The Art Fair – the annual art exhibition for be.Living Early Childhood Education – was inspired this year by the theme Ubuntu, an African philosophy that celebrates interdependence, respect and generosity between people. Claudia Mariuzzo, our school’s art advisor, shares in this interview the process of creating the exhibition and how such a complex theme was worked on with the young children, describing the impact of values such as solidarity and collectivity on the artistic activities. In this conversation, Claudia reveals how art can be a powerful tool for learning and connection, expanding perceptions and experiences in relation to others and the world.
be.Living: The theme of Art Fair 2024 was Ubuntu, a philosophy rich in meanings such as solidarity, generosity, and interconnection. How did the idea of choosing this theme for the Early Childhood Education Arts exhibition come about and what was expected that the children could understand and express when working with it?
Cláudia Mariuzzo: Art has been present in the history of humanity since the most remote times. Undoubtedly, it can be considered a need for expression of the human being, arising as a result of the relationship between people and the world. Through art, humanity expresses its needs, beliefs, desires, and dreams. And so, children also begin to build their stories. This year, especially, the intention was to create and establish intersections between nature, its biodiversity and sustainability, and our relationship with the environment. The theme was shaped throughout the year between the two units of be.Living, where the idea joined with the Ubuntu philosophy, which brings humanistic values such as solidarity, generosity, respect, and welcoming. It is a call for the common well-being, remembering that the human being is, in fact, a reflection of the other and of the environment. Our idea was that children could carry this experience as a seed that grows and reverberates throughout their lives.
be.Living: Ubuntu may seem like a complex concept, especially for children so young. How was it possible to make this topic accessible and at the same time meaningful for children from 2 to 5 years old? What strategies and languages are used to facilitate this understanding in each age group?
Claudia Mariuzzo: Art, like other areas of knowledge, permeates the daily lives of children. With various languages from the children’s universe, a process of discovering shapes and details occurs, aligning attention to the construction of more organized and critical thinking for the expression of ideas. We use artistic references and the power of the image to provoke the gaze and create relationships with the children’s repertoire. By perceiving what the images communicate, the child awakens their curiosity and builds the aesthetic experience. Both words, objects, and images can be used to represent ideas, feelings, and emotions. Knowledge through art broadens our view, mobilizes our perception, enchants us, makes us think, act, and consequently, create, when the environment is propitious. To introduce the Ubuntu philosophy to children, teachers had access to a series of videos and texts as a form of inspiration to present the theme in a playful way to the groups. As we had already been working on these concepts since the beginning of the year, there was already a whole path to consolidate Ubuntu as the theme of the Art Fair. To cite an example of how the theme was addressed, we brought this story to illustrate the concept: “An anthropologist proposed a game for some children from an African tribe. He placed a basket of fruit near a tree and explained that whoever arrived first would keep them. When the signal was given, all the children held hands, ran together, and, when they arrived, sat down to share the fruits. When asked why they decided to run together, they replied: ‘Ubuntu! How could one be happy while all the others were sad?’ Ubuntu, in African culture, means: ‘I am, because we are.’
be.Living: Each age group has different possibilities of expression and understanding. What aspects of the Ubuntu theme were emphasized for younger children compared to older ones, and how were they developed in the art activities?
Claudia Mariuzzo: As the art work begins at the beginning of the year, each group was already involved with themes such as sustainability, collectivity, and empathy. For the youngest, as in the case of the Yellow Orange group, we focus on organic and natural materials, such as natural pigments, and explore the five senses, as they are more connected to the body. The Green groups were already attentive to the disposal and reuse of materials, while the Reds were inspired as guardians of the forest, developing a more external perception. The older children, from Blue, using references from urban art, focused on memory, space, and kind words, like the actions of the Poet Gentileza on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Each creation, from the simplest to the most elaborate, represents a unique universe of feelings and thoughts, reflecting each child’s inner and affective life.
be.Living: In addition to the philosophical concept, there is also a technical and aesthetic part in the art work with children. How do you choose the artistic techniques and materials that are best suited to exploring the Ubuntu theme with each age group, encouraging artistic expression and respecting their motor and cognitive skills?
Claudia Mariuzzo: In the technical part, we follow the learning and development objectives defined by the BNCC (National Common Curricular Base), using artistic language codes such as drawing, painting, modeling, and collage. We plan explorations and experiences that articulate formal elements of art and their specificities, such as line, color, plane, volume, texture, body, gesture, voice, and text.
be.Living: Art, as you mentioned in the exhibition text, is a mirror of who we are and how we perceive the world. How do you notice that the children reacted and connected to the Ubuntu theme during the creative process? Is there a moment or work that has particularly touched you on this journey?
Claudia Mariuzzo: From the moment they experience the concept naturally and not imposed, children begin to make it their own in a unique way. I was able to see this in the exhibition, where they expressed what they learned with clarity. For example, the Yellow Orange groups created symbols to indicate “do not touch” the works, something that many adults want to do, but which they understood could ruin everyone’s work. The children of Green showed how it is possible to transform a simple cardboard bag into art, bringing new shapes and colors, while those of Blue focused on taking care of the city with artistic interventions, creating beauty, color, and kindness. Seeing all this creativity and sensitivity was very touching.
be.Living: In conclusion, what impact do you believe this exhibition and the theme of Ubuntu had on the school community? How do you see art collaborating to strengthen the sense of collectivity and care for the other, so important in this philosophy?
Claudia Mariuzzo: The school, as be.Living believes, is a privileged space for meaningful experiences involving the entire school community, providing a process of training in Art that provokes reflections and causes enchantment in everyone. We make this happen for children, families, and also for the pedagogical team, female and male school staff. Before setting up the Art Fair, for example, we conducted an activity with the pedagogical, support, and administrative team to provoke, in a poetic way, the way we look at each other in our school community. It was our “Ubuntu moment”, in which we handed out a table with the names of all the people who work at the school, asking each one of them to complete the following sentence with a single adjective: “I am because we are, and with you, I learn to be…”. The next day, we returned to each person what the others had learned from them. It was a unique and exciting moment for everyone, who, like the children, could also feel represented.
It is important to recognize yourself, to perceive the emotion and enchantment that art provokes in us. Everything we do reflects who we are, and this process of recognition is continuous and gradual, requiring constant practice. Thus, we experience the spirit of Ubuntu, which will remain forever here at be.Living!





