Grade 11/12 Art - Day 68: "Deep Viewing"

I want to introduce you to a concept called "Deep Viewing".

Ann Watts Pailliotet coined this phrase and it consists of three phases:

• Literal observation
• Interpretation
• Evaluation/application

Literal Observation Phase

I will give you a hard copy of the Eckford and Bryan photo, seen above. To help you internalize the image, please study it for one minute before turning it over and doodling a version of it from memory. Next have students write what they literally observe (What is pictured? What type of language is used? How is space used?).

Interpretation Phase

I will use your words to create a collaborative word cloud for the class to view. You are invited to interpret the word cloud while periodically re-examining the photo. (What are the most important words? Which words do you have questions about? Describe your feelings about the photo. What other images are you reminded of, past or present? What messages are implicit and explicit? How did you analyze the photo? What do you understand now that you didn't before?) We will then summarize the conversation.

Evaluation and Application Phase

Write about the image's relevance on a separate piece of paper. (Does the implied purpose of the photo convey ideas that are important? How? Is the image biased? How so?) 

Now that we are though the Deep Viewing exercise, I want to give you the history behind the photo.

Check out this video, which is a trailer about a book written about this moment and the years that followed:

Thanks to Todd Finley for inspiration for this lesson.  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/ccia-10-visual-literacy-strategies-todd-finley