it personal and intimate all at the same time.”
— Francine Zaslow
“Syb’s ability to see connections between images sometimes baffled me and often amazed me. Until I experienced it on the walls, I couldn’t fully appreciate how perfectly placed they were.”
— Becky Wilkes
“I’ve been around the industry for several decades and have yet to meet anyone else quite like Sybylla. When I’m fortunate enough to cross paths with her, I know I will depart with a smile and a long list of things I need to explore.”
— Dan Milnor
