Art as experience di John Dewey ed il Reggio Emilia Approach. Prospettive filosofico-pedagogiche a confronto

This paper sets out to demonstrate how the work Art as Experience (1934) by the American philosopher and pedagogista John Dewey, who advocated for pedagogical activism, was significant in shaping Loris Malaguzzi’s thought (1920-1994) and the Reggio Emilia Approach. Reggio’s pedagogical approach is addressed to kindergartens. It is characterised by a pedagogy open to all expressive languages, which sees in the artistic experience a new way of living in school. According to its experiential and educational context, the Reggio Emilia Approach takes inspiration from Art as experience and reinterprets it, configuring its different and essential suggestions. Through philosophical-pedagogical investigations, the article reflects on the meaning of the aesthetic experience, creativity, and artistic experience interconnected with relationships. Art as experience and Reggio Emilia Approach conceive art as a powerful heuristic tool for human experience and reality.

Nell’articolo si intende mostrare quanto l’opera Art as experience (1934) del filosofo e pedagogista americano John Dewey, fautore dell’attivismo pedagogico, abbia contribuito al pensiero di Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994) e del Reggio Emilia Approach. L’approccio educativo reggiano, rivolto alle Scuole dell’Infanzia, caratterizzato da una pedagogia aperta a tutti i linguaggi espressivi che vede nell’esperienza artistica un nuovo modo di fare scuola, rintraccia in Art as experience diverse e importanti suggestioni, reinterpretandole e configurandole in base al proprio contesto esperienziale ed educativo. Il confronto si snoda attraverso riflessioni filosofico-pedagogiche concernenti il significato dell’esperienza estetica, la creatività, l’esperienza artistica inserita nella dimensione della relazione. L’arte si configura in entrambi i pensieri come potente mezzo euristico del reale e del vissuto umano.