What is visual literacy?

How many images do you see each day? A hundred? A thousand...?

We encounter a multitude of images every day, but how do we interpret them? Children in particular are bombarded with images – with little guidance on how to make sense of them to understand the world around them. Visual literacy is the ability to interpret, understand and create visual content effectively. It involves recognising and analysing visual elements within images, graphics and videos, to communicate and comprehend information.

At Art UK we believe that art can be a pathway to becoming visually literate in our digital age. We aim to support everyone from children to lifelong learners to hone these essential skills so they can develop critical thinking, effective communication and cultural understanding.

Be part of Visual Literacy Week

30th September – 6th October 2024

Join a thrilling national conversation about visual literacy!

Dive into the fascinating world of image interpretation, discover how we use visuals to convey powerful meanings, and redefine what it means to be visually literate in the digital age.

Visual Literacy Week activities and events

Experience a groundbreaking week on Art UK, entirely dedicated to the transformative topic of visual literacy. This exciting initiative will feature audience-led content and captivating stories that amplify the importance of visual interpretation.

Our homepage will spotlight visual literacy as we launch a nationwide campaign, inviting arts organisations, education sector leaders, and collections to join the conversation.
Discover why visual literacy is being recognised as the fourth pillar of education, driven by The Superpower of Looking programme, and learn how it fosters a national dialogue around arts education for learners of all ages.
Throughout the week, engage with diverse activities and hear from influential voices in the field. Together, we'll share ideas and current thinking on this vital subject, supporting and amplifying the work of various organisations and collections.

Learning events for teachers and educators

The Superpower of Looking

The Superpower of Looking is Art UK's flagship learning programme, generously funded by Freelands Foundation. This innovative and inclusive programme seeks to transform the visual literacy skills of primary school children across the UK, taking the world of art and images as its starting point.

A set of free digital resources support children to develop an essential superpower: the ability to really 'see' in an image-saturated world – to critically observe, analyse, question, interpret, and empathise. This new vision for learning aims to equip children with the vital lifelong skill of visual literacy and promises to nurture a love of art, providing children with the cultural capital every child is entitled to.

Find out more about The Superpower of Looking in this short film.

Share The Superpower of Looking with your friends, family and colleagues. You can help us make a difference to how children see and interpret the world around them.

Visual literacy events:

The Superpower of Looking CPD
Monday 30th September, 4–5pm

Free online event for primary teachers and educators

Join Art UK for an introduction to The Superpower of Looking – an inclusive programme which seeks to transform the visual literacy skills of children.

Discover free online learning resources, take part in a demonstration of a Superpower of Looking lesson and find out about the benefits of the free Teacher Champion Scheme. One of our Teacher Champions will also share top tips for using The Superpower of Looking resources in your educational setting.

Book here

The Superpower of Looking's Art Adventure
Wednesday 2nd October

Free online event for primary school children

Join artist Sarah Graham to explore inspiring artworks from galleries in Glasgow and Walsall – all from your own classroom. This virtual visit will support the development of students’ critical thinking skills and celebrate their creativity in response to the artworks they discover.

When you sign up, you'll receive free access to the Art Adventure resources, specifically designed for primary school children, including a video, class discussion prompts, an art activity and the option to complete an Arts Award at Discover level. Schools are invited to take part in the Art Adventure activities at any time on 2nd October.

Autograph: Seeing differently, learning together through photographs
Tuesday 1st October, 4–5pm

Free online event for Secondary teachers and educators

Explore how photography is used to tell stories and how narratives can be shaped by individual perspectives.

Seeing differently, learning together through photographs is an innovative, free digital resource, developed by Autograph in collaboration with Art UK. Through creative activities and class discussions, the resource invites students to think deeply about how they read photographs and how their interpretation might be similar or different to others depending on their lived experience and identity. It draws on visual literacy and instinct and builds curiosity, creativity and empathy within the classroom.

The event will include:

An introduction to, and walk-through of the resource by Autograph.
Teachers sharing examples of how they have used the resource in their own teaching
Time for Q&A.

Book here

Our art, our place, our voice: a visual exploration and explanation with Susan Coles
Thursday 3rd October 4–5.30pm

Free online event for all teachers and educators

Join Susan Coles for an exploration of visual literacy.

Discover Art UK's new place-based resources and find out how Art UK is collaborating with collections around the country to encouarage children and young people to engage with the art that they own to celebrate their place and their communities. Jenny Wilkie will introduce resources developed with the Tees Valley Museums consortium which link to art and artefacts across the curriculum, building on pride in our communities and on our own cultural capital.

Jennie Thornber will introduce the The Superpower of Looking programme and free resources. Classroom and gallery practitioners will share their ideas and top tips for developing visual literacy among young people.

There will also be introductions to the Art Bytes programme and inter-school art competition and art materials supplier Dryad UK.

Book here

Visual Literacy Symposium at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Saturday 5th October, 10am–5pm

Tickets £10 (Tickets include lunch, hot drinks and a free goody bag worth £25 supplied by Dryad Education)

Art UK and Yorkshire Sculpture Park invite education professionals to an inspiring study day of talks and activities focused on visual literacy with Susan M. Coles (Vice-President of InSEA).

There will be a special focus on the past, present and future with a hands-on session led by artist Bob and Roberta Smith who will explore the relationship of visual culture to place, playfulness and process.

All participants will be invited to explore the National Arts Education Archive at YSP and take part in the co-production of a manifesto to push forward the discussion about the importance of visual literacy.

Places are limited, so book early to secure your place.

Book here