Methodological approaches to teaching and applying visual literacy have evolved exponentially in recent years, with discussions around image interpretation rapidly expanding to address new and more diverse challenges, audiences, and technological innovations. The implementation of measurement tools and standards is, at best, a moving target, requiring inventive and fluid strategies. Visual literacy teaching and use practices bridge new disciplines, from Anthropology and Sociology to Physics and Biology. This rapidly changing landscape has further invigorated the dialog and generated exciting advances.
This session aims to shed light on both hurdles and innovations to visual literacy. There will be three approaches to visual literacy as it appears in very different environments, but each presentation seeks to establish meaningful ways to analyze varied components of visual materials based on specific audiences. The director of the Visual Arts Data Service at the University for the Creative Arts will present research on data management practice as applied to the visual arts. A researcher and archivist will explain how a visual information retrieval system could be implemented in archives, and how it differs from text-based searching. A collaborative team from Lewis & Clark, a small liberal arts college, will discuss case studies from a number of visual literacy workshops designed for different disciplines and levels.
