Art Literacy Annotated Bibliography

8/9/2019 Art Literacy Annotated Bibliography

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Art Literacy is a topic that does not always elicit great attention. Art is not at theforefront of most educational systems because of recent economic constraints on schools budgets,and the increased emphasis placed on standardized testing. However, the benefits members ofsociety (especially developing students) could reap from an understanding of art are ofteninvaluable. Our annotated bibliography intends to inform students about the advantages of art

literacy, the availability and accessibility of art in and out of the classroom, and its place within agreater educational context. The variety of sources presented in our bibliography will provide aspectrum of the different attitudes, policies, and studies surrounding art literacy.

Ali, Parveen, Nurun Begum, Marilyn Carter, and Paula Purnell,. "Windows, Bridges and

Mirrors: Building Culturally Responsive Early Childhood Classrooms through theIntegration of Literacy and the Arts."Early Childhood Education Journal34.6 (June2007): 419-24. SpringerLink. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.

This article focuses on the development of culturally responsive classrooms throughthe use of early literacy activities and arts programs. The authors argue that it is increasinglyimportant in the modern day to establish classroom environments which are conducive tostudents of varying backgrounds and cultures. It bases its assessment around three short casestudies, two of which involve negative impacts of culturally unresponsive classrooms and thethird of the successful integration of the arts into an improvised lesson, something which fostersfuture cultural responsiveness. The authors note that it is important that teachers presentinformation relevant to life to maintain student engagement in literacy.

Overall, the article is a strong proponent of Arts Integration (AI) which is using the

multiple arts to enhance others areas of study. The authors use of case studies is very effective ona cognitive and emotional level. The suggested culturally and artistically integrative classroomactivities at the end would be beneficial in any classroom. This article would be useful to anyonestudying multi-modal forms of education, integrative education, cultural literacy or efforts tomaintain student engagement in strict curriculums.

Ashford, Ellie. "NCLB's Unfunded Arts Programs Seek Refuge." The Education Digest

70.2 (2004): 22-27. Proquest. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.

This article discusses the possibility that over-emphasis of reading and math in schoolsdue to mandates from No Child Left Behind could leave half the childrens education behind.It cites experts from the Arts Education Partnership and the secretary of the US Department ofEducation Rod Paige among others to get a full, unbiased view of the situation. In the end, itcalls for strong state and local policies to support the arts, giving as an example a recent propertytax increase in Denver which allocated 6.5 million for elementary arts education. The article then


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becomes essentially a list of short case studies about local initiatives to support the arts,including ideas such as using money brought in by performances/movies/etc to further artseducation and the AOL Concert for Schools which brought in more than one million dollars forNew York City Schools.

The article does not dispute that there may be some de-emphasis on the arts as a result ofNCLB and economic hardships. It seems to accept the attitude of the secretary of the USDepartment of Education, which is that arts is part of the core curriculum, that schools need toincorporate arts into their allocated budgets somehow, that schools need to reach out in theircommunities for support. It does not fight against underfunding, but suggests how to cope with it.Anyone studying NCLBs effect on school budgets, arts programs, or community outreach ingeneral would find this article interesting.

Barnes, Natalie S. "Hands on Writing: An Alternative Approach to Understanding Art."The Journal of the National Art Education Association. 62.3 (2009): 40-46.

Natalie Selden Barnes explores the unique connection of how to develop both writing andart/visual literacy skills at the same time in the classroom in this interesting article. She begins bypresenting the dilemma faced by many teachers by explaining that many students dislike theidea of writing in the art room. After demonstrating this challenge, she persuasively offersevidence for why making such a connection between the two subject areas is important, as wellas provides an in-depth explanation of a writing activity that turns into a true art experience.Barnes thoroughly explains an exercise that requires students to analyze fine art prints in group,record their discussion points on sticky notes, and eventually organize their ideas into a fiveparagraph essay. She not only gives detailed steps of the exercise, but also offers evidence of

what students will gain from this activity.

