ArtEducation House: between inside and outside, an endless dialogue

The ArtEducation House of Milan (www.arteducazione.com) was created in 2015 from a collaboration between ForMattArt, Progetto Axè Italia, Tempo per l’infanzia Cooperative, Education department of the Municipality of Milan, Giacosa Education Institute and Turin University at the Rinaldi secondary school of Milan. The ArtEducation House intends to promote integration and social cohesion among the children in Zone 2, an area with the highest percentage of foreign residents, through the realization of artistic workshops for at-risk children and teenager (foreign minors and all children in Zone 2 from difficult backgrounds such as bullying, drugs, drop-outs, poverty, crime and violence).

The ArtEducation House uses Projeto Axé pedagogy, which was developed in Brazil and considers art a powerful pedagogical choice to work with youth problem.

In its start-up phase the project foreseen a section on theoretical activities for teachers and social workers based on ArtEducation training and Axé “Pedagogy of Desire”, and a section dedicated to practical activities focused on art for the youth of the neighborhood via the first artistic workshops in the Rinaldi middle school.

In 2015, Alta Mane contributed to the ArtEducation House by supporting the development and monitoring of the educational methodology of the House, activities entrusted to Progetto Axé via two cycles of intensive training, continuous technical assistance, clinics and analyses of practice, as well as the provision of two artistic workshops (partner: Axè Italia).

From 2016, the project includes the offer of 6 art workshops (Afro Dance, Hip Hop, Percussions, Guitar, Singing, Visual Arts), each one afternoon a week; the offer of artistic workshops to about 8 classes of secondary public schools (in the morning) and the direction of internal and external events to the House. Moreover, the project foresees activities outside the House (in the school, with families and in the community), and moments of art fruition with visits to cultural centers of the city (partner: ForMattArt).