Janita Craw - Educator in early childhood

Janita Craw-joint curator of
"mixed up childhood"




















From Mixed-up childhood

I was particularly struck by this
work of a prison on top of a highchair.
The message was clear.

Recent tragic deaths invoving very young
children caused a shudder through our nation.
I was at a loss to explain why such events take
place so I paid a visit to an old friend and asked
her to help me understand why little children
are coming to such dreadful ends.

Apart from being an expert on early childhood
education, Janita is the co-curator of a most
outstanding exhibition called Mixed-up Childhood
(at the Auckland Art Gallery last year).
It was a powerful and penetrating look at what
happens in the early development of childhood
and what can go wrong. Can it be that young babies
die simply because they are being punished?

Janita is adamant that the roots of adult abusive
behaviour towards children are deep within
our punitive culture.