Collections Winter 2011 Volume 86 | Page 9

EDUCATION A New Kind of Literacy Each day, students are bombarded with hundreds of images. Television, ?lms, video games and the Internet are all part of the multi-media culture in which we live. In a time when political campaigns are waged through 30-second commercial spots and wars are fought in “real-time” on television, students need to be taught to “read” and “write” in the language of images and sound, just as they’ve been taught to “read” and “write” printed communications. In the last 40 years, the ?eld of media literacy education has emerged to organize and promote the importance of teaching the critical and creative thinking skills necessary to sort through these images with an eye to viewpoint and the overall goal of message. Students are exposed to more images in one day than their greatgrandparents were in a year. The ability to sort through constructed images and sound bites with awareness for message and agenda is a skill that grows more necessary with each passing year. Still images, such as photographs or paintings, are a perfect starting point for the introduction of these concepts. As part of the Museum’s new Media Literacy Curriculum, a visual literacy educators kit inspired by the upcoming exhibition Who Shot Rock & Roll has been created for use in middle and high school classrooms. This Educators Kit was developed for the Museum by awardwinning media literacy specialist Frank Baker and can be used to teach media literacy concepts with any exhibition featuring photographs or paintings. The kit includes suggested resources for teachers and classroom activities designed to complement the Who Shot Rock & Roll school tour and studio program and are available as free downloadable PDFs on our website. For more information about the new visual literacy educators kit or on the Museum’s school tour and studio programs, visit our website at columbiamuseum.org or call 803.343.2186. Special Group Packages Are you looking for a fun and different luncheon or afternoon activity for your group? The Museum now offers two new tour experiences designed for groups of up to 30. Book the Tour du Jour package and your group will enjoy a deluxe boxed lunch or buffet, both with a private tour of the featured exhibition. The Wine & Cheese tour package begins with a private tour of the featured exhibition or selections from the Museum’s collection and ends with wine and cheese in one of the Museum’s private event rooms. These packages are perfect for book clubs, garden clubs, or to celebrate a special occasion. Overnight Adventures! Back by popular demand, it’s the overnight adventure at the Columbia Museum of Art! Sleep under the mystical ?re of the Chihuly, enjoy a night of cool ?lms (Yellow Submarine and The Point), experience a magical mystery tour through the galleries, show us your skills as you compete with other campers in a till-the-death Guitar Heroes competition played out on the big screen, create late-night art in the studios and end the evening with a “camp?re” sing along. Rock Around the Clock: An Overnight Adventure! will take place on Friday, March 25. $45 per person / $30 per person Kids Plus! membership and above (limit 3 children per adult) ages 6 – 13. (Tents, air mattresses, breakfast provided) To register, visit columbiamuseum.org. Tour du Jour package: • Box Lunch Special includes two wraps, salad, dessert, and beverage. $20 per person • Buffet Lunch Special includes hot entrée, two sides, dessert, and beverage. $30 per person Wine & Cheese package: • $12 per person Price includes group admission To book a tour package, or for more information, please call 803.343.2209. columbiamuseum.org 7