In our world overloaded with information, we encounter an increasing amount of it in the form of images. Children in particular are bombarded with them. How to make sense of them? Visual literacy is crucial for lifelong learning in our image-driven world.

Art UK offers a definition of visual literacy. It is “the ability to interpret, understand and create visual content effectively. It involves recognising and analysing visual elements, such as images, graphics and videos, to communicate and comprehend information.”

The organisation believes that art can be a pathway to becoming visually literate in our digital age, especially for children. Their goal is to ensure all school children are visually literate by 2030. They run Visual Literacy Week and offer resources, such as videos and lesson plans, to hone visual literacy to develop critical thinking, effective communication and cultural understanding. This is a superpower that art museums have to engage and empower their communities.