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This
exhibit represents a pause in a journey –
an opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been before we continue exploring
and creating. It is a celebration of what is possible when children are
listened to and given the opportunity to collaborate with adults and each
other in a meaningful way.
The artists referred to in the title of this project and exhibit
are both professional artists and children aged 18 months to 5 years.
They are guided and supported by early childhood educators who are skilled in
the art of teaching, who act as provocateurs, partners, researchers, and
co-learners.
The artists are at the centre literally – at early learning and child care centres – but also
figuratively in the sense of their work being a focal point. Rather than
learning to paint, the children are painting to learn. The professional
artists are helping them to be articulate in many languages – paint, clay,
wire, box construction, and dozens more – and their representations then
become the focus for discussion and reflection and decisions about what to
pursue further. The preschool programs in the city of Reggio Emilia in
northern Italy have inspired the work we are doing.
We hope the exhibit will be recognized for the attempt that it has made to
make children’s learning visible. The journey continues.
- Karyn
Callaghan
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