How the Information on Reggio Emilia Landed in the United States

By Lella Gandini, Reggio Children Liaison in the U.S. for Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia Approach and Adjunct Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Reprinted From: Exhibit Program of Atlanta, GA, November 2000

Granted By: Inspired Practices in Early Education, Inc.

A bit of history of the beginning is in order.

In 1976, while I was in Italy for a year, I was asked to write an article for the Italian educational magazine Zerosei (Zero to Six, later to become Bambini), directed by Loris Malauzzi, founder of the programs for young children in Reggio Emilia. In the years that followed, I had many occasions to visit those preschools and infant-toddler centers, as educators throughout Europe began to discover the extraordinary educational work that was underway in this northern region of Italy. In the early 1980's, I began presenting to U.S. educators the advanced development of early childhood education in Italy and in Reggio in particular. In 1983, the seeds of a network in the United States were planted. First, I introduced Carolyn Edwards, who was then on sabbatical from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to Loris Malaguzzi, Carlina Rinaldi, and Sergio Spaggiari in Reggio. Second, together we met Baji Rankin, who was doing research on Italian early education programs. On that occasion, we visited in Reggio Emilia one of the first versions of the exhibit that was then called, "When the Eye Jumps Over the Wall," and was later renamed, "The Hundred Languages of Children." The exhibit came from an initial idea of Loris Malaguzzi, but was realized through a great deal of collaborative work and the creative construction of many minds and hands. After these encounters we began to work on making the schools of Reggio Emilia known to teachers and researchers, and to explore ways for the exhibit to be brought to this country.

First attempts in finding venues and ways to bring the exhibit to the U.S.

In 1984, I published an article for Beginnings, later integrated into The Childcare Exchange, about the preschools in Reggio Emilia. It included a message about the exhibit with an invitation to educators to write me for information. So many letters arrived from teachers wanting to know more about the schools and wanting to help to bring the exhibit to the U.S. that we were really encouraged. One place that at first seemed promising was Wheelock College where Baji Rankin was doing some teaching. With her help, I did a presentation for their faculty, for students and teachers that was videotaped to be shown to prospective supporters. The same videotape was later used by the Smithsonian educational component of traveling exhibits that Carolyn Edwards had approached. The director of that component, Matu Goodwin, decided to visit the schools in Reggio. Howard Gardner, whom I had interviewed for Zero To Six, wanted to do the same. I was fortunate enough to accompany them to Reggio in June 1985. This was an eventful visit. The encounters of Howard Gardner and Loris Malaguzzi, the seminars and the dialogues, as well as the generous friendly gatherings were memorable all around—for the Americans and for the educators of Reggio Emilia. Although no decision about bringing the exhibit to North America was made at the time, we did receive an offer of space from the Library of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, which first established the support that Howard Garner has continued to give to the Reggio Emilia educators and their schools.

The exhibit arrives on North American soil.

1987 was a landmark year for relations between the United States and Reggio Emilia. The Emilia Romagna regional government sent a variety of exhibits about the products, the crafts, and the Art of the region to San Francisco. Loris Malaguzzi was invited to include the exhibit about the preschools of Reggio Emilia. For that occasion a new version of the exhibit—that had traveled first out of Reggio directly to Sweden in 1981—was put together and a beautiful new catalogue was printed. Loris Malaguzzi himself traveled for the first time to the United States, to San Francisco, and was a bit surprised to see that the exhibit was set up in Ghirardelli Square. I have a series of photographs of that installation and I think Baji also has photographs of that historic first site.

The second venue for The Hundred Languages of Children exhibit was Fort Worth, Texas. The organization was taken on by the city of Fort Worth directly in collaboration with the city of Reggio, as the two are sister cities. The exhibition was one of the events; the other events included bicycle races and tasting Parmigiano Reggianno cheese and Lambrusco wine. Sergio Spaggiari was invited to Forth Worth for the occasion and found a large banner displayed across the gate of the hall that mistakenly announced a Montessori Exhibit from Italy, which made him aware of the importance and fame of Montessori school in the United States.

After those two venues, upon request from Loris and his colleagues, I tried to help the transition of the exhibit from one place to the next. The exhibit traveled to Syracuse with Becky New, to Amherst where Carolyn Edwards, George Forman and I had the pleasure of hosting Loris Malaguzzi and Tiziana Filippini; to Boston where Baji truly performed miracles to make it possible for Carlina Rinaldi, Sergio Spaggiari, Amelia Gambetti and Giovanni Piazza to be there for the opening. Then, the exhibit traveled to White Plains, to Washington D.C., to Dayton with Pamela Houk, to Detroit with Roz and Eli Saltz, to St. Louis with Brenda Fyfe, to Oklahoma City with Joanne Hendricks, to Memphis, and to Salt Lake City. I tried to provide information about content and practical things like measurements, transportation, insurance, and made connections between each site and the educators of Reggio Emilia. Fortunately in 1992, Pamela Houk, the professional curator at the Dayton Art Institute, offered her help. She stared to take on with great skills, dedications, patience, and competence the exhibit through so many more installations of great success at so many different venues.

All along I was invited to see the exhibit, and to speak about the wonderful approach, the ideas, and the strategies of teachers, parents, and children of Reggio Emilia. I went to 27 of 34 sites where the exhibit has been so far. The exhibit has become a true friend, one to which I am attached visually and emotionally. In each place it looked as if it was wearing slightly different clothing and as if it told the story of the children and adults of Reggio with a different accent. I saw The Hundred Languages of Children renewing itself in each place as it reflected and reverberated the care and interest of the people who set it up and prepared it to be seen in order that it could communicate respect for children and hope to everybody.