Curated by Caterina Pennestri
Caterina Pennestri
TO SEE AND SAVOR THIS EXHIBIT, WE NEED TO ENGAGE OUR OWN POETIC THINKING
(Ruozzi & Vecchi, 2019, pp. 12–13)
Mosaic of Marks, Words, and Material encountering Australia
For the first time, the Mosaic of Marks, Words, and Material exhibition arrives in Australia—marking a significant milestone in a long and passionate journey.
This exhibition-atelier, born from the research of Reggio Emilia, has been dreamed of, planned, and coordinated by Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange (REAIE), whose commitment to bringing this project to life has been rooted in the values of the Reggio Emilia Approach®.
This dream became reality through the genuine collaboration of professionals across borders, inspired by shared values and a collective desire to create spaces for dialogue around childhood.
This exhibition is a metaphorical la piazza—a space for encounter, dialogue, and shared reflection. Many international le piazze have hosted the exhibition, transforming into landscapes of pedagogical encounters.
Hosted by Reggio Emilia in Asia for Children (REACH) –in Singapore in November 2024, and later in China in January 2025, the exhibition has become a symbol of international pedagogical exchange. In preparation for this journey, our connection with REACH in Singapore was strengthened. In October 2024, four REAIE members attended a professional development program at REACH headquarters, guided by Mirella Ruozzi, Maddalena Tedeschi, and Asia Giannelli.
The training deepened our understanding of the pedagogical foundations and historical context of the research. Over four days, we unpacked the research questions, explored the organisational structure, and engaged in rich analysis of spaces, graphic tools, surfaces, and materials. It was a transformative experience that sparked international dialogue and generated anticipation, reflection, and new questions.
The anticipation and preparation for the exhibition for the first time in Australia revealed a profound need: for the exhibition to be nomadic, itinerant—moving across the country to reach diverse communities.
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It began its Australian journey alongside the 2025 REAIE Conference Landscapes of Collaboration in Adelaide, enriching the learning experiences of the biennial event. From there, it travelled to
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REGGIO EMILIA AUSTRALIA INFORMATION EXCHANGE
Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange Inc. Ground Floor, 1 Oxley Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122
WEBSITE: www.reggioaustralia.org.au
EMAIL: admin@reggioaustralia.org.au
REAIE acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation and their continuing connection to country and culture. Our meetings and events take place on ancestral lands and nearby waterways. We pay our respects to the Elders and educators of each nation, past, present and emerging.
@reggioaustralia
@reggioaustralia
Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange
Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange
Curated by Debi Keyte-Hartland and Catherine Lee
Sydney and will conclude in Rockhampton, Queensland, each stop a wish fulfilled, igniting curiosity and motivating educators to reflect deeply on the principles and practices of the Reggio Emilia educational project.
From this emerged the need for consistency and continuity across the Country. Each location, though unique, is connected by the same spirit and values, highlighting the cohesion of a network and the depth of understanding of the research project that inspired it.
The exhibition is also an Atelier, recognising that theory and practice are always in dialogue— inseparable and continuously nourishing each other.
An atelier space for drawing and narration situated within the exhibition as part of the display: this is an interactive strategy that often characterizes the exhibitions created by the municipal infant toddler centres and preschools of Reggio Emilia. It is a choice that underscores how theory and practice are inseparable and indispensable to the quality of the educational experience. The MoM collective and the REAIE network shared many questions that raised from the spirit of research:
•How should we set up the ateliers in Adelaide?
•Which materials could honour the vast and multicultural identity of Australia?
•How could we acknowledge the history and culture of this land while telling the story of Mosaic of Marks’ research?
•How could we design an atelier concept that could travel across the country, sharing both specific identities and common narratives?
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Curated by Debi Keyte-Hartland and Catherine Lee
Mosaic of Marks, Words, and Material tells the story of a research journey from Reggio Emilia, a journey of reinvention and revitalisation of the graphic and narrative languages. It is a poetic dance between two universal languages—drawing and storytelling—where the materiality of the materials becomes both protagonist and inspiration.
Though drawing and words are autonomous languages, for the children’s words and stories, silent or spoken, almost always go hand in hand or intertwine with the drawing, creating an intelligent and often poetic mosaic (Ruozzi & Vecchi, 2019, p. 15).
