Highlights:

The Reggio-Inspired Network of Minnesota has a rich history. It began as the Minnesota Reggio Network.

In February 1998, educators from around the state first met at the invitation of Barb Murphy at the University of Minnesota Lab School to share their interest in the Reggio Emilia philosophy and the inspiration it generated in their practice. Seventy-five people attended that first meeting.

Participants have met regularly since then, for many years at MacDonald Montessori School and now at additional community settings. Monthly meetings continue to provide an opportunity for people to dialogue and share experiences.

During 2004, the Minnesota Reggio Network, in collaboration with the Minnesota Children’s Museum, and supported by funding by the National Endowment for the Arts, hosted The Hundred Languages of Children Exhibit from Reggio Emilia, Italy at St. Paul City Hall for eight months.

During the Exhibit, Network participants collaborated to create “Seeing Children“, a collection of projects from about 25 Minnesota schools. It became a companion exhibit at the Minnesota Children’s Museum and the North America Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA) Summer Conference, held in St. Paul. The educators and the children explored the questions:

• How do children respond to and express their ideas about their environment?
• How do we, as teacher/researchers, respond and give visibility to the learning?

In 2008/2009 the Network underwent a transformation and expansion and is now known as the Reggio-Inspired Network of Minnesota.

With a renewed mission and goals we look forward to identifying and connecting with all of those who are interested in Reggio-inspired work.