Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) – Making Meaning in Art

The presentation will be an opportunity to experience Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS).

Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is used in educational institutions and fine art museums internationally. This method was developed in collaboration between the NY MoMA and Developmental Psychologist Abigail Housen. The VTS experience will engage viewers with visual art directly, developing their own meaning making abilities and observation skills.

VTS is a careful process of looking at art that leads to deeper understanding and interpretation. The first step is simply to look at the art. What do you see? What colors are used? What is the subject matter? Once you have a good sense of what you're looking at, the next step is to start asking questions. What do you think is happening in this painting? What might the artist be trying to say? What does this remind you of? There is no right or wrong answer in VTS; the goal is simply to explore the art and to make your own meaning. By taking the time to slow down and really look at art, you can develop a richer understanding of both the art and yourself.

VTS is not about giving right or wrong answers. It is about helping people to ask the right questions. It is a flexible system that can be adapted to any work of art and any group of people. Whether you are looking at a painting, a sculpture, or even a photograph, VTS can help you to see it in a new way.

Oren Slozberg Shares His VTS Expertise

Lead by Oren Slozberg, the Chief Strategies Officer and EDGE Program Director at Commonweal, participants will engage using VTS for looking at visual art through a constructive process based on research. Through this, participants will gain confidence and skill for using their own eyes and voices to generate meaning of a piece of art.

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Speakers

Oren Slozberg

Oren Slozberg is the Chief Strategies Officer and EDGE Program Director at Commonweal in Bolinas, CA. He has been a senior program developer in the fields of education and the arts. Slozberg co-founded the MMG Foundation, dedicated to Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) in California public schools. In May 2006, he became Executive Director of Visual Understanding in Education (VUE), the national...

Meet the Expert