Please note: Special public hours – 10 AM to 5 PM – on Thursday, May 9
Please note: Special public hours – 10 AM to 5 PM – on Thursday, May 9
Oct 21, 2013
Asian Art Museum presents its 5th annual festival celebrating Korean culture.
Download a PDF copy of this Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 21, 2013— The Asian Art Museum presents Korea Foundation Korean Culture Day on Sunday, Nov. 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Presented for the fifth consecutive year, this feast of Korean culture will feature food, music and other performances as well as hands-on art activities for all ages. The festival is presented in conjunction with the museum’s special exhibition In Grand Style: Celebrations in Korean Art during the Joseon Dynasty.
The culture day promises a variety of modern and traditional Korean food. Bay Area chef and farmer’s market vendor Hyunjoo Albrecht will offer bite-size tastings of traditional Korean food reminiscent of palace dishes from the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). One of San Francisco’s top food trucks, Namu Gaji, will sell Korean tacos and more on the museum’s front steps, while Cafe Asia, the museum’s own highly acclaimed cafe, will offer Asian fusion cuisine.
Festivities include hands-on art activities with paper artist and Fulbright scholar Aimee Lee. Lee will demonstrate the process of making Korean paper called hanji and various traditional uses for the material, often regarded as one of the highest-quality paper materials in East Asia. Visitors will have the opportunity to get creative with the artist by making felted paper artwork and other wearable items.
The museum’s grand Samsung Hall will feature performances by students and professors from the renowned Korea National University of Arts and a lecture by the director of the Center for Korean Studies at UCLA, John Duncan, about Confucian ethical principles.
Festival guests are invited to view In Grand Style, the first major U.S. exhibition to explore the colorfully choreographed ceremonies of Korea’s Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). Through more than 110 artworks, the exhibition examines the art of celebration during this era when observations of milestones—birthdays, weddings, promotions—followed elaborate protocols. The museum also encourages visitors to view Korean masterpieces from the museum’s own collection on display in the Koret Foundation Korean Galleries located on the second floor. The galleries feature art from one of the most comprehensive collections of Korean art outside of Asia. Docent tours of the galleries will be offered throughout the day.
In addition to the culture day, a reenactment of a Korean wedding from the Joseon dynasty will take place at the museum on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 2–4 p.m. This special public program, presented in collaboration with the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, features a colorful staging of an elite class (yangban) wedding, illuminating the elaborate procedures involved in this ceremony. The reenactment will showcase how celebrations in Korea’s royal court influenced those of the elite class during the Joseon dynasty as well as revealing a centuries-old tradition that continues in Korea today. This program has been co-organized with and made possible by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in San Francisco. Tickets are available at www.asianart.org.
“The Asian Art Museum celebrates the marvelous arts and culture of Korea through events like Korea Foundation Korean Culture Day and a traditional wedding reenactment that accompany our new special exhibition In Grand Style,” said Jay Xu, director of the Asian Art Museum. “We invite the Bay Area community to discover connections between today’s vibrant Korean culture and many time-honored traditions of Korea’s past.”
A complete schedule of Korea Foundation Korean Culture Day follows. Programs are subject to change. For updates, please visit www.asianart.org or call 415-581-3500.
Sunday, Nov. 17 from 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Free admission courtesy of Korea Foundation
AsiaAlive: Artist Demonstration
Noon–4 p.m., North Court
Fulbright scholar and paper artist Aimee Lee demonstrates the process of making Korean paper called hanji, and various traditional uses for the material regarded as the highest¬– quality paper in East Asia. Tour the special–exhibition galleries and explore the artworks on Korean paper on display.
Food Tasting
2–3 p.m., South Court
Enjoy traditional Korean festival food. First come, first served. Local chef and farmer’s market vendor Hyunjoo Albrecht serves up some of the best classics of Korean celebrations.
Korean Galleries Guide
Galleries and information desk
Pick up a copy of the Family Gallery guide and tour the special exhibition In Grand Style. Play the games in the guide and learn to see the artworks in a new way.
Learn and Discover
Docent Tours of Special Exhibition In Grand Style and Korea Galleries
10:30 a.m., 2 p.m., meet at the information desk, approximately 45 minutes each
Tour the galleries with docents and explore the arts of Korea.
stART Tour for Kids
11 a.m., meet near the information desk, approx. 30 minutes
Asian Art Museum storytellers share myths and folktales from Korea. For families with kids ages 3–6.
Kids Tour
11:30 a.m., meet near the information desk, approx. 30 minutes
Kids Tours provide children and parents the tools and vocabulary to look at and talk about art. Explore the galleries with a docent on a search for animals in the special exhibition galleries and museum collection. Suggested for families with kids ages 7–10. Kids 12 and younger always get in free.
Music Performance for Families
1 p.m., Samsung Hall
Students and professors from the renowned Korea National University of Arts’ School of Korean Traditional Arts perform for the first time in San Francisco. Meet the next generation of artists who will provide a future direction of Korean arts and create new types of performances.
Special Lecture: Confucianism, Ritual and Society in Joseon–Dynasty Korea
3 p.m., Samsung Hall
John Duncan, director of the Center for Korean Studies at UCLA, presents an introduction to Confucian ethical principles and how they influenced family and social relations and politics in the Joseon period (1392-1910). The talk will briefly consider how those ethical principles were embodied in depictions of ritual and other ceremonial occasions.
Youth Inspiration Art Show
All day, Resource Center
Inspired by the special exhibition In Grand Style and Korean art from the museum collection, students from the School for Integrated Technologies and Academics Charter High School in Treasure Island display their own artwork.
Teacher Resource Table
All day, South Court
Just for teachers! Learn about the museum’s programs and resources for educators. Pick up a free museum poster and join the fun.
Hands-On Art Activity
11 a.m.–4 p.m., North Court
Make a fun felted paper artwork with artist Aimee Lee and experience another side of a simple piece of paper. Buttons, temporary tattoos and wearable art are just some of the activities awaiting families and friends.
Museum Cafe and Outside the Museum
11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Korean tacos and more! San Francisco’s gourmet food stalls join the museum for the day’s festivities. The museum’s Cafe Asia offers delicious Asian-fusion dishes for the whole family.
Korea Foundation Korean Culture Day has been co-organized with and made possible by the Korea Foundation. The mission of The Korea Foundation is to promote better understanding of Korea within the international community and to increase friendship and goodwill between Korea and the rest of the world through various exchange programs.
The Asian Art Museum–Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture is one of San Francisco’s premier arts institutions and home to a world-renowned collection of more than 18,000 Asian art treasures spanning 6,000 years of history. Through rich art experiences, centered on historic and contemporary artworks, the Asian Art Museum unlocks the past for visitors, bringing it to life while serving as a catalyst for new art, new creativity and new thinking.
Information: 415.581.3500 or www.asianart.org
Location: 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Hours: The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From February through September, hours are extended on Thursdays until 9 p.m. Closed Mondays, as well as New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
General Admission: FREE for museum members, $12 for adults, $8 for seniors (65+), college students with ID, and youths (13–17). FREE for children under 12 and SFUSD students with ID. Admission on Thursdays after 5 p.m. is $5 for all visitors (except those under 12, SFUSD students, and museum members, who are always admitted FREE). Admission is FREE to all on Target First Free Sundays (the first Sunday of every month). A surcharge may apply for admission to special exhibitions.
Access: The Asian Art Museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information regarding access: 415.581.3598; TDD: 415.861.2035.
