High school students learning Korean in the United States are seeing their Hangeul-themed artwork displayed at a world-class local art museum. Hangeul art exhibition events like this highlight the growing global interest in Korean culture.
The Ministry of Education announced on the 11th that 24 artworks created by high school students from local Korean language classes and weekend Hangeul schools will be exhibited in the public space of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) in California from the 12th until April 20 of next year.
Collaboration with SFMOMA and BTS RM’s Special Exhibition
This exhibition was made possible through a collaboration between the San Francisco Korean Education Center, under the Ministry of Education, and SFMOMA. SFMOMA is the first modern art museum in the American West and has been hosting a special exhibition of personal collection items from BTS member RM since last month.
The students participating in this exhibition are general high school students learning Korean locally, rather than art majors. Under the theme of “Hangeul Beyond Borders,” the students created works that visually express Hangeul and Korean culture.
Student Creations Showcasing Korean Culture
Sabrina Barish from Dougherty Valley High School submitted a piece titled “Beyond the Frame to the World,” which incorporates Hangeul, gimbap, Gwanghwamun, and other elements of Korean culture into her artwork. Barish explained that she wanted to showcase the beautiful elements that Korea holds.
Anastasia Kolchina from Foothill High School, who created a piece titled “Core Puzzle,” expressed the diversity of Hangeul by drawing elements related to the script as puzzle pieces. Kolchina stated that through her research, she learned about Korea’s representative attractions, historical art pieces, and traditional sports, allowing her to gain a deeper understanding of Korean culture.
Christina Kim from Lowell High School used her artwork “Connected Through Korean Food” to depict experiences of sharing Korean foods like gimbap and bibimbap with friends and introducing Korean culture. Dayun Han, a student at the Silicon Valley Hangeul School, portrayed various aspects of Hangeul seen through traditional Korean windows in her work titled “Jeong.”
Expansion of Korean Language Education in the US
Since 1999, the Ministry of Education has supported the operation of Korean language classes to expand the foundation for Korean language education in the US. Schools operating local Korean language classes increased from 155 in 2016 to 267 this year. The number of students taking Korean language classes also nearly doubled from approximately 14,000 to 26,000. This year, Korean language classes were established in Colorado for the first time, with after-school classes newly opened at William Smith High School and Forge Christian School.
Lee Nan-young, Director General for International Education Policy at the Ministry of Education, stated that this exhibition is a convergence education case combining Korean language learning and artistic creation activities, and added that the ministry will continue striving to provide Korean language learning opportunities linked with various fields.
