The National Gallery of Iceland and Skaftfell Center for Visual Art in Seyðisfjörður hosted a series of visual literacy workshops for teachers this week, held in connection with the exhibition Kjarval in East Iceland. The exhibition has been exceptionally well attended, attracting both travelers and local residents from across the Eastfjords region. It will remain on view until October 4, 2025.
The workshops, which took place at Skaftfell, were led by the National Gallery’s education specialists and were open to teachers at all school levels as well as museum educators in the area. The program, Sjónarafl – Training in Visual Literacy, is based on the museum’s publication of the same name and has proven highly popular among teachers and cultural institutions. The workshops employ a dialogue-based approach designed to deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of visual art and cultural heritage.
Visual literacy training also directly supports the national curriculum’s learning objectives, emphasizing key competencies in expression, communication, creative thinking, and critical analysis.
In 2024, the National Gallery of Iceland was nominated for the Icelandic Education Awards for its publication and ongoing educational work connected to Sjónarafl – Training in Visual Literacy.
The museum has offered online courses in the subject as well as traveling workshops across Iceland — most recently in Seyðisfjörður, and previously in Akureyri, in collaboration with the Akureyri Art Museum, and in Ísafjörður, in partnership with the Ísafjörður Art Museum. This focus on dialogue and outreach to rural communities forms a vital part of the museum’s core mission and activities.