In the Spirit of the Studio

This lavishly illustrated book will help educators create the highest quality learning opportunities for a new generation of children. The Second Edition features substantial and important changes, including the addition of new chapters by pioneers of the work that happens in the atelier who draw on several decades of experience.

The atelier, or studio, is a key element of the renowned preschools and infant-toddler centers of Reggio Emilia, Italy. This beautiful, full-color resource explores how the experiences of children interacting with rich materials in the atelier affect an entire school’s approach to the construction and expression of thought and learning. The authors provide examples of projects and address practical aspects of the atelier, including organizing the environment and using materials. No other book presents a more thorough examination of the philosophy, practice, and essential influence of the Reggio-inspired studio.

Book Features:

• A comprehensive approach that addresses learning, collaboration, relationships, and community.
• The writing and practice of influential educators from Reggio Emilia, including a new chapter by Vea Vecchi.
• A window into many ateliers/studios within the United States that have created settings and experiences to suit their unique contexts.
• Updated conversations with the protagonists from Reggio Emilia as they speak about the history and evolution of the atelier.

Lella Gandini is the Reggio Children U.S. liaison for dissemination of the Reggio Emilia approach. Lynn Hill is an educational consultant. Louise Cadwell is co-founder of Cadwell Collaborative: Sustainability Education and School Design. Charles Schwall is pedagogical curator at The St. Michael School of Clayton in St. Louis

“This book’s great illustrations and enthusiasm for learning make it difficult to put it back on the shelf!”

—SchoolArts

“This book will help to promote a vibrant and creative approach to learning that will enrich American children’s educational experience.”
—Barbara and Eric Carle, author and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar

“It’s now widely understood that the preschools of Reggio Emilia are among the most important educational endeavors of the last century. Theoretically grounded and eminently practical, drawing on experiences in Italy and the United States, this book probes deeply into the atelier, the heartland of a Reggio-inspired school.”
—Howard Gardner, author of Changing Minds and Good Work

“A book that is intended to reveal the meaning of the atelier in the world of schools and learning gives me nothing but joy and receives my warmest support.”
—From the Foreword by Vea Vecchi, Atelierista, 1970–2001, Diana School, Reggio Emilia, Italy Consultant, Reggio Children s.r.l.

"Not only have these authors and educators committed to the dialogue between art and education, but they, themselves, have also acted as artists, bringing the spirit of the studio and the mind-set of the artist into every aspect of their design, dialogue, thought, and practice. "
—From the Foreword to the second edition by Steven Seidel, Director, Arts in Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Table of Contents

Foreword by Steven Seidel

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. The Context and Inspiration of Our Work
   Lella Gandini, Lynn Hill, Louise Cadwell, and Charles Schwall

Chapter 2. From the Beginning of the Atelier to Materials as 100 Languages: Loris Malaguzzi's Thoughts and Strategies
   Lella Gandini

Chapter 3. Poetics of Learning
   Vea Vecchi

Chapter 4. The Amusement Park for Birds: Emergence and Process of a Project
   Lella Gandini

Chapter 5. The Whole School as an Atelier: Reflections by Carla Rinaldi
   Edited by Lella Gandini

Chapter 6. The Grammar of Materials
   Charles Schwall

Chapter 7. The Atelier Environment and Materials
   Charles Schwall

Chapter 8. Melting Geography: Reggio Emilia, Memories, and Place
   Barbara Burrington

Chapter 9. Border Crossings and Lessons Learned: The Evolution of an Intergenerational Atelier 
   Lynn Hill

Chapter 10. The Atelier: A System of Physical and Conceptual Spaces
   Louise Cadwell, Lori Geismar Ryan, and Charles Schwall

Chapter 11. The Story of a Studio in a Southern Arizona Public School
   Pauline Baker

Chapter 12. Creativity at the Heart of Learning
   Susan Harris MacKay

Chapter 13. In the Spirit of the Studio
   Charles Schwall, Lella Gandini, Lynn Hill, and Louise Cadwell

Design Invent Play: Engaging Contemporary Culture—Charles Schwall

A School Visit: Observing and Listening—Lella Gandini

The Power of Wind—Sha Shonie Reins, with Scott Mohan

Countering Poverty with Aesthetics—Lynn Hill

Children, Materials, and the Natural World—Louise Cadwell

Epilogue
   The Editors

Glossary

About the Editors and Contributors

Index