Barness writing style is clear and easy to understand, allowing either a teacher or studentto easily be able to incorporate her proposed exercise into class. She effectively proves how thisactivity would help toincrease students writing, analytical, communication and critical thinkingskills as well as better demonstrate the power of art as not only in the making, but also in theexperience of viewingand perhaps more importantly as a vehicle for wider communication.Her comments on the increased stress placed on standardized testing reinforce her argument ofwhy it is so important that we connect writing and art literacy skills, as well as offers an actualexample of how to accomplish this in the classroom.This innovative article is a must for studentslooking to explore the idea of connecting art and writing literacy to enhance both art education

and possibly incorporate art into rigid school curriculums.

Brooks, Margaret. "Drawing to Learn."Beyond the Journal. (2003).


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Margaret Brookss article discusses the importance of drawing as a part of youngchildrens education and development. She describes the actual drawings and observations on thelife cycle of butterflies by a girl named Jenn in her Kindergarten class,as well as the observationsshe is able to form from her study of her student. Brooks concludes that drawing is a powerfultool that can be used to help children remember, enhance their understanding of something, and

express themselves. She also offers some helpful recommendations to teachers for how to bestaid a childs learning through drawing.

For the most part, this article is written in an easy to understand language.It seamlesslyinterweaves drawings and quotes from Jenn, which helps readers to better imagine and to relateto Jenns experiences.However, at some points in the article, Brooks attempts to incorporateevidence that her observations are done in a Vygotskyan socio-cultural perspective. These partsare mainly quotes that are confusing, complicated, and interrupt the main writing style of thearticle. Brooks does a poor job of defining the Vygotskyan socio-cultural perspective in thearticle, which has the consequence of a reader in this article needing outside knowledge of thisparticular perspective to fully understand these quotes. Overall however, the author does a goodjob of convincing a reader of the importance of drawing and is an excellent source for evidence

on the value of drawing in a young childs education.

Buys, L. & Miller, E. (2009). Enhancing social capital in children via schoolbased

community cultural development projects: A pilot study. International JournalofEducation & the Arts, 10(3). Retrieved [Oct 21 2009] from http://www.ijea.org/v10n3/.

This scholarly article aims to investigate the benefits of arts programs in the

accumulation of social capital among children. Social capital is most simply defined ascommunity connectedness and the connections among individuals social networks and thenorms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them. The authors argue that thisfeeling of community investment is essential for civil societies and integral to the success andmotivation of young people in those societies. They allude to changing global trends in familyand social structures contributing to an overall decrease in social capital.

The report is only a pilot study, so all findings are preliminary and no real conclusionscan be drawn. The study sampled kids from an economically depressed region of Queensland,Australia. Due to several less than ideal variables including a small sample size (39) anddisproportionate numbers in gender as well as program enrollment (more kids enrolled in Musicclasses than Art classes) the results of the report need to be reexamined for support in otherfollow-up studies. The study was based on surveys given after the program, with no opportunityafforded to compare the change observed from before to after the program. This report would beuseful as a jumping off point for research on topics regarding the effect that arts programs haveon students educational engagement in disadvantaged neighborhoods, but not as credibleevidence for anyone arguing in either direction for or against the programs.


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Carger, Chris L. "Art and Literacy with Bilingual Children."Language Arts. 81.4 (2004): 283-92.

Chris LiskaCarger provides a detailed account of his experiences working with bilingual/bicultural children in this article. He offers a variety of evidence on how the visual arts could

help students enhance their art, language, and literacy skills as well as help bilingual studentsexpress themselves and their knowledge. Carger began his work in a very diverse school withstudents of mainly Latino descent. His method of teaching children in this school through picturestorybooks that mainly relate to the culture of his students, literary circles, and art projects comesin sharp contrast to the strict reading program that was in place. By providing quotes from thechildren and many descriptions of his different experiences with them, Carger is able topersuasively convince readers that his style of teaching with art is fun, innovative, and veryhelpful to his students. He effectively makes his point that art is not a frill, but important as away of self-expression and understanding.

