Reading Portraits as Biographies

There’s more to a portrait than you might think. Portraits are often viewed as a mere depiction of a person when in actuality they are a visual text that can be read as biographies that communicate significant information about a person’s life. This engaging workshop teaches how to help students build background knowledge. Teachers can apply this strategy to teaching historical and literary figures across the curriculum. Developed by Kennedy Center teaching artist Melanie Layne and led by teaching artist Paige Whelan.