WHAT CAN CHILDHOOD SCHOOLS LEARN FROM ARNO STERN ABOUT ART IN EARLY CHILDHOOD?

Abstract

What can early childhood schools learn from Arno Stern about art in early childhood(?) is a provocative question that seeks to identify which contributions from the thinking and practice of the centenarian German educator Arno Stern, creator of the Closlieu studio in Paris, can serve as inspiration and nourishment for “education for/with children,” specifically for early childhood education in formal schools? In the field of art/education, Arno Stern is considered one of the exponents of “free expression” and has made an important contribution to art in early childhood through the practice of “painting game”, which he developed over more than 70 years with children, young people, and adults. In addition to his deep respect for children as protagonists of their creative process, Stern created a space for spontaneous expression through painting and dedicated himself to “serving” children in this “sheltered place,” a space of freedom and non-judgment, where “creative education” can be stimulated. Far from aiming to train artists or teach painting techniques, the contributions of this important educator can teach us about listening, attention, care, and, above all, respect for children and their expression through art, which is so necessary in early childhood and often stifled in regular school. Little of his thought and practice reached Brazil and, through some of his publications (Stern, [19--], 1974, 1978, 2011) this text will identify contributions that are still current as an inspiring source for the defense of art in children's schools.