SPACE (Sharing Philosophy and Art for Children’s Engagement) develops a community of practice across the ENLIGHT+ Network connecting Philosophy for Children (P4C) and children’s engagement with the arts. The CoP will explore how to support children in thinking and speaking philosophically about artistic experiences, and how such engagement can enrich not only children’ s lives, but also the work of teachers, artists, cultural institutions, and wider public dialogues around culture and participation.

Children are often the focus of educational activities and policies that encourage them to engage in creative making. While such efforts help children to develop an understanding of arts practice, developing the confidence, ability and enthusiasm to participate in cultural spaces and dialogues about art is essential to active membership of civic spaces like galleries and museums, and, as research studies have shown, can even increase quality and length of life. Exploring philosophical questions through art can connect us meaningfully to others and support an exploration of human life and living beyond the immediacy of a performance or the walls of a gallery. To do so effectively requires careful pedagogical interventions, fostered through shared practice and investigation.

SPACE brings together partners for an initial meeting at the University of Galway during the 2026 Baboró International Arts Festival for Children. This gathering provides an opportunity to share practices, establish collaborative methodologies, and cultivate future projects (See below for more info on the event!).

Enlight Partners:

• Dr Michela Dianetti & Dr Lucy Elvis — University of Galway
• Dr Maider Zilbeti & Dr Marta García Rodríguez — University of the Basque Country
• Prof. Anne Burkard — University of Göttingen
• Dr Katarína Kolbiarz Chmelinová & Dr Dominika Weissová — Comenius University, Bratislava

If you are from an Enlight University partner, send an email to michela@airecollective.ie to join the network. If you are not from an Enlight University partner and want to join SPACE, you can become ‘Friends of the Network’ by sending an email to the same email address explaining in a few sentences how your work (academic or non-academic) connects to the two main fields of SPACE.

Here we will publish a map of the partners and friends as we grow; keep an eye on this page! In this way we hope to build a map of scholars, practitioners, artists, teachers, youth workers, and more, to facilitate collaboration and lay the ground for future ones!

Link to the Map will be available after the event below.

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COMING EVENT – SPACE (Sharing Philosophy and Art for Children’s Engagement): A Two-Day Workshop

Organised by AIRE member Michela Dianetti.

8-9 October 2026 | University of Galway | Alongside the 30th Baboró International Arts Festival for Children

9.30-17.00 Hardiman Building G010 (full program will be posted soon).

This October, the Philosophy Discipline at the University of Galway is hosting a two-day Enlight workshop exploring how Philosophy for Children (P4C) and children’s art engagement can enrich one another.

We’re inviting P4C scholars, philosophers working in education, artists, practitioners, teachers, Baboró Delegates, and the public for two days of hands-on workshops, practice showcases, keynote talks, and a public talk before celebrating the opening of one of Europe’s leading children’s arts festivals. No previous P4C experience is needed: the workshop is designed for specialists and novices alike.

The event also marks the launch of SPACE (Sharing Philosophy and Art for Children’s Engagement), a new ENLIGHT+ community of practice growing out of this work; so alongside the workshop itself, you’ll have the chance to connect with a wider international network continuing this conversation beyond the two days.

The workshop will also feature presentations from SPACE Enlight partners already active at this intersection across Europe:

–   Dr Maider Zilbeti and Dr Marta García Rodríguez, University of Basque Country (AktibaIT Research Group) – long-standing work combining philosophy with artistic co-creation.

–   Prof. Anne Burkard, University of Göttingen – innovative approaches to teaching philosophy in schools and teacher education.

–   Dr Katarína Kolbiarz Chmelinová and Dr Dominika Weissová, Comenius University, Bratislava – expertise in gallery and museum education, experiential learning, and art pedagogy.

– Dr Michela Dianetti and Dr Lucy Elvis, University of Galway (Public Philosophy and AIRE Research Collective) – the host team have a wealth of experience in public philosophy and Philosophy for Children, using philosophical reflection as a way of exploring arts experiences and an inspiration for creating artistic expressions.

The Two Days: 8-9 October 2026

The workshop takes place at the University of Galway. The programme includes:

–   A practice showcase from participating partners, sharing current work across P4C and children’s art engagement.

–   A P4C workshop for facilitators, art educators, and philosophers (no previous P4C knowledge needed)

–   Keynotes: Dr Joe Oyler, University of Maynooth, on Philosophy for Children’s theory and facilitation; Dr Annie O’Donovan, MTU Cork, on the topic of bringing P4C to public spaces, and Dr Lucy Elvis on P4C and art engagement.

–   A public talk on the afternoon of 9 October, with Dr Michela Dianetti, and keynote Dr Lucy Elvis, who will present on Philosophy of Childhood. This talk runs as part of the Baboró programme, immediately before the festival’s official launch, to which all attendees are warmly invited.

Over the two days, the group will also formally establish SPACE, a new ENLIGHT+ community of practice continuing this work. Participants are warmly invited to join as a Friend of SPACE, with a place on our Map of Friends and ongoing updates about future events, hosted on the AIRE Research Collective website.

The detailed programme will be available in due course on the AIRE webpage.

Stay On for the Festival:

The workshop coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, running 9-18 October 2026. Participants are warmly encouraged to stay on in Galway as Baboró Delegates for all or part of the festival, with performances for children and talks for adults by artists and practitioners throughout. (Baboró delegate page)

During the festival, the Public Philosophy team, as part of the Research Ireland-funded project AND (Art Needs Dialogue) led by Dr Dianetti, will be running the Thinking Studio, a walk-in philosophical space for children and families, open throughout the festival, offering philosophical engagement and creative activities for visitors to explore their encounter with art and the festival at their own pace.

The workshop is open to P4C scholars and researchers, philosophers of education, artists and creative practitioners, teachers, cultural-sector professionals, and anyone working with children’s creativity or philosophical thinking. You don’t need prior P4C experience.

Registration: Email mdianetti@universityofgalway.ie (limited availability)

This workshop is hosted by the Discipline of Philosophy at the University of Galway, in partnership with the Public Philosophy team and AIRE Research Collective, and it is funded by the ENLIGHT+ Network.

The public talk is organised in partnership with Baboró International Arts Festival for Children.