Cargers fluid writing style, mixed in with quotations from his students, makes this article

an easy and enjoyable read that is a must for anyone interested in improving their understandingof education with bilingual children or interested in the debate between which types of programsin school curriculums work the best. Colorful examples such as students being able to relatepictures to the art of Van Gogh and create clay objects after reading a poem on the AnasaziIndians pottery, not only further prove that Cargers method of using art to spark and increasecreativity, imagination, conversation skills, and critical connections with the real world andliterature was successful, but also make the read very entertaining.

Cordova, Ralph A. "Writing and Painting Our Lives into Being: School, Home, and the

Larger Community as Transformative Spaces for Learning."Language Arts 86.1 (2007):18-28.Proquest. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.

This article details a course of study Cordova conducted with a group of 18 culturallyand linguistically diverse students. The author is concerned with the separation of home,school, and life literacies, caused by bland one-size fits all curriculums. His course of study tocounteract this was centered upon plein air painter Ray Strongs landscapes, which he asked hissecond and third grade students to read and write about. Later the students even got to paintwith Strong, and also construct different written exercises. Cordovas teaching style seems tohave been well rounded, incorporating the landscapes into even his science classes. He attempts

to support learning within and across boundaries, specifically to help students placethemselves within a larger community, and to engage students in all areas of education bymaking the ordinary extraordinary.

This article is a great example of the benefits of transmediation as a valuable tool forincreasing all forms of literacy and improving critical and independent thinking skills in children.It is also very supportive of arts education as a means of engaging students in their schools andtheir communities. Students interested in multicultural or bilingual education in America might


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also find this article interesting.

Costantino, Tracie E. "RAINING AESTHETIC PERCEPTION: JOHN DEWEY ON

THE EDUCATIONAL ROLE OF ART MUSEUMS." Urbana 54.4 (2004): 399-418.ERIC. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.

In this article, Costantino takes a critical look at the work of John Dewey, a notable 20thcentury art scholar who was one of the most outspoken critics of museums. In particular, theauthor focuses on the relationship between theory and practice by examining the friendshipDewey had with Albert Barnes, the owner of the Barnes Foundation, a notable collector ofFrench impressionist artwork.

This critique of Dewey provides a strong example of how high level critics approach art

literacy. Furthermore, it is well organized and filled with direct quotes from its subject. Also, byestablishing Deweys connection to the Barnes Foundation, the author makes Dewey animportant figure in art literacy. Deweys view that art is outside everyday experience is wellexplained by the author. His view was put into practice through The Barnes Foundationseducational practices. The author goes into great detail to catalogue the connection between thetwo, even noting that Dewey served as the first director of education for the foundation. Theamount of detail, support, and history in this paper make it an ideal source, and provide a stronggeneral overview for the topics of art literacy and the Barnes Foundation.

Gruber, Donald D. "Measuring Student Learning in Art Education."National Art Education

Association 61.5 (September 2008): 40-45.Proquest. Web. 22 Oct. 2009.

In his article, Donald Gruber examines how to assess a students learning in art education.He prefaces his method of assessment with a brief historical overview of assessment in arteducation, making it evident that originally it was more frequent for teachers to concentratemainly on a students creative development. However, due to recent emphasis on curriculumswith more structure and discipline, the establishment of art as a distinct academic discipline inthe 1980s, and the pressure placed on schools from the No Child Left Behind Act, there hasrecently been a need for assessing students leanings in art. Gruber directly establishes the

differences between evaluation and assessment, and then continues to establish what is neededfor a balanced assessment of a students learning. The method he endorses in this article is abalanced assessment comprised of different strategies such as testing, portfolios, observations,and final projects. He also makes sure to stress the need for learning objectives before eachlesson.

Grubers article is divided into neat sections, making it easy to find where in the articledifferent pieces of information are located. His descriptions of both the history of art assessment


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and the method he suggests are straightforward and technical. Gruber includes so many completedefinitions of the different items he brings up in his article that at times his article loses its flow.However, even if it is on the drier side, this paper would be an excellent source for one lookingto explore the area of assessing students in art education. Although this paper does not havemuch charm or flair to it, students will find it a helpful resource due to the recent push towards

developing a more measurable and rigid curriculum for art education due to the increasedemphasis on standardized testing and the No Child Left Behind Act.

