International Visual Literacy Conference

[Timothy Gangwer]

 

 Stockton to Host Prestigious International Visual Literacy Association Conference Sept. 28 – Oct.2 

IVLA, Dedicated to Research, Study and Publication of Visual Literacy, 

to Hear Keynote Speech by Stockton Professor Wendel White 

For Immediate Release 

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 

Contact: Tim Kelly 

Office of Public Relations 

Galloway Township, NJ 08240 

[e-mail] 

[phone] 

Galloway Township, NJ- The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey will host the 2011 Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) at the main campus from September 28 through October 2, 2011. 

“We are delighted to have been selected to host such an accomplished and diverse group as the IVLA,” Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr., 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.” 

This international event is expected to draw scholars and practitioners who represent over a dozen nations and more than 40 institutions. Representatives are expected from South Korea, Australia, Cypress, Greece, Israel, India, Turkey, Brazil, the United Kingdom and France, among others. 

IVLA provides a forum for the exchange of ideas related to all aspects of visual literacy. It advocates development of educational techniques, instruction and training methods in different modes of visual communication. The group’s ultimate goal is to advance awareness and the concept of visual literacy to individuals, groups, schools and the public. 

Longtime member Jung Lee, Stockton Associate Professor of Technology and an organizer of the conference, said, “Today’s more visually oriented environment, saturated with new technologies, expands what it means to be literate. The skills of interpreting, creating and using 

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Stockton to Host IVLA Conference/page 2 

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.” 

Stockton Professor Wendel White, a Guggenheim Fellow, award-winning photographer, author, artist and historian, will deliver the key note speech to the group on September 30, day three of the conference. The longtime Stockton faculty member is a frequent speaker on the visual documentation of black settlements and schools in the United States. In addition, White is a pioneer in the burgeoning medium of digital imaging. His photographic landscapes, placed throughout Stockton’s Campus Center, illustrate how digital techniques are changing the way photography is used as an art form. 

Other highlights of the five-day event include field trips to Philadelphia, the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and the Atlantic City boardwalk, a Gala dinner, silent auctions and numerous concurrent sessions on a wide array of visual literacy topics and issues. 

Attendance at the conference is open to the public. For more information or to register, visit www.ivla2011.org. 

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