What are the literacies embedded in the communities where my work will unfold?
Posted by Catherine Rousseau on Wednesday, May 12, 2010
This writing prompt is very difficult to answer. As of this moment, I am not sure what community I will be in when I begin my "work". As of today, I first and foremost consider myself a student. Any work that I do in my community is directly linked to my education (even if not included as a part of my school work). Because of this, I can not articulate what community in particular my "work" will effect.
With this in mind, I will look at my current community (Cambridge, MA) to answer the prompt.
Today, my work involves volunteering at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and volunteering at the Out of the Blue Art Gallery in Cambridge. Both venues have their own particular communities, although both are venues for arts exploration and engagement. Working in each of these institutions offers unique challenges as each hold within it, a particular community.
When working at the MFA, I instruct art classes and teach art history to children and their families who visit the museum. These families come from various communities from not only the Boston area, but from across the world. The MFA lends itself as an establishment which can connect cultures through it's wide range of world arts and artifacts. When working there, I find that there are many different literacies I need to consider when dealing with visitors.
People who come the museum are from different cultures and have different educations and understandings of art. As an educator there, I need to assume nothing. I do so because I am never sure who I will meet, and what I will need to be prepared for. I consider myself as a representative of the museum. By this, I make sure that I am familiar with the museum exhibits, the history of the museum and Boston Area, and I always make sure that I can inspire creative thinking as visitors consider artworks in their viewing, as well as creation. I am a navigator of history, technique, culture and Boston.
While working at Out of the Blue Art Gallery, I am much more aware of the clearly defined community I work with. My position there is the Social Networking Marketing Consultant. Instead of working with the public (as in the MFA), I work directly with the gallery directors and managers. My work consists of creating social networking web sites to expand the galleries clientele. As I work with the gallery, I have come to realize the literacy the directors and managers need direction with - technological literacy. I have spent days, weeks, and months teaching and guiding the gallery into the world of web 2.0. So, in a sense, my role in the gallery has come to be a teacher of literacy.
Guiding the museum from a completely hands-on approach of marketing to a hands free, technological way has been challenging but also very rewarding.
These two seperate communities have taught me what it means to be literate. That literacy stretches beyond reading, but in fact the ability to be able to read the world as it evolves and finds new ways to communicate with itself.
With this in mind, I will look at my current community (Cambridge, MA) to answer the prompt.
Today, my work involves volunteering at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and volunteering at the Out of the Blue Art Gallery in Cambridge. Both venues have their own particular communities, although both are venues for arts exploration and engagement. Working in each of these institutions offers unique challenges as each hold within it, a particular community.
When working at the MFA, I instruct art classes and teach art history to children and their families who visit the museum. These families come from various communities from not only the Boston area, but from across the world. The MFA lends itself as an establishment which can connect cultures through it's wide range of world arts and artifacts. When working there, I find that there are many different literacies I need to consider when dealing with visitors.
People who come the museum are from different cultures and have different educations and understandings of art. As an educator there, I need to assume nothing. I do so because I am never sure who I will meet, and what I will need to be prepared for. I consider myself as a representative of the museum. By this, I make sure that I am familiar with the museum exhibits, the history of the museum and Boston Area, and I always make sure that I can inspire creative thinking as visitors consider artworks in their viewing, as well as creation. I am a navigator of history, technique, culture and Boston.
While working at Out of the Blue Art Gallery, I am much more aware of the clearly defined community I work with. My position there is the Social Networking Marketing Consultant. Instead of working with the public (as in the MFA), I work directly with the gallery directors and managers. My work consists of creating social networking web sites to expand the galleries clientele. As I work with the gallery, I have come to realize the literacy the directors and managers need direction with - technological literacy. I have spent days, weeks, and months teaching and guiding the gallery into the world of web 2.0. So, in a sense, my role in the gallery has come to be a teacher of literacy.
Guiding the museum from a completely hands-on approach of marketing to a hands free, technological way has been challenging but also very rewarding.
These two seperate communities have taught me what it means to be literate. That literacy stretches beyond reading, but in fact the ability to be able to read the world as it evolves and finds new ways to communicate with itself.