Research Guides: Studio Art: Visual Literacy

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How Do You Look
“How Do You Look?” is an initiative to promote visual literacy, sponsored by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in cooperation with Duke Libraries.

Associations

International Visual Literacy Association
IVLA is a not-for-profit association of researchers, educators, designers, media specialists, and artists dedicated to the principles of visual literacy.
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IVLA was formed for the purpose of providing a forum for the exchange of information related to visual literacy. We are also concerned with issues dealing with education, instruction and training in modes of visual communication and their application through the concept of visual literacy to individuals, groups, organizations, and to the public in general.

Our members represent a wide range of disciplines including the arts, sciences, education, communication, business, videography, photography, instructional technology, health, and computer applications. We invite you to join us in the lively debates of our field, and we look forward to forming lasting professional and personal friendships.
International Visual Sociology Association
The purpose of the IVSA is to promote the study, production, and use of visual images, data, and materials in teaching, research, and applied activities, and to foster the development and use of still photographs, film, video, and electronically transmitted images in sociology and other social sciences and related disciplines and applications.

ACRL Guidelines

Visual Literacy Defined

Visual literacy is a set of abilities that enables an individual to effectively find, interpret, evaluate, use, and create images and visual media. Visual literacy skills equip a learner to understand and analyze the contextual, cultural, ethical, aesthetic, intellectual, and technical components involved in the production and use of visual materials. A visually literate individual is both a critical consumer of visual media and a competent contributor to a body of shared knowledge and culture.

In an interdisciplinary, higher education environment, a visually literate individual is able to:

• Determine the nature and extent of the visual materials needed
• Find and access needed images and visual media effectively and efficiently
• Interpret and analyze the meanings of images and visual media
• Evaluate images and their sources
• Use images and visual media effectively
• Design and create meaningful images and visual media
• Understand many of the ethical, legal, social, and economic issues surrounding the creation and use of images and visual media, and access and use visual materials ethically

For the complete set of ACRL Visual Literacy Competancy Standards, please click HERE