Guha, Smita, Yun Qui, and Cathleen S. Soundy. "Picture Power: Placing Artistry and

Literacy on the Same Page." YCYoung Children 62.3 (May 2007): 82-89.ProQuest.Web. 26 Oct. 2009.

This article focuses on a program called "Picture Power" which was implemented over

the course of five days in a kindergarten class at a Montessori School in Philadelphia, Pa. Theprogram, a course of study building off of the reading of several picture books, encouragedstudents to draw pictures and write brief responses in reaction to questions they were given aboutthe subject (in this case, "Houses"). The program works to incorporate multiple forms of literacy,using auditory, read-aloud sessions and visual art projects to spur the children into expressingthemselves via writing. The authors stress the increasing importance of visual literacy in a hightech age. These techniques of using art to facilitate learning are especially useful to children withlanguage-related problems or who are second-language learners, the authors claim.

While the article does offer some support for the benefits of art being included in theclassroom, the overall results of the study may be confounded based on where it was conducted.

The Montessori Schools are private institutions, the article plainly states that most students wereupper to middle class members of two-parent households. It is hard to tell whether art or moregeneral everyday benefits make the achievements of students seem great. In all, the article offersgood support for introducing arts education early on and would be useful for those studying artsprograms or multi-modal means of education, the disparity between affluent/poor schoolingoptions, or elementary/early education in general.

Kim, Bo S., and Linda F. Darling. "Monet, Malaguzzi, and the Constructive

Conversations of Preschoolers in a Reggio-Inspired Classroom."Early Childhood

Education Journal37.2 (2009): 137-45.ERIC. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.

Darling and Kim examine how preschoolers learn through the painting of such masters asMonet. It focuses on the various reactions each student has, and the process of learning betweenclassmates that is facilitated by the art.


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Our authors are able to paint a clear and colorful picture of the classroom during thelearning exercise. In one instance, while the class studies Monets Poppy Field at Argenteuil, theauthors analyze the conversation between pre-schoolers. This qualitative approach towardunderstanding art literacy is an innovative take on the subject. The authors augment their workby adding candid pictures from the exercise, which establishes instant credibility. However the

majority of the authors findings focus on social interactions between the learners, instead of thelearning process of art literacy. This detracts from the usefulness of the article, which alreadyhas lost credibility due to lack of quantitative results. At best, this is a fun read with helpfuldirect quotes that show art in an informal atmosphere.

Kirkland, David E. "The Skin We Ink: Tattoos, Literacy, and a New English Education."

Urbana 41.4 (2009): 375-401.ERIC. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.

Kirklands article explains new ways to look at connections between literacy and art intodays African American youth. He chooses to focus on how tattoos can be viewed as a type ofstorytelling, and how it tells the story of a particular young African American male, David. Hefocuses on Davids life in general, his group of friends, and the different purposes of each tattoo.

This article uses a narrative approach to achieve its goals. It focuses heavily on howDavid is perceived in public spaces and the decision making process behind each literate act ofgetting tatted up, often quoting directly from David or from his diary. This study was thorough,as Kirkland conducted meetings on a bi-weekly basis for a period of three years. However the

number of subjects in the study, six black males from the same age group, is relatively narrow.Overall, this study provides strong anecdotal evidence for the ways society unknowinglypractices art literacy, but the lack of statistical evidence and self- admitted bias are detriments tothe authors credibility. Overall this paper lacks enough depth to provide a strong foundation forfurther research.

Knight, Christopher. "Architect Robert Venturi slams planned Barnes Foundation move."

Latimes.com. The Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2009..

This news article tells us about a controversial stance on the Barnes Museum from one ofthe art worlds biggest names, architect Robert Venturi. He had recently written a letter thatcritiqued the high expenses of opening a new Barnes Foundation, and suggested a moreeconomic means to improving art literacy in the City of Philadelphia, the creation of a bussystem between the museums.


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Christopher Knight succinctly introduces the main subject of the article, Robert Venturi.He also explains his significance to the legal proceedings of the Barnes Foundation controversy.By including the actual letter the Venturi wrote, he provides an excellent primary source forunderstanding different ways of improving art literacy. Furthermore the letter makes anexcellent proposition for increasing art literacy, by suggesting the idea of a bus loop. This kind

of outside the box thinking is an alternative method of art literacy education. This article isworthwhile in any art literacy paper, because the strong primary documents support theinformation it contains.