REAIE’s reflection on the Australian educational landscape led to the creation of organisational structures that would ensure the research was faithfully represented and facilitated across the country. Kirsty Liljegren’s role as coordinator of Mosaic of Mark in Australia has been fundamental, anchoring our work and providing steady guidance.
Maintaining a continuous dialogue with Reggio Children and local networks, REAIE supported the exhibition’s logistics, materials, and spatial organisation. More than ever, the network became a web of bridges—roles, nodes, and people helping one another, sharing ideas, expertise, and resources.
From this collaborative spirit emerged the idea of a dedicated role to preserve the integrity of the exhibition and its values: the Integrity Facilitator. This role ensures the consistency of materials and atelier proposals across all locations, safeguarding the essence of the exhibition and nurturing its pedagogical depth.
The scent of the atelier
It was a profound honour to be invited, as atelierista, to coordinate the organisation of materials and spaces. My role as integrity facilitator has been to ensure that the materials suggested by our colleagues in Reggio Emilia were present and that they embodied the spirit of the research. Equally important was the representation of the identity of each place hosting the exhibition—through graphic tools, surfaces, and materials that evoke the history, culture, and essence of the local context. Colours, textures, and shades were carefully selected to enter into respectful dialogue with the materials used in the palettes of the Reggio Emilia research, creating a new narrative: the story of Mosaic of Marks, Words, and Material in Australia.
The exhibitions mirror the experience from which they arose and in which they arose and in which they are rooted, but at the same time they show what is real, by way of the possible and the desirable (Ruozzi & Vecchi, 2019, p. 11).
The integrity of Mosaic of Marks, Words, and Material lies in its capacity to remain faithful to the pedagogical values of Reggio Emilia while embracing the uniqueness of each place it visits. As Mirella Ruozzi beautifully described, this exhibition is not a static display—it is a living, breathing presence, capable of generating dialogue, reflection, and transformation.
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A last-minute change of venue in Adelaide opened new possibilities of collaboration. The beauty of the spaces at Pulteney Grammar School, which offered to host the exhibition, enriching its
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Curated by Debi Keyte-Hartland and Catherine Lee
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The exhibition layout, designed by Reggio Children in collaboration with Michela Bendotti and REAIE, was followed rigorously. The layout transformed the space into an architectural dialogue, as if the venue had always been destined to host the Mosaic of Mark words and material exhibition.
The Manifesto Table and the Interactive Atelier Table became metaphors of the land—an embracing motherland welcoming diverse cultures, a Mosaic of cultures symbolised by tools and surfaces in dialogue, generating intrecci4, encounters, and interwoven narratives.
The joy and emotion of the first visit by Jane McCall, Elena Maccaferri, and Consuelo Damasi 5remains vivid. Elena’s words: “Sento il profumo dell’Atelier” (“I smell/feel the scent of the atelier”), captured the essence of that moment (personal communication, 3 July 2025). We felt proud that, as a collective and a strong network, we had honoured the values of Reggio Emilia with respect and integrity, while also telling part of our own story. Their advice, and their interaction with the space and materials, has provided an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the Reggio Emilia Approach within an ecological relationship to the Australian educational context.
The network continued to collaborate, supporting the Sydney team in preparation for hosting the exhibition at Marrickville Library Pavilion in August and September.
1 Intrecci (Italian, “weavings,” “intertwinings”) conveys the idea of threads, stories, and relationships woven together — a fabric of encounters and shared narratives at the heart of the Reggio Emilia vision.
2 Jane McCall is the interpreter for Reggio Children and Servizi Educativi of Reggio Emilia; Elena Maccaferri is a pedagogista at the Infanttoddler Centres and the Preschools of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia; and Consuelo Damasi is an atelierista at the Infant-toddler Centres and the Preschools of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. They participated and presented at the Landscapes of Collaboration conference in Adelaide, 2025 as well as the Mosaic of Marks opening.
3 The Marrickville Library & Pavilion was designed by BVN Architects, winners of an invited design competition run by Marrickville Council in 2011.
4 Intrecci (Italian, “weavings,” “intertwinings”) conveys the idea of threads, stories, and relationships woven together — a fabric of encounters and shared narratives at the heart of the Reggio Emilia vision.
