Vladislav Kirpichev believes that all children are creative geniuses. For 40 years, he and his wife, Liudmila, have been proving it at EDAS—the Experimental Children’s Architectural Studio, in Moscow. Kids as young as 2 come to the Kirpichevs’ classes to learn about the basics of architecture—form, space, rhythm, texture, color. With their enthusiasm, the Kirpichevs have not only inspired several thousand Muscovite youngsters to paint, draw, and build models, but they have won a long list of admirers in the grown-up architecture world. “It’s a rare and beautiful thing,” says architect Steven Holl, who has been observing EDAS classes for at least 20 years. Calling it a “miniature Black Mountain College,” referring to the legendary progressive arts institution, Holl says the work that comes out of EDAS is extraordinary: “I’m not exaggerating. It’s as good as many first-year architecture studios.”
The key to the children’s talents, Liudmila says, is that they are “more anarchistic” than grown-ups. “The smaller ones are less limited by obligations. They don’t know the correct answers to the questions. That’s why their work is never boring.”
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