The Beach Museum of Art Education Department shared their work at multiple conferences this fall. Associate Curator of Education Kathrine Walker Schlageck presented a paper entitled “The Benefits of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) for Special Audiences” at the International Visual Literacy Association Conference in Lueven, Belgium on October 18th. The talk covered the museum’s work with children on the Autism Spectrum, memory support, and English language learners and the use of VTS for facilitating discussions about difficult issues.
Schlageck and Education Specialist Kim Richards presented “The Art of Sustainability,” at the Kansas Museums Association’s 50th Annual Meeting in Lindsborg, Kansas on November 8, highlighting several exhibitions and programs that address environmental issues and sustainable practices.
In addition, Schlageck and Richards spent two days in October training docents from Wichita Art Museum and the Ulrich Museum at Wichita State University in Visual Thinking Strategies.
Visual Thinking Strategies is an open-ended facilitated discussion using works of art to develop evidence based reasoning, critical thinking, and communication skills.