Hundred Languages of Children Exhibit

How was it that the Hundred Languages of Children Exhibit
came to St. Paul and resided in its City Hall for eight months?

In 1994, the simple statement of “The Exhibit should come to St. Paul,” was made by Amelia Gambetti; a dream-wish that took ten years to materialize. Through the collaboration, coordination and cooperation of many individuals as well as organizations, the exhibit came to Minnesota in March of 2004. It was a gift, but a gift that we wanted and requested. We worked to surround it with our own interpretations, provocations and initiatives of professional development.

What was the impact of the exhibit on St. Paul and Minneapolis,
Minnesota and the whole upper Midwest?

Who visited the exhibit?
What happened on the visits?
What will happen next?
How was the work of teachers, children and parents affected?
How did the exhibit help build community and strengthen relationships?

"In reflecting on the Exhibit and the experiences surrounding it, I think that the connections and relationships created by its presence, had the greatest impact on me. Over the eight months at City Hall, hundreds of people from hundreds of places, visited. They laughed and cried. They studied and worked. They wondered and projected and asked questions. I was privileged to be there with them and share in this awesome experience. Those connections and relationships are the part of the exhibit that stayed here in Minnesota after we sent the panels, crates, angels and rainbows to Miami. The university students and professors, parents and children, grandparents, jurors in the Ramsey county court system, teachers, directors, sisters, cousins and husbands were all participants in the experience. We witnessed children creating their own knowledge and expressing it with paint and dance and shadow and clay and hundred more."

Sandy Burwell, Atelierista, MacDonald Montessori School

Following are reflections we have gathered from the many and varied visitors to the Exhibit. They - who came to study and dialogue - discovered and responded.

Exhibit sign in book document: Microsoft word Document (56kb)

Steering Committee

A steering committee directed the efforts to bring The Hundred Languages of Children Exhibit to St Paul, Minnesota for four years coordinating with Reggio Children and gathering together a larger community collaborative to strengthen the initiative.

Beth MacDonald & Sandy Burwell, MacDonald Montessori
Kelly Finnerty, Minnesota Children's Museum
Barb Murphy, University of Minnesota
Lani Shapiro, St Paul Public Schools
Patti Loftus, Blake School
Jeanne Vergeront, Children's Museum Consultant
Craig Robinson Favorito & Audrey Robinson Favorito, Parents - MacDonald Montessori

The goals of this endeavor were:

1)   strengthen the connection among those interested in making children's work visible

2)   delve more deeply into understanding children

3)   identify Minnesota's unique accent in adding voice and interpretation to the Reggio philosophy

4)   share ideas with new audiences : community and business people, parents, legislatures, researchers etc.

---

• Professional Development Initiatives in Preparation for the Arrival of
  The Hundred Languages Exhibit :
  
  Amelia Gambetti, Carlina Rinaldi, Paola Ricco from Reggio Children in two video conferences from Italy. November 2001 & March 2002
  
  Louise Cadwell & Chuck Schwall, St Louis Reggio Collaborative  April 2002
  Ashley Cadwell & Louise Cadwell, St Louis Reggio Collaborative  January 2003
  Mary Hartzell, First Presbyterian Nursery School, Santa Monica, CA  March 2003
  Lella Gandini, Rome, Italy   April 2003
  Amelia Gambetti, Reggio Children, Italy          
  
  June 2003
  
  Community Collaborative Members:
  Reggio Children, Italy
  MacDonald Montessori School
  MN Reggio Network
  Minnesota Children's Museum
  St Paul & Minneapolis Public Schools
  Blake School
  Mayor's Office & City Hall Staff
  University of Minnesota
  Early Childhood Family Education
  MNAEYC
  Metropolitan Regional Arts Council & MN Arts Board
  Perpich Center for Arts Education
  Children's Theater & Ordway Theater
  Resources for Child Caring
  Greater Minneapolis Day Care Council
  Kairos Dance Theater & Heart of the Beast Theater
  COMPAS
  Walker Art Center
  Minneapolis Foundation
  
  Funding for the Exhibit:
  --Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
  --Contributions from Community Collaborative Members
  
  Professional Development Initiatives in Connection with the Presence of The Hundred Languages Exhibit at City Hall :
  Opening Conference & Reception - Lella Gandini, Rome, Italy
  Study Visits for Educators, Parents, Children, College Students, Community Leaders,
  Government Representatives
  Community Forum on Creativity and The Young Child
  The Seeing Children projects by 11 schools
  Children's Projects by four schools in St Paul
  Fundamentals of the Reggio Emilia Approach
  Conference by Jennifer Strange, St Louis Reggio Collaborative
  Early Childhood Arts Conference - Perpich Center for the Arts
  Flint Hills Art Festival, Grand Excursion 2004, 150th Birthday Celebration of St Paul as
  a City, Week of the Young Child, Art Walk
  Summer Conference with Amelia Gambetti, Carlina Rinaldi & Emanuela Vercalli,
  Reggio Children, Italy
  
  In addition, a panel of U.S. Educators in dialog with the Reggio Approach:
  Karen Haigh, Chicago Commons
  Simonetta Cittadini-Medina, Miami
  Mary Hartzell, Santa Monica
  Margie Cooper, Atlanta
  Beth MacDonald, St Paul

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