Kate Blake
Abstract: Since 2011, teaching visual literacy has been one of the strategic objectives of the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA), site of the 2014 International Visual Literacy Conference. In an effort to realize this objective, the museum established an institutional definition and framework for Visual literacy, created a twelve-hour introductory curriculum, and implemented it across the museum. This paper will give an overview of the visual literacy definition and framework employed by TMA, describe the pedagogical approach utilized by TMA educators and docents, and examine implementation of the curriculum through case studies of four of the museums core audiences: schools and teachers; general museum visitors; private sector partners; and museum staff, docents and volunteers. The case studies examined will focus on adaptation strategies employed to meet the unique needs of these distinct audiences. The article will also address ongoing evaluation efforts.
Keywords: curriculum development, visual literacy framework, pedagogy, museum audiences, Visual Language
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