‘Visual Literacy’ as a term or concept is not grasped my enough people in the educational arena. Art class unfortunately is viewed as a very narrow field of study and in many cases not even worthy of being part of a curriculum at all. It should, however, be viewed and an essential part of every curriculum. The world is made up verbal and visual idioms i.e. what we read or hear and what we see. It is important that we understand the meaning of words and equally as important to understand the meaning of images. The understanding of ‘images’ is what visual literacy in art education should focus on. I ran across the article in Art Business News Magazine this morning and made me feel obligated to pickup the gauntlet once again. Lets integrate visual literacy into K12 curriculums and help our kids to have a fighting chance. It is not about being a better artist it is about being a better person.
http://artbusinessnews.com/2015/12/visual-literacy-the-holy-grail-of-art/