Beyond museum walls: Visual narratives through images and history

Abstract

This article presents the analysis of visual narratives produced by 13-14-year-old students after visiting a historical exhibition at Museu Paulista of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Our goal was to understand which memories and reflections remained latent after the educational visit. In order to do so, we proceeded with a follow-up activity at the school the students attend. The discussion we propose concerning the relationship between image and history was mainly introduced by Burke, whereas Hooper-Greenhill focused on the images in a history museum context. Furthermore, we analyse to what extent a display designed 90 years ago can impact the production of these students. In addition, there was considerable effort by the museum educators to help them develop critical interpreting skills. The idea of 'real learning' of Atkinson also contributed to my considerations on the students' work.