After living in Logan for 11 years people still ask me about my southern accent. I grew up in North Carolina and received by first bachelors’ in fine arts in Virginia. I have to admit I’ve grown to love snow, skiing and the rugged Wasatch mountains. I now feel like a true westerner: I fully embrace driving in snow and whenever I go back east during the summers, I always complain about the humidity.
My art medium and background has been in fiber and textile printing. Art making to me is a means of self -expression. I have loved the art making process in many different mediums and exploring concepts and ideas visually. The idea of developing a visual language through art making has always fascinated me. These ideas have drawn me to teaching. I have enjoyed sharing my energy and enthusiasm for art materials, concepts and other ideas exploring creative thinking with students. I often find that I become more informed as students are willing to share with me their ideas and individual perspectives.
Before I started this class I thought literacy was mostly about reading and understanding. I knew that visual understanding was in there too. I do think we live in a world of visual culture through advertising, tv and other media that have a huge influence on the way we think and our perspectives. So I do believe in a visual literacy that communicates specific ideas although not always through words. I am looking forward to exploring the literacy concept throughout this course.
That's funny you mentioned your Southern accent...I did not pick up on it at all. (I'm just coming back to Utah after spending five years in Georgia). I am sort of the opposite of you--I still pine for the humidity of the South. My body has had a hard time adjusting to the dry cold here, and I still have dreams about living in Athens.
ReplyDeleteI whole-heartedly agree with you that visual literacy is a vital skill and one that will greatly benefit your students.
Thanks for your posting and I look forward to reading more throughout this course!