Abstract
Visual literacy is a skill set that allows an individual to analyze, interpret, and respond to images and artwork. This skill set also provides an individual with the vocabulary and practice needed to talk about images and artwork within a group setting. In March of 2019 and 2020, Visual Literacy and Resource Librarian at Indiana University Bloomington, Jacqueline Fleming, gave visual literacy training sessions to museum docents at the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art in Bloomington, Indiana. Both hour long sessions incorporated interactive opportunities for the docents to gain visual literacy skills, learn with their peers, and develop strategies for leading museum tours that embrace the mission of the Eskenazi Museum. The main goal of these trainings was to give the docents the confidence to communicate and relate to museum visitors through the artworks they showed in their tours. This paper reviews the literature on docent training and visual literacy as well as ways others can effectively incorporate visual literacy into their docent training programs.
Presenters
Jacqueline FlemingVisual Literacy and Resources Librarian, Scholars' Commons Department, IU Libraries, Indiana University-Bloomington, Indiana, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Docent Training, Visual Literacy, Visitors