Lynch, Patricia. "Making Meaning Many Ways: An Exploratory Look at Integrating the Artswith Classroom Curriculum."Art Education. 60.4 (2007): 33-38.

Patricia Lynch uses a study of art integration at a K-5 school to examine three importantquestions: what comprises art integration lessons, the effect of art integration on studentsliteracy and learning, and the possible constraints of art integrations. The author concludes thatart integration is beneficial for all students, by either providing an outlet to succeed for thosestudents who struggle with standard language and text based curriculums or as a challenge toturn words into pictures, gestures, or sounds for those students who are normally competentwith a writing and language based curriculum. She then proceeds to disagree with the policiesestablished by the No Child Left Behind Act and wittingly argues that in order for this policy tobe successful, art must be brought along too and integrated in the classrooms. Lynch providesconcrete evidence from her study including data from interviews, field notes, student artifacts,and classroom observations. Readers learn that art integration can come in many different formsand works to complement regular classroom curriculum by incorporating some differences thatstudents experience only through art such as allowing the students to become more responsiblefor their own learning and permitting them to use their hands, bodies, and voices in meaningfulways. With such substantial support for her argument incorporated with actual descriptions ofclasses in which these programs demonstrated the beneficial effects of art integration on students,it is hard to not be influenced by Lynchs argument.

This article is broken down into an easy to follow format. It is divided into differentsections with headings addressing the main questions Lynch hopes to and successfully answersin her study. By including substantial evidence as well as the one constraint that visual artsteachers noticed, which was time, Lynch was able to create an informative and enlighteningarticle that would be useful for students studying art integration or arguing against the often strictpolicies schools have to endure due to the No Child Left Behind Act.

Mayer, Melinda M. "A Postmodern Puzzle: Rewriting the Place of the Visitor in Art MuseumEducation." Studies in Art Education 46.4 (Summer 2005): 356-368.ProQuest. Web.

18 Oct. 2009.


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The author of this article, Melinda Mayer, attempts to provide an overview of how artmuseum education has changed from the 1970s to the mid-1990s. She establishes that in the1970s, art museum educators were mainly concerned with teaching visual literacy in an oftenwalk and talk lecture tour style that was frequently characterized as dull. In the 1980s, theseeducators began to introduce more interactive teaching techniques in order to help museum

visitors become more actively engaged with the museum and make more personal connectionswith artwork. Mayers then goes on to make her final conclusion that the museum art educators inthe 1990s shifted their teaching styles to that of one that would make museum visitors feelempowered, independent, and spark intellectual participation that would help them create theirown personal meaning of museums and artwork. In addition to describing in detail whatcharacterized visual literacy, art literacy, museum literacy, and interactivity in each of thesedifferent decades, Mayers also attempts to connect these developments in art museum educationto postmodernism through each of the decades.

This article is not only long, but very repetitive. The format of Mayers paper is veryunorganized and she often seems to approach her explanations in a roundabout manner. Manyparts, especially the sections on theories and postmodernism, are very difficult to understand

unless you are fluent in the vernacular of certain trends and movements in the arts. Her ultimateconclusions are beneficial to a student interested in the development of educators in art museumswho help people learn to view, interpret, and connect art to their own lives. However, it is awearisome read that requires much effort to pull out the important data, which could have beendescribed in a much more to the point writing style and concise article.

Olshansky, Beth. The Power of Pictures: Creating Pathways to Literacy Through Art.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

Beth Olshansky argues in this book that the educational system in the United States ofAmerica is not designed or created for those who are visual, tactual, or kinesthetic learners. Asa self-admitted visual and kinesthetic learner, Olshansky writes in a passionate and almost biasedtone for the need for people to give more attention to making art. The chapter most pertinent toart literacy would be the chapter containing information and strategies on art and thinking inpictures. Olshansky defends the need for art by claiming that those students, who put extra timeand energy into creating art, will likely also improve their detail and description writing skills.She promotes two art mediums that will effectively improve students writing and art skills,crayon resist painting and collage created out of hand-painted textured papers made by thestudents. The author explains what these mediums are, as well as gives example stories of

students who have tried both of these different mediums, in order to bolster her claim that art isneeded in education.

