'Exhibit-on': surprising site for conflict and celebration

The catalogue for an Australian travelling exhibition that celebrates pedagogical documentation in New South Wales (Australia) lists Alma Fleet and Janet Robertson as the curators of ‘Exhibit-on’. The first version of this exhibit has some thirty panels developed into gallery pieces by graphic designer Michelle McDonald, from excerpts of investigations documented by staff in early childhood settings. What is not clear in the public documentation is the angst that shaped the process. As preparation begins for the second version of the exhibition, the issues that arose still generate tension and highlight this arena as a site of ethical debate as well as emotional and intellectual complexity.