5 Jane McCall is the interpreter for Reggio Children and Servizi Educativi of Reggio Emilia; Elena Maccaferri is a pedagogista at the Infanttoddler Centres and the Preschools of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia; and Consuelo Damasi is an Atelierista at the Infant-toddler Centres and the Preschools of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. They participated and presented at the Landscapes of Collaboration conference in Adelaide, 2025 as well as the Mosaic of Marks opening.
Curated by Debi Keyte-Hartland and Catherine Lee
Carefully wrapped, the materials travelled across the country—a precious cargo of possibilities. A vibrant network of educators awaited coordinated by Ruth Weinstein, ready to welcome and set up the exhibition. Their ideas and initiatives inspired and enriched the Sydney installation.
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The architectural beauty of Marrickville6 Library and its dynamic community shaped the exhibition’s spaces and materials. The architects who designed Marrickville Library imagined it as a living room for the community, a place where people of all ages could gather, learn, and connect. Sydney’s identity—its coastlines, ocean, and waves—was evoked through graphic tools and surfaces: watercolour shades of aqua, blue ultramarine, and greens; curled materials and pearlescent missing this image missing this image
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Marrickville Library & Pavilion was designed by BVN Architects, winners of an invited design competition run by Marrickville Council in 2011.
Curated by Debi Keyte-Hartland and Catherine Lee
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GOING BEYOND THE PAGE cardboards enriched the Manifesto Table, symbolising the sea, its colours and shapes. A storeroom was transformed into a new atelier, born from the vision of passionate educators who saw the potential of a space inspired by Sydney’s landmarks. Here, graphic language, surfaces, narratives and light danced together, generating transformed landscapes. Natural materials evoking Sydney’s botany across the exhibition’s space, created a dialogue with the urban context.
The joy of the exhibition’s openings in Adelaide and Sydney will be remembered as a celebration of collaboration and participation. It was also an act of gratitude to the volunteers—the soul and hands of the exhibition—who ensured that materials and spaces were welcoming to children, families, and educators, and that professional development opportunities were supported with care and dedication.
The learning curve for all of us has been immense—from logistics to social skills, from pedagogical concepts to material research. Mosaic of Marks has truly been a mosaic of learning opportunities. As atelierista, my research into materials connected with the Australian territory and history has been constant and sincere. With deep respect for a country that has hosted me for 15 years, I asked myself:
•How can we avoid tokenism while making visible the complexity of First Nations mark-making techniques?
•How can we honour the intrinsic traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, deeply connected to the land?
•How can nature—so wild, rich, and prominent—become a protagonist in dialogue with the cities?
•How can we acknowledge First Nations perspectives, valuing the language of welcome and multiculturalism as defining features of Australia’s current social landscape?
•How can I listen to ideas and perspectives of so many professionals across the country acknowledging and valuing their contribution?
•How can we maintain prominent and protagonist the Reggio Emilia research project?
There were questions, many questions, much uncertainty—but never isolation. The network was always present, a web of support and shared reflection. The research became our answer. The materials told the story. The ateliers came alive through the curiosity of children and visitors. Their explorations, their layers of research, their voices and narrations—activated by the materiality of the materials—spoke volumes.
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Curated by Debi Keyte-Hartland and Catherine Lee
As Atelierista, I re-discovered that the ocean isn’t just blue. I learnt to observe, to deep listen, to slow down, to resist the temptation of rushed answers and stand still in front of my assumptions. The ocean is not just blue—it is green, dark blue, aqua, deep green, purple, white, azure. It holds infinite shades, changing with light, time, and perspective. Perhaps it’s not a discovery, but a rediscovery. I believe every child already knows this truth. They see with eyes unclouded by habit, they know how to feel, listen and really to see.
This way of seeing and not just looking, guided my approach to curating the spaces and materials of the exhibition. Every choice was grounded in research, collective dialogue, and reflection. The intention was to inspire creativity and support the expression of the Hundred Languages—from birth to one hundred years old. Materials were selected not only for their aesthetic qualities but for their capacity to provoke thinking, invite exploration, and honour the poetic intelligence of children. I have re-learnt how to recognise and value the potential of the material.
