“It is neither comfortable nor simple to speak of beauty and aesthetics in a world so afflicted by injustice, poverty, repression and cruelty. Beauty and aesthetics may seem ideas so ephemeral and far removed from our everyday lives that we feel almost ashamed to speak of them. At the same time, we can sense how they counter apparent fragility with an extraordinary strength and resilience that derives from this intrinsic fragility itself.” 

- Vea Vecchi, Art and Creativity in Reggio Emilia

We rely on the research flowing from the schools of Reggio Emilia to embolden our image of children and our imagination for how our work as teacher-researchers can respond to the great challenges of our times. In this full-day workshop, we’ll investigate the fundamental role of the arts in that work. How can the tools of the arts help us deepen the search for understanding that animates the lives of young children and the adults who live and learn alongside them?

The workshop facilitators are Susan Harris MacKay and Matt Karlsen, hosts of the global professional development community Studio for Playful Inquiry.  Matt and Susan draw from decades of working with children and educators, including at Opal School in Portland, Oregon.  Susan is the author of the book Story Workshop: New Possibilities for Young Writers.  They relish their time partnering with educators - especially those inspired by the values and principles of Reggio Emilia.