Drawing Childhood: Exploring the Global Legacy of Children's Art at Fondazione PInAC

The aim of this contribution is to introduce the EU-funded doctoral research project "Children's Drawing and the Heritagization of Childhood Cultures", which focuses on the implementation of new Guidelines for an international collection of children's drawings. This collection includes over 8,000 works created by children from 79 countries around the world and is housed and displayed at the Fondazione PInAC, a museum in Rezzato (BS), Italy. The project highlights how the visual voices of children (Sparrman et al., 2023) are integral to understanding and studying childhood across different regions and historical periods. Through their drawings, children contribute to culture, not merely reproduce it (Golomb, 2004; Pizzo Russo, 2015). However, the involvement of adults during and after the creation of these drawings underscores the need for adults to be mindful of, and respect, children’s creative expressions. This ensures that children receive the proper support to fully express themselves (Rose, Jolley, & Burkitt, 2006). Therefore, this research places special emphasis on the role of adults (Aggleton, 2018) in encouraging children’s expressive languages, whether these are spontaneous or more structured (Stern, 1959). In exploring the experiences of childhood—both past and present—children’s drawings are valuable sources of insight. They offer a creative, self-produced record of children’s life experiences within their unique socio-cultural settings (Sparrman & Aarsand, 2022), reflecting their individual skills, interests, and motivations.