Acknowledgements -- Introduction, Christine Marmé Thompson & Christopher Mark Schulte -- The emergence of the early childhood studio as an event-full place, Sylvia Kind -- “A cool place where we can make stuff”: Co-creating relational spaces of muchness, Jaye Johnson Thiel -- “Now we all look like Rapunzels”: Drawing in a kindergarten writing journal, Leslie Rech -- Artistic encounters: Ethical collaborations between children and adults, Shana Cinquemani -- Fighting the Mad King: Play, art, and adventure in an early childhood art studio, Marta Cabral -- Sensitive and supportive interactions: Tuning into children’s requests for help during artmaking, Rosemary Richards -- Children’s play and art practices with agentic objects, Marleena Mustola -- Digital aesthetic and multidimensional play in early childhood, Linda Knight -- Beyond screen time: Aesthetics of digital playscapes for young children, Marissa McClure Sweeny -- Circumspection in early childhood classrooms: Ontological forays into questioning, being, and making, Heather Kaplan -- A playful event awaiting just a-stone’s throw away, Charles Garoian -- Mothering as a feminist aesthetics of existence, Laura-Trafi-Prats -- The will-to-Research children’s drawing, Christopher M. Schulte -- Dancing rainbows, naughty rainbows: Reflections on teaching learning and research in the arts with young children, Patricia Tarr.

Reflecting contemporary theory and research in early art education, this volume offers a comprehensive introduction to new ways of thinking about the place of art, play, and aesthetics in the lives and education of young children. Enlivened by narratives and illustrations, 16 authors offer perspectives on the lived experience of being a child and discovering the excitement of making meaning and form in the process of art, play, and aesthetic inquiry.   “Advocates of the arts and play in early childhood have long challenged the narrative of the universal child and contested binaries such as adult/child, play/learning, and mind/body. Communities of Practice: Art, Play, and Aesthetics in Early Childhood is pivotal because it elegantly portrays subtle yet critical shifts in thinking. This collection of perspectives from around the globe poses new questions and offers up fresh perspectives. Each chapter explicates theoretical inspirations and includes stories and images to bring ideas to life. This book is an essential read because it not only challenges conventional thinking, but also sheds light on exciting new pathways.” Jolyn Blank, University of South Florida, USA.