"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." - Henry David Thoreau This study utilized an intervention of deep looking through implementation of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) using artwork and artifacts in area museums/galleries (Yenawine, 2014). Techniques for working with primary sources, objects, artifacts, artwork, and visual culture will be modeled (Feldman, 1970; 1992) Professors and teachers gained strategies for working with K-12 students and undergraduate and graduate students for analyzing artifacts and artwork for greater understanding and narrative construction. Rooted in inquiry, VTS allowed for sustained investigation of objects to generate discussion, imagination, the creation of narratives and increased student engagement (Church, Morrison, & Ritchart, 2011). Easily aligned to the backwards design model for developing curriculum, essential and guiding questions were incorporated to create meaningful connections to intended student learning outcomes. Session participants were trained in strategies for assisting students with deep looking, stimulating class discussion about what they were observing, connecting these ideas with evidence, communicating effectively with others while considering alternate views, and using both reasoning and their imagination to construct a variety of interpretations. Strategies for choosing appropriate objects and artworks, linking learning activities to a variety of subject areas and concept and holding productive discussions were practiced by participants. Participants experienced a more formal process (Elkins, 1996) for analyzing of visual art. They learned to decode works of art and culture and thereby enhanced skills in visual literacy and communication. The steps for this analysis included: describing, analyzing, interpreting, exploring context, and judging/critique. Hands-on exploration and artwork was used to create a visual narrative of the artifact/object rooted in the information gathered using VTS and thinking strategies. Participants created a written narrative or poem that described the artwork/ artifact, the process involved with VTS, and their related experience.