Hannah Edwards

Personal Literacy
Andrew Brown
UWRT 1103
March 23, 2015

Literacy of an Art Gallery

Works of art often last forever, or nearly so. But exhibitions themselves, especially
gallery exhibitions, are like flowers; they bloom and then they die, then exist only as memories,
or pressed in magazines and books. This quote by Jerry Saltz represents how an art gallery can
leave a lasting impression even after they have been removed from a gallery. The Art Gallery is
the place I am focusing my literacy on because of its purpose and goals, but in order to study it I
have to have my own definition of literacy and a literacy sponsor.
I am doing the literacy of an art gallery because it allows me to study a place for what it
is and discover its importance. The purpose of the Art Gallery is to share peoples passion with
others and provide a place where students can come and go to share like-minded ideas about art.
The Art Gallery is definitely a place to show off art but I do not think any place could be a
gallery because some places do not have the atmosphere for it. The place must be peaceful and
have no loud noises because the art wouldnt be able to be appreciated correctly. For example,
the Rowe Art building has art hanging on all of the walls but they have a floor plan designed to
create a peaceful feeling. They sectioned off walls to create small rooms so there are like mini art
galleries. If a place had a lot of traffic flow then it disturb a students ability to stop and focus on
the art. The place must be easily accessible but not in a place with a heavy traffic flow which
creates loud noises. With the correct environment, I do think that certain places could be
considered a gallery. Unlike other places with art, this Art Gallery is set aside specifically for an

art gallery because the showings change monthly and the artist are able to come talk to students
about their artwork.
My personal definition of literacy is being able to share ones own ideas and knowledge
with others. My personal definition of literacy works with the Art Gallery because the art inside
the gallery was made by artists who want to share their messages and ideas through their art.
Their artwork could represent their opinions and knowledge on certain topics. Art Galleries
allow artists to share their passion and talents with students who could be inspired by the artwork
to create their own opinions. Students are also able to learn from the artwork because the pieces
topic might be on something that they have no clue about or on a controversial topic and it shows
a different point of view about it. Learning this literacy can change my current life by allowing
art to have a new meaning in my life. A few months ago I never really thought about art and their
meanings but now I realize that they have hidden messages and that they could be making a
statement about a topic that causes strife. For example, I went to an art gallery that was about
slavery and the artwork depicted what slaves went through. The art showcased opinions that
werent popular but represented the truth. This new literacy can also change my life by showing
me what it means to think more creatively and learn more about myself. By contemplating the
meanings of the art I can discover parts of myself that I may have never noticed because there
was never a chance to use it. It also teaches me that all art is beautiful in their own way even
though it may not look like it at first glance. Art teaches me that beauty is in the eye of the
beholder.
My literacy sponsor is my friend from high school, Holly Simmons. Holly is an art major
at UNCG and she has won multiple awards in art showcases. She is my main literacy sponsor
because she was the first person to take me to see art and to an art gallery. The first art gallery

that she took me to was Art Walk, a gallery in Boone. I remember that the art was made out of
things like broken glass, rocks, and everyday items like silverware. The main thing that caught
my eye were the dreamcatchers because my mom loves them and so do I. I ended up buying her
one to add to her collection because these were homemade by local people. The mood of this
gallery was very calming because they had an atmosphere that was welcoming and their
employees were extremely kind. This gallery was comforting because it had wooden floors and
ceilings which made it have a cabin-like feel to it. The gallery was set up like a shop because
they sold most of their items but kept their main pieces on the walls. There was also a
downstairs that had things like hand carved tables and even crafty doors. This gallery that Holly
took me to is definitely one of my favorite galleries.
The literacy of the Art Gallery was my focus because of how its goals compared to my
personal definition of literacy and the ideas/influence I received from my literacy sponsor, Holly.
The Art Gallery is a place where students come to relax and look at art that represents the artists
point of view. The Art Gallery showcases new and old talent that students can learn from and
discover new messages about important topics in todays society.