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Atelier of Tactile Sensations: A Children’s Course

Date

Place

Garage Kids' Studio

6 sessions

120 minutes

Description

Garage launches a course for participants aged 5 to 7 inspired by the Reggio Emilia pedagogical approach.

Over six sessions children will explore the tactile world of textures, discovering their properties and possibilities. Textures are more than just material characteristics. They form a universal language for storytelling and expressing emotions. They are present everywhere—in objects, clothing, architecture, and nature—connecting diverse disciplines such as art, design, physics, chemistry, and more.

During the course, participants will experiment with materials while exploring the diversity of tactile language and its possible applications. They will create a number of objects, including tactile books, three-dimensional compositions, musical instruments, and small shelters, using them to tell their own unique stories. This investigation into the world of tactile language will help children deepen their understanding of their surroundings, strengthen their connection to the world, and develop analytical and creative transformation skills.

The course combines the methodology of the Reggio Approach with that of Italian designer Bruno Munari, who placed collective exploration of materials at the core of education. Drawing inspiration from Futurist tactilism—which extended the art of touch beyond hands-on experiences to the creation of sensory rooms, streets, and even theaters—Munari introduced his own unique type of tactile laboratories.

About the Reggio Emilia Approach

The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy that asserts that children construct knowledge through the relationships they build with others and the environment. It emphasizes that children possess a «hundred languages» through which they can express their ideas. This approach is aimed at encouraging children to explore the world in various ways and use symbolic languages (such as painting, sculpture, and drama) in the collaborative construction of knowledge.

The origins of the Reggio Emilia approach stem from the social and economic conditions of postwar Italy, as well as the collaboration between the Union of Italian Women (UDI), local administration, parents, and educator Loris Malaguzzi. Its theoretical base is influenced by thinkers such as Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, Maria Montessori, Howard Gardner, and Jerome Bruner, continuously evolving to integrate new ideas and theories.

Reggio educators see children as individuals with unlimited potential, eager to interact with and contribute to the world. They are viewed as active participants in shaping their experiences and identities, as well as individuals with full rights. Educators carefully observe children, value their ideas, and guide them through facilitation methods toward deeper exploration, hypothesis-building, and reflection through artistic research. Learning subjects can emerge from children and educators as well as from families or society as a whole, with projects adapting to the children’s pace rather than following a rigid schedule, thus encouraging them to return to the inquiries they are interested in. By engaging with various media and open-ended projects, children gain multiple perspectives and a deeper understanding of the subjects they explore.

About Bruno Munari Laboratories

The laboratories of Italian designer, educator, and artist Bruno Munari are spaces for creativity, experimentation, and discoveries through play. The first such laboratory was founded in Milan in 1977 at the Brera Pinacoteca for elementary school children and was adapted for both younger and older age groups. Its methodology focused on active practical learning, collaborative experiments, and critical thinking. Munari encouraged children to explore materials and tools while introducing them to art from different eras and cultures.

He employed artistic techniques such as divisionism, chromatic perspective, collage, and tactile experiments to help children perceive and analyze the world through their senses and transform their environment. Along with learning established techniques, children in the laboratories were motivated to experiment freely.

Rather than focusing on professional training, the goal of Munari laboratories was to provide children with opportunities to engage creatively with art and learn through practice.

Course
Methodologist

Elizaveta Kaluzhskaya

A teacher, curator, independent researcher, and former curator and manager of educational and public programs at the State Hermitage Museum and Garage. She graduated from the Philosophy Faculty of St. Petersburg State University, studied as a preschool teacher in London, taught at an accredited Montessori school (London), studied the Reggio Emilia Approach on three Reggio Children courses (London), and completed a psychology program at Birkbeck, University of London.

COURSE TEACHER

Alexandra Rusakova

A children’s teacher and psychologist, curator, and methodologist. She graduated in psychology and pedagogics in education from the Russian State University for the Humanities. She studied the Reggio Emilia Approach with Anna Vendik and Elena Smolina. She has worked as a teacher in international preschools in Shanghai and as a senior tutor at the Reggio inspired preschool PLIM! (Moscow). She worked as a curator, methodologist, and an adaptive psychologist at the Reggio inspired preschool Reggio Garden (Moscow).

How to Take part

The course is designed for participants aged 5 to 7.

The cost of the course is 12,000 rubles

10% off for GARAGE cardholders. You can purchase a discounted course at the Museum information desk.

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