Stockton to Host International Visual Literacy Conference

The world will convene at the for a conference this fall.

The International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) will visit the college's main campus from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2. The IVLA provides a forum that allows for the exchange of ideas concerning visual literacy, with representatives from over a dozen institutions and 40 countries expected to participate.

The countries include France, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, Cypress, Greece, Turkey, India and Israel.

“We are delighted to have been selected to host such an accomplished and diverse group as the IVLA,” Stockton President Herman Saatkamp said. “It is fitting that an international gathering of some of the world’s great researchers, designers, media specialist, artists and educators in the field will take place right here at Stockton. Stockton has been a proponent of visual literacy initiatives since our founding, which coincides with IVLA’s, almost to the year.”

The group advocates for the development of educational techniques, instruction and training in visual communication. Its goal is to further awareness about visual literacy to individuals, groups, schools and the public.

On the third day of the conference, Sept. 30, Stockton professor Wendel White will deliver the key note speech. White is a Guggenheim Fellow, an award-winning photographer, an author, an artist and a historian.

He is a frequent speaker on the visual documentation of black settlements and schools in the United States. His photographic landscapes are posted throughout the college, and are used to demonstrate the ways photography is changing as an art form.

There will also be field trips to Philadelphia, the Forsythe Wildlife Refuge and the Atlantic City boardwalk. There will be a gala dinner, silent auctions and various concurrent sessions concerning a variety of visual literacy topics and issues.

“Today’s more visually oriented environment, saturated with new technologies, expands what it means to be literate," Stockton associate professor of technology and organizer of the conference Jung Lee said. "The skills of interpreting, creating and using visuals have become essential for success in the 21st century.  The IVLA Conference will help K-12 teachers and other practitioners gain and enrich their practical knowledge of visual literacy.”

The event is open to the public.

For more information or to register, visit ivla2011.org.