Proposal Title
Creating Visual Responses as a Tool for Greater Student Engagement and Understanding
Abstract
This workshop will explore the use of visual journals as a means to deepen students’ aesthetic experience and expand their capacity in visual literacy. The workshop will introduce the course Fine and Performing Arts in Boston: Aesthetic Encounters with the Arts around Us which explores the rich heritage of fine and performing arts in Boston and Cambridge through readings, exhibitions, performances and online resources. The course focuses on an analysis of the formal and expressive qualities of each artistic medium (architecture, dance, drama, music, and the visual arts) by engaging students in describing, interpreting and evaluating works of art to develop students’ skills of aesthetic perception and response. In light of the Visual Literacy InFUSION Project at Lesley University, I collaborated with a PhD teaching assistant to create a visual journal component which required students to respond to course readings and arts experiences in both words and images. To support students in developing their images, we led workshops in class focused on creating visual responses to the aesthetic elements in each of the artistic media. These creative activities led to greater perception of the elements in the arts, which in turn led to deeper aesthetic engagement in interpreting and evaluating works of art.
We will explore various artistic tools and technologies to support participants in creating images for visual journals. The workshop will conclude with an exhibit of created art works and a discussion of how visual journals could be used in designing visual literacy learning experiences across the disciplines.
Start Date
28-3-2018 4:10 PM
End Date
28-3-2018 5:00 PM
Presentation Type
Workshop
Disciplines
Art and Design | Arts and Humanities | Curriculum and Instruction
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Creating Visual Responses as a Tool for Greater Student Engagement and Understanding
U-Hall 3-087
This workshop will explore the use of visual journals as a means to deepen students’ aesthetic experience and expand their capacity in visual literacy. The workshop will introduce the course Fine and Performing Arts in Boston: Aesthetic Encounters with the Arts around Us which explores the rich heritage of fine and performing arts in Boston and Cambridge through readings, exhibitions, performances and online resources. The course focuses on an analysis of the formal and expressive qualities of each artistic medium (architecture, dance, drama, music, and the visual arts) by engaging students in describing, interpreting and evaluating works of art to develop students’ skills of aesthetic perception and response. In light of the Visual Literacy InFUSION Project at Lesley University, I collaborated with a PhD teaching assistant to create a visual journal component which required students to respond to course readings and arts experiences in both words and images. To support students in developing their images, we led workshops in class focused on creating visual responses to the aesthetic elements in each of the artistic media. These creative activities led to greater perception of the elements in the arts, which in turn led to deeper aesthetic engagement in interpreting and evaluating works of art.
We will explore various artistic tools and technologies to support participants in creating images for visual journals. The workshop will conclude with an exhibit of created art works and a discussion of how visual journals could be used in designing visual literacy learning experiences across the disciplines.
