The art of inclusion: methods to approach interculturality in the Italian National Plan of Arts

Abstract

Several scholars have analyzed how the creative processes involve the ability to multi-perspective visions and provide room for intercultural and social comparison, self-awareness, reflection and the ability to bridge across differences. Through the analysis of data coming from a two year research on schools participating in the National Plan of Arts, the paper highlights some of the approaches and methods adopted by teachers to foster inclusion and broaden intercultural exchange at school through art. Multifaceted artistic approaches are outlined: from the prioritizing of the choral dimension, to the connection with handicraft, up to the use of specific collaborative methods. Beyond the different methods and projects, two main general approaches seem to cross the different experiences: a centripetal and a centrifugal approach to the intercultural issues. The paper intends therefore to provide insights about such different approaches and claim for a deeper intertwining between them.