Hello fellow artists,

Do you sometimes wonder what a picture means? Are you a visual artist? How visually literate are you? Yesterday's blog entry was about visual literacy, although the term was not yet in use when Nancy Newhall's quote was originally published.

Visual literacy, or the ability to understand visual images and the ability to communicate with visual images, is a crucial skill for the 21st century person. We are bombarded with visuals on television, in movies, and on the Internet. Our ability to interpret these visuals accurately gives us a valuable edge.

According to enGuage, students who are visually literate:
-- Have working knowledge of visuals produced or displayed through electronic media.
-- Understand basic elements of visual design, technique, and media.
-- Are aware of emotional, psychological, physiological, and cognitive influences in perceptions of visuals.
-- Comprehend representational, explanatory, abstract, and symbolic images.
-- Apply knowledge of visuals in electronic media.
-- Are informed viewers, critics, and consumers of visual information.
-- Are knowledgeable designers, composers, and producers of visual information.
-- Are effective visual communicators.
-- Are expressive, innovative visual thinkers and successful problem solvers.

Selected resources for visual literacy:

-- Joel and Irene Benedict Visual Literacy Collection

-- International Visual Literacy Association

-- The Online Visual Literacy Project

-- Visual literacy activities and exercises

-- 21st Century Literacies

-- See also my information package on symbolism.

Learning the language of images will give you greater control over your art work, increase your ability to explain your art work to others and enrich your understanding of your culture.

Technorati Tags: visual literacy, visual communication, visual media, symbolism

Morning Walk
Patricia Roshaven
Photo Album