Martin Scorsese on the Importance of Visual Literacy

Martin Scorsese wrote in the New York Review of Books here:

"We’re face to face with images all the time in a way that we never have been before. And that’s why I believe we need to stress visual literacy in our schools. Young people need to understand that not all images are there to be consumed like fast food and then forgotten—we need to educate them to understand the difference between moving images that engage their humanity and their intelligence, and moving images that are just selling them something."

George Lucas has made a contribution to the debate. He said:

"If people aren't taught the language of sound and images, shouldn't they be considered as illiterate as if they left college without being able to read or write?"

Maria Popova talks here about the power of imagery and graphics to move and compel here:

"From hand-drawn diagrams to sophisticated data visualization, by way of graphic design, illustration, photography, and information architecture, this magnificent volume of contemporary and experimental visual storytelling explores what it means to convey information with equal parts clarity and creativity, speaking with remarkable aesthetic eloquence about the things that matter in the world today."