insite
: : kevan nitzberg
visual
literacy: renaissance of the 21st century?
Visual
literacy is a relatively new phrase that has entered the lexicon amid a rising
wave of multi-media technology. Personal computers and the internet have become
standard expectations in business and on the home front as well. Education has
added to this explosion in technological consumption, and students are learning
how to manipulate digitized images, film and edit digital movies, make presentations,
and create sophisticated animations. Also adding to the interest is the huge popularity
of video games and online, interactive virtual reality domains.
Through
all of this, the learning curve has taken a sharp upward bend. These tools of
communication generate needs for new policies and drive the evolution of cultural
norms, which in turn shape the reality of both the near and far future. It seems
reasonable to consider the implications of this 'latest and greatest' capability.
Near
the beginning of my contributing to the articles in this e-zine, I referenced
the work of Dr. Jason Ohler, from the University of Alaska Southeast. Dr. Ohler
was an early proponent of educating students in multi-media arts. This art, according
to Ohler, needs to be viewed as the '4th R' in education if we are to truly concern
ourselves with student success in today's world.
Ohler
stated that beyond the more traditional arguments that can be made to support
the need for a strong arts curriculum (engaging students in education, giving
students an outlet for expression, personal and cultural awareness, improve cognitive
functions, understanding of our humanity, etc.), the study and mastery of visual
art is critical for the development of "design skills, graphic literacy skills,
and skills that knit together pictures and words into unified presentations. Once
we better understand how video, sound, music and animation communicate ideas effectively,
and once the technology that supports these activities becomes more affordable
and less specialized, art will become the fundamental literacy for understanding
both old and new media." (1) This focus on what literacy entails certainly
expands its previously more limited definition of "using printed and written
information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's
knowledge and potential ". (2)
Additionally,
the developing of visual literacy skills also involves a greater understanding
and knowledge base of a myriad of components. Art appreciation, art history, art
criticism, studio art, technology and a host of other areas serve as a massive
and comprehensive base upon which to build a foundation for educating the population
and assisting in their becoming visually literate. The inclusion of these domains
needs to be an inherent part of the visual literacy process if, in fact, multi-media
technology is to become successful as a tool for advancing literacy. The online,
"21st Century School" site incorporates Stanford University's 'ArtiFact
Curriculum' program that integrates the following tenets as intrinsic in the teaching
of visual literacy skills:
"
teaching students how to 'read' and interpret images
" the application
of visual thinking strategies (VTS), focusing on aesthetic and cognitive growth
through interacting with art
" how to better interpret technical information
through the development of visual literacy skills
" the need to study
the development of art in order to be able to become better critical thinkers
"
identification of core competencies necessary to becoming visually literate
"
how to better enhance a child's understanding of literature through illustrations
(3)
Many in education
administration are already embracing the need for art literacy in schools as a
powerful tool for helping to provide a comprehensive and timely education for
students. In 2001, Dr. Terry Bergeson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
in Washington, wrote, "The Arts communicate and speak to us in ways that
teach literacy and enhance our lives. We must continue to find a place for arts
programs and partnerships not only for what it teaches students about art, but
for what it teaches us all about the world we live in." (4) Russ Chapman,
principal of Shady Brook Elementary School in Bedford, Texas, stated, "It
never entered my mind that arts education could become a powerful force in boosting
academic performance. But that's exactly what's happening today at my school…reading
scores, as measured by the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), have gone
up 12.3 percent in the last five years. Writing scores have increased 14 percent,
and math scores have shot up a remarkable 61 percent. And, in 1997, each and every
one of our 6th grade students demonstrated reading mastery. Beyond the TAAS scores,
which so graphically quantify our students' progress, anecdotal and empirical
evidence shows how comprehensive arts education is enhancing our students' ability
to understand concepts and to express themselves articulately." (5)
With
so much positive response to the concept of visual literacy as seen above, it
might seem that there are only good ramifications of this technological manifestation
of visual art . It might, however, be prudent to consider how in our need to stream-line,
quantify, mass produce and communicate viewpoints and ideas, that this particular
focus on a technologically-based art education might also prove to be somewhat
of a Trojan Horse if allowed to become the sole definition of what the art experience
encompasses.
Art
that we recognize as masterworks, be they from the past or the present, of necessity
represent intuitive leaps by the artist that not only rely on a mastery of the
medium, but an essential element of personal interpretation or vision that is
embedded in the work. Giorgio De Chirico once said when commenting on art's metaphysical
nature, "A work of art must narrate something that does not appear within
its outline. The objects and figures represented in it must likewise poetically
tell you of something that is far away from them and also of what their shapes
materially hide from us." (6)
"The
Archeologists", by De Chirico (7)
When
the focus reverts to the tools at hand (which might be considered endemic to computer
based imagery), the ability to move beyond those tools and arrive at "something
that does not appear within its outline" might not only be exceedingly difficult
to come by, but also at least as difficult to assess. If that becomes the case,
then the creative aspect of art and its ability to draw upon inference will be
severely undermined. This is not to say that creativity is an anathema to technology,
but might certainly not be the primary focus in the search for a communicable
image.
Referring
to the hunger for mass production that is also an aspect technology makes feasible,
one might also consider Martin Kippenberger's remark, "I don't think there
is any doubt that the present commercialization of the art world, at its top end,
is a cultural obscenity." Here also is a declaration against the mass media-hype
that multi-media might easily be tied to, that removes the uniqueness and quality
of what the artist is capable of producing, and criticizes the "strategies
of the art market and the larger political system". (8)
"Metro
Net", by Martin Kippenberger, 1997
Ultimately
the question that begs to be asked is, what is the goal of visual literacy? Certainly
there is on the surface the possibility that it could well end up primarily causing
the production of better 'sales people' and 'consumers' of images and the products
that they represent.
However,
it is equally plausible that if allowed to grow and find its own direction without
artificially being manipulated, the process might provide access to technologically-based
tools for the exploration, creation and discussion of images and concepts, that
will foster a greater understanding of culture, our past, our present and, perhaps
most importantly, a state of awareness and perception with which to shape a more
humane future.
It
also needs to be asserted that multi-media and computer-based art is only one
medium among many that all have unique characteristics, that may also be considered
pertinent to attaining visual literacy. It may well end up being the artist that
provides the necessary new interpretation of literacy that allows us to truly
'read between the lines'.
(1)
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_mOSTR/is_5_110/ai_69239390
(2)
http://nces.ed.gov/naal/defining/defining.asp
(3)
http://www.21stcenturyschools.com,/Visual_Literacy.html#Articles%20on%20Teaching%20Visual%20Literacy
(4)
http://www.k.12.wa.us/curriculum/Arts/default.sspx
(5)
http://www.goshen.edu/art/ed/help.html
(6)
Artists on Art: From the XIV to the XX Century, edited by Robert Goldwater and
Marco Treves, 1972, Pantheon Books, New York
(7) http://www.mcs.csuhayward.edu/~malek/Chirico.html
(8)
http://www.dialnsa.edu/iat97/Documenta/kippen.html
affiliates
