Five Crucial Elements to Creating a Reggio Inspired Art Space

So You're Looking to Apply Some Reggio To Your Child(ren)'s Art Space....

The Reggio Emilia Philosophy is known for its art based approach. The philosophy refers to a children's art space as an atelier.

.   “The atelier is a separate room or area for the use and understanding of materials. It gives children opportunities to explore and become experts with materials in a place designated for this.” (Hendrick, 211)   Working with the light table, exploring manipulation of clay and sculpting with wire are some popular material studies that take place within this workspace. “What is done with materials and media is not regarded as art, per se because in the view of Reggio educators the children’s use of many media is not a separate part of the experience. It is an inseparable, integral part of the whole cognitive / symbolic expression in the process of learning.”(Hendrick, 22)

Here are 5 Easy and Beneficial Tips to Applying The Philosophy To

Your Child(ren)'s Atelier

1. Art Materials On Display & Easily Accessible to Children: Reggio-inspired rooms are known for keeping art materials on display within children’s reach to empower and inspire them. “The materials are carefully selected and arranged to invite exploration. On low shelves, the child can find “transparent jars of shells, buttons, beads, wires, tiny pine cones, dried rose metals, sequins in the shape of flowers, and spiral shavings from colored pencils,” all of which “reflect the light and reveal their enticing contents” (Cadwell, 2003, p. 117).

2. Natural Light & Living Plants: From a child’s perspective, such small changes animate the environment, making it feel “electric and alive” (Cadwell, 2003, p. 118).” (Strong-Wilson, p. 42)

3. Freedom to Create: This area needs to be less controlled. The child(ren) should feel free and encouraged to use and experiment with the materials in their own way without worrying about how it "should" be done or how it "should" look. The Reggio philosophy encourages open ended art that plays emphasis on the ideas, techniques and process that the child uses rather than their final product.

4. Make It Feel Homey: Using baskets and clear jars to display and store materials is a great touch. Display photographs of the children with their family to unite their two worlds together. Room lamps, vibrant and earthy fabric to cover backs of bookcases, soft seating, colorful area rugs and drapery that dangles safely from the ceiling are some other ideas to consider. 

5. Display Child(ren)’s Artwork:  Doing so will strengthen their confidence and in turn inspire them to create more. Artwork should be displayed with no wild borders or colored backgrounds. Black borders for each piece is most appropriate if it's felt to be necessary. The display area itself should be neutral to keep the focus on the work.

Art is a language that breaks all language or cultural barriers. It is a means for children to express all that they have going on inside of them. The materials they choose to use speak to the message they are trying to get across. These artistic experiences assist the children in sorting out their thoughts on the subject and makes learning more meaningful.

I invite you to comment below with your thoughts and experiences of creating an art space.

Resources

1. Cadwell, L. (2003). Bringing learning to life the Reggio approach to early childhood education. New York: Teachers College Press.

2. Hendrick, J. (2004). Next steps toward teaching the Reggio way: Accepting the challenge to change (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall.

3. Strong-Wilson, T., & Ellis, J. (2007). Children and Place: Reggio Emilia's Environment As Third Teacher. Theory Into Practice, 46(1), 40-47. doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4601_6

4. Wurm, J. (2005). Working in the Reggio way: A beginner's guide for American teachers. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.