The Visual Storytelling Lab (VSL) is an experiential learning initiative launched within the Department of English at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Spearheaded by Dr. Marlene Goldman and Dr. Alice Maurice, the VSL is designed to support and celebrate the narrative image and film work of students and faculty, inspire collaboration and community-building through visual storytelling, and connect students with industry insiders.
Visual storytelling is a universally powerful method of communication that has the ability to inspire, educate, validate our life experiences, and can even be a catalyst for change. It offers us a way to connect to ourselves, to each other, and to our past, and it can be used as a vehicle for imagining a shared future. Today, narrative visual work takes many forms; from feature films, to comic books, to short-form videos on social media, we are able to create and share our stories using a wide array of creative visual mediums. The VSL aims to provide members of the UTSC community, and the Scarborough community at-large, with the tools to create these stories as well as a platform on which to share them with others.
One of the ways the VSL will provide these tools is by creating opportunities for students to connect with industry insiders and have learning experiences outside of the traditional academic setting. This provides students with the invaluable experience of developing their craft under the guidance of seasoned professionals in the field. Ultimately, the goal is to create stronger ties between the Scarborough community and the visual storytelling business and inspire a local culture that directly attaches to the larger industry.
Our stories are rich and our identities are multifaceted. It’s in this spirit that the VSL is designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and support community-building efforts. At the heart of the VSL is a commitment to creating longstanding, meaningful partnerships, both within UTSC and between UTSC and the larger Scarborough community. We invite the community not only to engage with our work in visual storytelling, but to create it with us as well.
Please join us.