ABSTRACT
Within the field of art education, responding to art as a visual text that holds significant sociocultural meaning is not a new concept and is at the core of what many call visual literacy and an important concept of a visual culture art education. The approaches mentioned in the visual arts anchor standards focus on visual analysis and interpretation for meaning making, which often is lacking in print-based textual literacy strategies. This chapter focuses on the Walton Ford's artistic creations responding to the wildlife work of John James Audubon. Ford responds to Audubon by suggesting what a modern-day naturalist might look like if keeping with the style of Audubon. Ford responds not only to historical methodologies of process, style, and ideology but also to historical print texts that are humorous, dark, and ironic when brought into a contemporary context. The chapter also describes an event which elucidates disciplinary literacy concerns that exceed the generic recommendations that permeate traditional literacy research.
