Felicity McArdle
Nerida Spina
Queensland University of Technology

In this paper we examine the place of art in curriculum for young children of refugee families, but not from the relatively common art-as-therapy position. Instead, art is presented as a language that can provide young children with the means to engage with learning, build identity and tell their stories. This approach bypasses the deficit position children may be placed in because of their differences, which include language, culture and social capital. This is an account of an arts experience conducted by an artist who worked with a group of young children of refugee families, and some preliminary analysis of what we learned through the project.

Australian Journal of Early Childhood Volume 32 No 4 December 2007, pp. 50-53.

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