Exhibition of the infant-toddler centres and preschools,
Istituzione of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, Italy - North American version.
The traveling exhibition The Wonder of Learning is offered as a “democratic piazza” calling attention to the importance of education and schools as places for discussion and exchange. In continuity with the previous exhibition, The Hundred Languages of Children, the new exhibition also aims to reconfirm the values that underlie the educational philosophy of the Municipal Infant-toddler Centres and Preschools of Reggio Emilia, and in particular to highlight the changes, innovations, and developments that have taken place.
The exhibition speaks to all those involved in education as well as to all members of the general public who believe that research on the processes of learning and education is of crucial importance for society.
The art of research already exists in the hands of children acutely sensitive to the pleasure of surprise. The wonder of learning, of knowing, of understanding is one of the first, fundamental sensations each human being expects from experiences faced alone or with others.
Loris Malaguzzi
The exhibition is made of a sequence of interconnected micro-places that can be viewed separately. Each of these places will have a strong character linked to subject matter. The sections do not follow any particular order and can be approached according to visitors’ personal interests. The micro-places can be interpreted as a kind of archipelago – a group of islands with contents and connecting spaces in between to support a journey round them.
The various projects can be viewed on different parallel levels of communication. The aim is to offer visitors not only a sequential viewing (like reading a book) but a road-map guiding reading of each section and leading into the deeper focuses and close-ups. Objects, video film, access to initial sources of documentation, tapescripts and audio material can all be considered as “attachments” allowing personalised use of the exhibition depending on each person’s level of interest and competency. Different media will allow in-depth views of children’s and teachers’ processes, the adult’s role, working tools etc.
The narrative and communicative structure of the exhibition is designed to reflect the contemporaneity, the complexity, and the plurality of points of view that have always characterized the work carried out in the infant-toddler centres and preschools of Reggio Emilia. The exhibition is divided into sections conceived as “micro-places” that are interconnected but independent, each having its own precise character in relation to the subjects communicated. The sections do not follow a predetermined path and can be viewed in any order by visitors according to their own personal interests.
Introduction
The exhibition is composed of six sections, six thematic areas including 23 projects described.
Dialogues with Places
Dialogues with Material
The Enchantment of Writing
Ray of Light
Ideas and Projects
The Structure
An innovative element of the exhibit is its setup structure. Like letters of the alphabet, the basic modules can be adapted to the various characteristics of the exhibition spaces, giving rise to different expressive and communicative structures as a vehicle for multiple meanings. The various projects are communicated using different media: three-dimensional objects, videos, booklets, audio recordings, and so on, that can be associated with the same project to enable different levels of reading and study.
The Wonder of Learning is a traveling exhibition. It will be touring North America for ten years, from 2008 to 2018, showing for six months at a time in different cities, states and provinces.
From June 23 - November 13, 2016, The Wonder of Learning will be hosted by The Ontario Reggio Association in Toronto, Canada.
Exhibit fall hours: Wednesdays and Fridays 3pm - 7pm, Saturdays and Sundays 10am - 4pm. Admission to the exhibit is Free.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For general information about the exhibit in Toronto please contact: Karyn Callaghan or NAREA Exhibit Project Coordinator: Judith Allen Kaminsky
To schedule a group visit please contact: Patti MacDonald
RELATED WEBSITES
NAREA: www.reggioalliance.org
The Wonder of Learning website: www.thewonderoflearning.com