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As we prepare for the final chapter of Mosaic of Marks, Words, and Material in Rockhampton (10 –26 October), there is a sense of joyful anticipation. The Central Queensland University will host the exhibition, welcoming educators, children, and families into a new piazza of possibilities. The emerging Rockhampton working group coordinated by Heather Conroy, full of energy and commitment, is ready to embrace this experience, adding its own voice to the evolving narrative. Despite the challenges of distance and logistics, the desire to connect, collaborate, and contribute has always prevailed. The exhibition has travelled far, not only across geography but through layers of meaning, relationships, and pedagogical reflection.
And when the last panel is gently rolled down, when the final visitor steps out of the atelier, we will feel a quiet nostalgia—but also a deep pride.
Pride in having honoured the image of the child.
Pride in having nurtured spaces where rights, potential, and research were visible and celebrated.
Pride in having offered something meaningful to our educational landscape in complex times. As REAIE, we have walked this journey with care and conviction, guided by the belief that education is a collective act of hope. The exhibition has not only displayed research—it has been research. It has invited questions, provoked wonder, and created spaces where the Hundred Languages could speak freely.
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Curated by Debi Keyte-Hartland and Catherine Lee
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This exhibition has truly been a la piazza. A place of encounter. A place of listening. A place where materials, stories, and relationships have intertwined to form a mosaic—not only of marks and words, but of shared pedagogical dreams.
“To speak to the world about children ‘s infinite wealth of potential, their ability to wonder and investigate, their ability to co construct their knowledge through active and original relational processes: this has always been the primary objective of the exhibit” (Malaguzzi, in Ruozzi & Vecchi, 2019, p. 9).
And though the panels may be packed away, the la piazza remains. It lives in the reflections of educators, in the gestures of children, in the conversations sparked by a colour, a texture, a line. It continues in the networks that have grown stronger, in the questions that remain open, and in the commitment to keep learning together. “We continue to work with tenacious optimism in this perspective of the future” (Ruozzi & Vecchi, 2019, p.11).
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REFERENCES: Ruozzi, M., & Vecchi, V. (Eds.). (2019). Mosaic of marks, words, material (2nd ed.). Reggio Children srl.
Curated by Debi Keyte-Hartland and Catherine Lee
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A MESSAGE OF GRATITUDE
To all the educators, professionals, volunteers, and collaborators who generously contributed their time, energy, materials, and hearts to Mosaic of Marks, Words and Material in Australia— Thank you.
Each gesture of participation—whether through sharing resources, offering support, engaging in dialogue, or simply being present—has been deeply appreciated and lovingly treasured. Your contributions have not only enriched this project but have also helped illuminate the profound beauty and potential of the Reggio Emilia approach in the Australian context.
Together, you have nurtured a space where the rights of children are honoured, their voices amplified, and their expressions celebrated. Through your dedication, you have helped shape an experience grounded in listening, shared learning, and a deep respect for the many ways children think, create, and communicate.
Your commitment has made a lasting impact—not only here in Australia, but as a small and hopeful step toward a world where children’s rights are valued and respected, and their languages recognised, cherished, and embraced.
With deep gratitude and admiration for your generosity and spirit, Caterina Pennestri.
Active Hope is not wishful thinking.
Active Hope is not waiting to be rescued.
[ … ]
Active Hope is a readiness to engage.
Active Hope is a readiness to discover the strengths in ourselves and in others; a readiness to discover the reasons for hope and the occasions for love.
A readiness to discover the size and strength of our hearts, our quickness of mind, our steadiness of purpose, our own authority, our love for life, the liveliness of our curiosity, the unsuspected deep well of patience and diligence, the keenness of our senses, and our capacity to lead.
None of these can be discovered in an armchair or without risk (Macy & Johnstone, 2012, p. 35).
Active Hope is about becoming active participants in bringing about what we hope for (Macy & Johnstone, 2012, p. 3).
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I have written a message of gratitude for everyone who collaborated or shared ideas with us for Mosaic of Marks. Although we cannot list everyone by name, I believe it's important to acknowledge and appreciate all the contributions—big and small—that helped bring this project to life (Caterina Pennestri personal communication, September 2025).
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REFERENCES:
Macy, J., & Johnstone, C. (2012). Active hope: How to face the mess we’re in without going crazy.New World Library.