header

The College of Fine Arts, in conjunction with the Education Innovation Group, has launched a new support program for students’ creative activities leading to professional development and career choices

For fine arts students to find career and job positions after graduation, one of the key avenues to demonstrate their creative ability is joining public contests, which would require administrative experience and management skill in addition to artistic talent. To support our students in this area, the College of Fine Arts has launched a new initiative called “Project Education Innovation Group + College of Fine Arts,” in conjunction with the Education Innovation Group as the name suggests, to promote students' creative expression and help them make a soft landing as professional artist after graduation.

‘Open Studio’ with over 80 students, ‘Kyung Hee Night’ with active field experts
The project is largely divided into three parts: △Open Studio △Kyung Hee Night (20 selected external exhibitors), and △External Exhibition (Hello Museum). The open studio was held from October 24th (Tuesday) to October 30th (Monday) at the art gallery and practice room of the College. About 80 students joined the event, and their artworks were on exhibit to the members of Kyung Hee community and the general public for one week.

“Kyung Hee Night” was held on the last day of the exhibition. Live performances and project mapping by students were showcased accompanied by DJ performances. In the audience were about 30 currently active art curators and gallery operators as well as professors and alumni who celebrated and witnessed the growth of Kyung Hee Fine Arts. They also evaluated the student exhibition and selected 20 aspiring Kyung Hee student artists to be featured at the Hello Museum in February 2024.

The project also aims to improve the exhibition preparation process and the completeness of the work. Faculty members of the College were assigned to individual students and guided them through the creation of their artwork, exhibition prefaces, catalog production, and others, while the College’s administration office and the Education Innovation Group were involved in the transportation of artworks and related administrative tasks. Hello Museum, the venue of the exhibition, opened in 2007 to foster artistic sensitivity in the local community through exhibitions and education while promoting barrier-free and eco-friendly lifestyle.

Exploring the possibility of developing a system of external exhibition to encourage students’ creative activities
Professor Jinah Roh of the College of Fine Arts, who is heading this project, plans to develop a regular program that hosts seasonal student exhibitions at art museums outside the University, which would be an opportunity for students to get their names out and start building a career in the field of fine arts. Professor Roh said, “After graduation, most prospective artists must pay out of their pocket to promote their work, which can frequently add up to be a huge burden due to the high cost of materials, studio rental fee, and so on.” The main focus of the project is to help students continue to pursue their artistic expression without being encumbered by excessive financial difficulties.

In addition to financial assistance, the project offers opportunities for students to experience the business end of being an artist prior to joining the workforce in earnest. Professor Roh said, “While many organizations and agencies hold public contests to sponsor artistic activities and to support artists’ production costs, workspace, and exhibition space, students must first become familiar with the contest application and screening process to be able to win a spot. But many have reported that their lack of experience in this area was a major hinderance to moving up. So, I wanted to provide students with a training environment that helps them advance into society.”