EMBROIDERING DREAMS, REINVENTING FUTURES:
Selvagem’s Ways of Knowing at CIEP Pixinguinha
15 September 2026
At CIEP 033 Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho (Pixinguinha), an integrated public education centre on the outskirts of Nova Iguaçu, in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area, embroidery has become a way of bringing together children, teachers and different ways of learning. The activity, inspired by the initiatives of the Selvagem Ways of Knowing Lab – LAS, coordinated by Veronica Pinheiro, was introduced to the school by Miriam Lígia Ribeiro, a Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) teacher, and has taken on new directions based on the experiences and interests of students from the Special and Inclusive Education.
Embroidery by the special educational needs class
The idea of introducing embroidery to the CIEP in Nova Iguaçu stemmed from Miriam’s search for new ways to help children build their dreams, particularly in her work with students with different needs, including autism, low vision and deafness. Inspired by the Embroidering Memories workshop, held by LAS coordinator Veronica Pinheiro at the Escragnolle Dória Municipal School in the Complexo da Pedreira, Miriam decided to bring this experience to the school as a way of combining the children’s lived experiences with learning that broadens the scope of traditional teaching. “The relationship with the children transforms the place beyond just Portuguese and maths. Other concepts are part of life, yet schools often treat them as if they were not part of it,” she explained. Embroidery emerged as an invitation to look beyond difficulties, fostering collective moments of support, creativity and listening, which leave room for laughter, play and also for mistakes.
Special Educational Needs students taking part in an embroidery activity
Miriam met Veronica in 2023, when they were working at the Escragnolle Dória Municipal School. Since 2024, in collaboration with the Selvagem Association, Veronica has been developing living ways of knowing within this school, and her journey has been documented in her Ways of Knowing Diary. Together, she and Miriam began to develop various activities on memory, Black identity and sacred places based on the children’s perspectives. The activities take place in Pedreira, the region where Miriam grew up, at the Comunidade Jardim Pedregoso public school, in Campo Grande, and also in Nova Iguaçu. “I just multiply what Veronica does,” says Miriam with a laugh.
Miriam, who currently teaches Brazilian Sign Language at CIEP 033, says she follows and draws inspiration from the work of the Selvagem Association, such as the Selvagem Notebooks publications and activities like the 2nd Training Meeting for Teachers, which took place in May 2026 at Sugarloaf Mountain in partnership with Projeto Maravilha.
Veronica Pinheiro and Miriam Ribeiro during the 2nd Training Meeting for Teachers organised by the Selvagem Association in collaboration with Projeto Maravilha in 2026
Among the children who took part in the activity was Yanni, her 8-year-old deaf pupil, who was the first to embroider a sunflower. Miriam has long been dreaming of setting up a bilingual school, incorporating Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) and active learning methods for primary school students who value other forms of expression beyond just mathematical calculations or written texts. According to her, embroidery forms part of this process as another possibility for participation and expression, which has even sparked the interest of other students and teachers. “There’s always someone from outside Special Education who wants to come along, sit down and embroider. That’s inclusion,” said Miriam. For her, this sense of togetherness is a fundamental part of the experience of embroidering together, creating “a welcoming space that transforms education through Special Education”.
Yanni, aged 8, with her sunflower embroidery
Embroidery by the Special Educational Needs class
The embroidery created by the children became the project ‘Reinventing a possible future through multiple literacies and the poetry of life’. The project is an exhibition, which will open on the stage of the Nova Iguaçu Shopping Centre on 24 September at 2.00 pm, celebrating the artistic potential of the Special Educational Needs class. The proposal was developed by teacher Luciane in partnership with teacher Natally, and with the collaboration of Miriam and of the support team Jessia, Nanci, Eliane and Luciene – all from CIEP 033 Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho. The aim is to create an exhibition that resembles a patchwork quilt, made from individual experiences in order to weave a shared story. Besides the exhibition, the teachers are also planning to continue the embroidery activities at the school, as well as exploring new ways to spread the ‘Selvagem’ movement.
Being part of the construction of this kind of experience is a great joy for Selvagem. The embroidery journeys at the Selvagem Ways of Knowing Lab – LAS, as well as Veronica Pinheiro’s Ways of Knowing Diaries , are available on our website and bring together the seeds and fruits that have been growing along this pathway.
If you have also carried out any activities based on Selvagem materials, we invite you to share your experience with us via this form. Not only does this bring us great joy, but this feedback is also very important to us as it allows us to keep track of how Selvagem materials spread around the world.
Photos: Selvagem Collection