Hi all,
I can't believe it's that time already but here we are! As you may know, we are planning on a hybrid conference for August 2022 which will be hosted by the University of Jyväskylä in Finland! The submission is much earlier than usual (February 28, 2022) this year so please get those proposals in - we don't plan on extending the deadline since we are planning an international conference and thus are working on a tighter timeline.
Conference theme
The past two years of ongoing restrictions caused by the worldwide pandemic have shown the importance of the visual in the everyday. Our lives have become more visual than ever before – from intense visual-sharing practices with relatives and friends, video conferencing, and online education, to the visual presence of pandemic contexts in cityscapes, artistic practices in local communities, media feeds including charts and graphs, and creation of remixed images as a commentary to the crises. It has become clear that we increasingly need visual literacy in terms of image creation, reception, and visual thinking. Therefore, in these current unpredictable (visual) times, we aim for the impossible – to envision the futures of visual literacy.
We invite scholars, educators, students, and practitioners from all over the world to discuss theoretical insights and to share research, artistic, and educational practices around the concept of visual literacy and/or in dialogue with multimodality, multi-sensory experiences, and multiliteracies. The concept of visual literacy has been used for over five decades in education, art, museum studies, information design, photography, and new literacies research, but currently, we have reached the point when we need to (re)build and (re)discover the (new) connections between the variety of theories, disciplinary traditions and educational practices in visual literacy and beyond.
Presentation types
Paper presentation (onsite and online)
Presentations (20 min + 10 min discussion) by one or more speakers are meant to introduce ongoing or completed projects related to visual literacy in any discipline or area of practice. Theoretical contributions are also welcome. For this format, participants can choose to present online if they are not able to travel to the conference site. There will be an online session stream in addition to the onsite parallel sessions.
Multimedia paper presentation
The Multimedia Paper Session (60 min) will have a dedicated slot in the program without any parallel sessions. Each presenter will have a separate spot to display any materials through which they want to present their work, e.g., poster(s), photographs, drawings, multimedia, etc. This format is a less formal opportunity to discuss work-in-progress, educational experiments, pedagogical practices, or introduce completed projects to the audience in a more interactive way. Presenters will have about one minute for a pitch talk, after which they will have the possibility to discuss their work with the members of the audience, supported by the multimedia artifacts of their choice.
Workshop (60-90 min)
Workshop proposals should briefly describe the topic and the plan for the workshop. We encourage interactive formats that engage the workshop participants into either creation or sharing of ideas and experiences. Conference organizers can provide basic office supplies, if needed.
Online Juried Art Exhibition
There is a possibility to submit artwork of any kind in a digital format for the curated Online Art Exhibition that will be introduced during the conference. In addition, artists will have the possibility to introduce their work during the conference in a roundtable discussion.
Important dates:
Abstract submission opens: 10 January 2022
Abstract submission deadline: 28 February 2022
Notification of acceptance: 31 March 2022
Conference dates: 10-12 August 2022
Travel Information
To enter and travel around Finland, U.S. citizens are required to have an approved ETIAS visa waiver.
American nationals can apply for an ETIAS directly online. If you are a U.S. citizen, you will be required to hold a valid passport and complete the online registration form with your personal details. You will also be required to provide the member state of intended first entry and answer a few background and security questions. Once you submit your ETIAS online application and pay the required fees, it will be screened across the ETIAS system database. Once an application is approved, you will receive a confirmation of your approved ETIAS travel authorization via email. In the rare case that an application is denied, you will have the opportunity to appeal. U.S. nationals should complete the ETIAS form at least 72 hours prior to their trip. Most applications are expected to be processed within minutes. However, to avoid delays or traveling issues, it is recommended to apply 3 days ahead of time. Learn more about the ETIAS application guidelines for U.S. citizens.
Please let me know if you have any questions and visit our website for the submission forms.
Dana Statton Thompson, MLIS
Research and Instruction Librarian & Associate Professor
Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business
Murray State University
University Libraries
213 Waterfield Library
Murray, KY 42071
Email: dthompson29@murraystate.edu
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7967-3694
International Visual Literacy Association, Vice President
ACRL Visual Literacy Taskforce, Member
(she/her/hers)
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Dana Thompson
Research and Instruction Librarian
Murray State University
She/Her/Hers
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