Look Back and See Further Erin Elman Dean of the School of Critical & Professional Studies with the Center for Engagement at the University of the Arts.
Throughout history, humans have been inspired by nature. Nature provides us with fantastic colors, ingenius design, and harmonious relationships as well as medicinal cures, recipes, commerce, and beauty. Artists’ investigations and representations of the botanical world allow us to appreciate and interpret the natural wonders around us. Artistic creations and the artifacts of the artistic process provoke engagement with the world in myriad ways. The arts teach us to think about relationships and movements, celebrate multiple perspectives, develop aural and visual literacy skills, and consider complex forms of problem solving. Utilizing visual literacy skills to decipher images and meanings empowers our students to better understand the world around them. Teaching with primary sources through the arts allows students to investigate how individuals use their creativity to celebrate and explore the natural environment and its role in our individual and collective identities. At the University of the Arts, we are honored to be a Library of Congress TPS Consortium member and to bring an artistic perspective to teachers, allowing them to look back and see further. We hope that teachers find this guide to be useful in their classrooms as they guide their students through learning.
Utilizing visual literacy skills to decipher images and meanings empowers our students to better understand the world around them.
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