Olshanskys ideas of mediums that students should use to create art works that willstimulate descriptive and innovative stories and writing are presented in a comprehensible, butalmost too confident manner. Her stories of students who benefited greatly from the projects areencouraging and serve as proof of the benefits that art could reap on some childrens confidence,writing, and art abilities. However, Olshansky also retells stories of schools and teachers who did


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not have success with her technique because they did not use good enough quality of materials.While one would normally think it helpful to see both sides of the story presented, the examplesof teachers and schools that had negative experiences were discouraging in this particular casesince the only solutions Olshansky offered to these problems were for the schools or teachers topurchase better materials or throw out the whole project. This evidently limits the scope of

students and schools that could benefit from her art project advice and ideas since all schools arenot blessed with a budget big enough to cover art projects with quality materials. Written withemotion, this book would be helpful for a student looking to make a link or connection betweenmaking art and improving written literacy.

Ouroussoff, Nicolai. "Architects Reimagine the Barnes Collection."Nytimes.com. The

New York Times, 6 Oct. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2009..

A strongly opinionated article from the New York Times, this article focuses onarchitectural plans of the new Barnes Foundation in the Philadelphia Art District.

Ouroussoff begins the article with the question, Can design convey an institutionsfeelings of guilt. The rest of the article is equally biased. The author does an excellent jobexplaining the intricacies of the plans for the new Barnes Foundation, while also attempting toshow that the original designs are impossible to replicate. An important conclusion she arrivesat is that the new Barnes is after a different kind of audience, showing her belief that artliteracy differs vastly in society. This conclusion is achieved by looking at both the old building

and the new building in detail.This article is very useful to understanding how society views artliteracy. Her authority as a New York Times art critic makes this a great paper for furtherinvestigation.

Riner, Phil. "Digital Photography in an Inner-City Fifth Grade, Part 1." The Phi Delta Kappan

86.8 (Apr 2005): 567, 630, 635+.JSTOR. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.

Riner, Phil. "Digital Photography in an Inner-City Fifth Grade, Part 2." The Phi Delta Kappan

86.8 (May 2005): 647-648.JSTOR. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.

Riners articles give a detailed account of his implementation of digital photography intothe lessons of an inner city fifth grade class. He covers everything from what cameras to use torelevant lessons in photography for the children. He is amazed at how the children seem torecognize complex concepts such as the rule of thirds even if they cant name it. He is also keen


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and overall development. The article starts by laying a foundation of the importance of art in achilds development. They then go on to define the two major concepts that are exploredthroughout the studychorotopos (place/space) and the in-depth approach, which relates tochildrens thorough explorations of and work with certain art materials through four phases(preliminary, enrichment, production, and reflection). The authors conduct studies of young

children from three different classrooms in Greece and Cyprus who participate in the in-depthapproach to art and visits to local museums. As a result, these students seem to gain a betterunderstanding of art materials, the meaning of art, how to create art, arts place in their ownindividual environment, and an increase in their perceptual awareness skills.

The authors of this chapter, Eli Trimis and Andri Savva, are talented writers. Eventhough this chapter is long in length, the read goes quickly because of the entertaining andsmooth writing style of the authors. Trimis and Savva do an excellent job of laying theframework for their study, defining the major concepts, and then providing just the right amountof details on the studies they conducted. Data, quotations from the children, explanations, andpictures are all blended seamlessly together to enable the reader to fully comprehend thedifferent studies that took place. Even though readers would easily be able to formulate the main

ideas and conclusions of this chapter on their own, the authors also offer a tidy and helpfulconclusion section that recaps all of the main findings and ideas. This read is a must for anyoneinterested in exploring different approaches to young childrens art educations.

Voves, Ed. "The Barnes Foundation: Beauty Surrounded by Controversy."

Calitreview.com. The California Literature Review, 12 Oct. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.

