World-renowned ‘Hundred Languages of Children’ exhibition comes to Lismore

An exhibition where children as artists and inventors are made visible through a range of photographs, words, paintings and sculptures is coming to the Northern Rivers for the first time next month.

The Hundred Languages of Children exhibition, from Reggio Emilia, Italy, opens at the Southern Cross University Lismore Library on Friday June 6 and runs until July 11. It is hosted by Reggio Emilia Northern Rivers Group and Southern Cross University.

The Hundred Languages of Children is an international travelling exhibition that has been telling the story of the Italian-based Reggio Emilia educational experience to thousands of visitors for more than 25 years.

While the exhibition is specifically related to children from birth to six years of age, it also has important implications for those involved with older children.

Reggio Emilia Northern Rivers Group convenor Dr Wendy Boyd, who is also a lecturer in early childhood education at Southern Cross University, said it was wonderful that SCU was supporting the internationally renowned exhibition.

“The term ‘hundred languages of children’ comes from a 1984 poem by Loris Malaguzzi. In this poem Malaguzzi refers to the many ways of communicating by young children to make their thinking visible. Loris Malaguzzi is credited with developing this approach to early childhood education,” Dr Boyd said.

Time magazine nominated the Reggio Emilia Early Childhood Centres as the ‘Best Kindergartens in the World’ (Time 1990).

Dr Boyd said Reggio teachers provided children with different avenues for thinking, revisiting, constructing, negotiating, developing, provoking and symbolically expressing their thoughts and feelings so that their learning was made visible.

“The exhibition is a beautiful and intriguing display of children's theories illustrated through photographs, words, paintings, drawings and sculptures. It is a visual testament to children's potential as scientists, inventors, authors and artists and an opportunity to learn about the extraordinary research conducted by teachers and children in Reggio Emilia.

“We hope the exhibition will inspire our children to value their own ‘hundred languages’. We also hope that educators, artists and the community who visits this exhibition will value and engage with the ‘hundred languages’ we all share.”

Jan Millikan OAM, founder of the Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange (REAIE), will attend the launch event in Lismore on June 6.

“The exhibition has the power to delight, marvel and inspire, but its importance lies in the important opportunity it can enable for ongoing dialogue; a debate related to what is possible when we realise, in both senses of the word, how capable and competent young children actually are if we engage in what Reggio loves to call a ‘A pedagogy of listening’,” said Ms Millikan.

The Hundred Languages of Children has toured for more than 25 years, involving five editions of the European version, and the duplication of the exhibit in 1987 for a North American version. The first showing in the southern hemisphere was in Australia in 1994. The current English language version was produced specifically for the 2001 tour to Hong King, Melbourne and Perth. Since then Hundred Languages of Children has travelled to India, Malaysia, Korea and UK.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Professional development opportunities around the exhibition’s Lismore visit will be available to interested teachers from all spheres of education: early childhood, primary, secondary and visual arts. For details, email northernriversnsw@reggioaustralia.org.au

EXHIBITION
Opening night: Friday June 6 from 5pm-7pm. Bookings required. RVSP to northernriversnsw@reggioaustralia.org.au

The exhibition runs until Friday July 11.

Exhibition hours:
• Tuesday June 10 to Friday June 20: weekdays ONLY from 9am-5pm (closed public holidays and weekends)
• Monday June 23 to Friday July 11: weekdays from 9am-9pm, and weekends from 1pm-5pm

Bookings required for large early childhood or school groups to visit. RSVP to northernriversnsw@reggioaustralia.org.au

For further information, email northernriversnsw@reggioaustralia.org.au

Photo: Image from the Hundred Languages of Children exhibition.