The Art Education post-baccalaureate program will hold an open house and lecture on January 24 from 5-9pm for prospective students. The evening begins at 5pm with an information session about the 10-month program which prepares students for K-12 certification nationwide. Following the open house is a lecture at 7pm by Beth Olshansky. Olshansky is the founder and director of the Center for the Advancement of Art-Based Literacy at the University of New Hampshire in Durham and the author of "The Power of Pictures: Creating Pathways to Literacy Through Art." This compelling presentation of outstanding student art and writing, thoughtful reflections of child artists and writers and impressive research findings for at-risk students prompts critical questions. Why isn’t art more valued in public education? What key role can engagement in visual arts play in supporting the literacy learning of all students? Developer of two proven art-based literacy models, Beth will share the insights she has gleaned from over two decades of exploring the dynamic relationship between art and writing, the language of pictures and the language of words. Using lively footage filmed in several elementary classrooms, Beth will introduce both models and demonstrate the power of this approach for all students, including struggling readers, reluctant writers, special education students and English language learners. The snow date is January 31.

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