This article is a broad overview of the art literacy controversy surrounding the BarnesFoundations move to Philadelphia. It explains the history behind the foundation, as well as itsplace and purpose in the art world.

The strongest quality of this article is the use of supplementary materials to aid Voveswriting. His integration of interior and exterior color photos of the Barnes Foundation helpillustrate his writing, and an informative embedded video explaining the Foundationsarchitectural plans is also helpful. The article does a good job of highlighting the art, and alsohighlighting the importance of architecture as a part of art literacy. Vove uses a chronologicalapproach to achieve this effect.This article brings a lot of valuable information into contextthrough its use of pictures and videos. It is a great resource for understanding the history of artliteracy in relation to the Barnes Foundation. It lacks strong opinions about the issue, and offerslittle critique. It would be best used as an overview.

Voves, Ed. "Czanne and Beyond at the Philadelphia Museum of Art." Calitreview.com.


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The California Literature Review, 8 Apr. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2009..

This article, also written by Ed Voves, takes a critical look at the exhibit Cezanne and

Beyond, which was recently held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It explains the influenceCezanne had over other artists, as well as explaining the compare/contrast style of education thattook place at the exhibit.

Voves does an excellent job of previewing all the artists featured in the show. It shows ahigh level of art history education, and his interpretations are examples of strong art literacy.Furthermore, images of the paintings are included in the article, and serve as additional materialfor learning about this recent art exhibit. It shows the way art literacy can be a helpful toolamongst artistic communities, noting how one artist has literally taken Cezannes advice to getbeyond the surface of art.

This article is a very good example of high level art literacy. However, with noquantitative information, the article is not a very good topic for research.

Williams, T. Lee. ""Reading" the Painting: Exploring Visual Literacy in the Primary

Grades." The Reading Teacher60.7 (April 2007): 636-42.JSTOR. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.

This article chronicles a visual literacy activity conducted by Williams, a doctoral studentin the Department of Language and Literacy at the University of Georgia, with second grade

students during her nine years as an elementary school teacher. Williams is an advocate ofexpanding the definition of literacy to include more than just text based comprehension and ofteaching students to create their own meaning from various sources at an early age. She believesthis is becoming more important in an increasingly technological age.

The activity was implemented over the course of several months, with Williamspreparing her students for the task of reading a painting with studies of several Rohld Dahlpicture books. Then, students were given postcards of paintings from the Tell me a Pictureexhibit at Londons National Gallery and asked to read them. While most responses weresimple descriptions, some made interpretational links such as connecting a snowy painting toinformation about Dahls family in Oslo, Norway. This activity is good evidence to support art

education as a means of strengthening critical thinking skills across the curriculum. Williamssuggests that this model could be applied to other subjects such as science and social studies. Inthe article Williams mentions how the arts had significant influence on her childhooddevelopment, which may introduce a little bias in her conclusions towards the success of theprogram, but not enough to devalue the study.

Wong, Trisha W. "The Full Circling Process: Leaping into the Ethics of History Using


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Critical Visual Literacy and Arts-based Activism."Journal of Adolescent and AdultLiteracy 51.6 (March 2008): 498-508.JSTOR. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.

Full-circling is a multi-layered process that, at its core, uses visual media as text to be

critically read, interpreted, and employed as a call to action, Wong explains. She details herreasons for creating the process as a response to what Cottle called a culture of distraction,and student lethargy created by national mandates. She details a four step process whichbegins with an emotionally affective photo, painting, or other form of visual media based arounda subject desired to be studied, patterning the study of textual resources around that, and endingby having the students come full-circle by transmediating the knowledge they received intosome other form of media such as poetry, dance or music.

This article is critical of national mandates and rote teaching practices, arguing thatstudents do not have time to think for themselves in a technocratic, visually inundated society.Wong makes a good argument for expanding definitions of literacy and the system she has

created sounds effective in increasing student engagement, although it would be difficult to seesomething small like that having a profound effect on struggling inner-city schools. For thosestudying multi-modal forms of education, the critical thinking benefits of transmediation, orincreasing student engagement this article would be a valuable resource.

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Art Literacy Annotated Bibliography