Ashton Speaker Series, Spring 2025

Wednesday, March 5th
Willard Room, Zimmerman Library

• 9:30 - 10:00 AM: refreshments
• 10:00 - 11:00 AM: talk 

Talk Abstract

Art as Salve: Lessons from Portraiture and History,” asks the question -  What would happen if art was used as a tool for care, both in the classroom and without?  

Art can function as an intervention for remembrance and care. Museum objects, paired with visual thinking strategies (VTS) that support students' visual literacy development, can help us connect with one another and cultivate peace and joy within ourselves and in our relationships with others.  

The past few years have been a relentless torrent of unsettling events: the COVID-19 pandemic, civic unrest, censorship, and war. The long-term physical and psychological impacts of these disruptions remain largely unknown, but one thing is clear – any path to healing, whether individual or collective, must be forward-looking and embrace creativity. Healing manifests in many forms – and leveraging VTS can inspire self-compassion, introspection, and a refusal to accept the status quo. Throughout, art serves as a salve, a holistic and bountiful intervention for us all.  

Speaker biography

Ashleigh D. Coren is a content strategist, educator, and curator based in the Washington, D.C. area. Ashleigh has previously worked for the Smithsonian, the University of Maryland, College Park, and West  Virginia University Libraries. She is an alum of the ALA Emerging Leaders Program, and is currently on the board of directors for the Museum Education Roundtable.