The Family of Man. Education through Photography, Travelling in Time and Space. Teaching Visual Literacy in Seminars, Artistic Tutorials, and Field Research

Abstract:

The Family of Man is one of the most famous photo exhibitions of all times. Since 1994, the last remaining original is exhibited publicly in Luxemburg. Whereas scholars have dismissed The Family of Man for decades as sentimental and stereotypical, teachers embraced it early on for its potential to instruct visual literacy. This article presents a set of three courses about The Family of Man, including a seminar, a practical tutorial, and an excursion to the exhibition in Clervaux, Luxemburg. It argues that The Family of Man is nowadays still important for teaching visual literacy at the intersection of photo history, photo theory, and exhibition design.