Caucus Member Study Tour to South Korea
May 24 – June 4, 2009
Download and Print Registration Form here
The James Renwick Alliance Board of Directors and tour leaders Clemmer and David Montague invite Craft Leaders Caucus members on a Craft Study Tour to South Korea. Departure from the United States is on Sunday, May 24 and the return from Seoul to the United States on June 4.
Alliance members who upgrade their membership to Caucus level and new Caucus members who join JRA are invited to join the tour.
We plan to begin programs on May 26 with a light day of venues and end JRA activities the night of June 3 with a big farewell bash in a spectacular restaurant, arranged by Kiwon Wang whose knowledge of restaurants cannot be surpassed.
Dates of the trip coincide with the World Ceramics International Biennial in the cities of Icheon, Kwangju and Yeoju which begins in late April and ends in mid June.
Accommodations are in Seoul and are in the process of being arranged. Day trips will be made each day outside of the city. Expect a hotel located for its access to downtown Seoul, the Gangbuk district in the heart of the city's diplomatic, business and financial districts near restaurants, shopping and entertainment venues along In-sa-Dong and the Jongno-Gu area. Price will be around $200 per night for the room. The same rate will apply for arriving three nights prior to (in on May 22) and three nights following the end of the tour (out on June 7) to give participants more time to explore the sites in Korea.
We are looking forward to sharing our passion for studio craft in an entirely new venue with old friends and new ones. Robert Turley, founder and director of the Korean Art Society and owner of Korean Arts and Antiques in the Chelsea area of New York City, has provided invaluable assistance in planning and identifying significant collections, craft artists and unique venues in this magnificent and ancient country.
Rob will accompany us on the trip as guide and interpreter, and he calls South Korea his “second home.” Kiwon Wang of New York City, studio craft jeweler and a JRA member, will accompany us on the final three days of the trip, introducing the history of the development of craft in Korea and her areas of expertise: metalwork, jewelry and restaurants.
Komelia Okim, jeweler and silversmith of Rockville, MD, and twice a Fulbright scholar and exchange professor to Korea, has provided a wealth of interesting craft venues to see in Korea. Chung-Hie Lee, fiber artist now residing in Providence, R.I. and Seoul, has assisted in locating fiber artists.
We plan to visit the Heyri Artist Village, a unique and newly established artist community with artists from every genre: fine arts, craft art, movie makers, photographers, architects, play writers, etc. It is located near the DMZ, and one can visit many galleries where most of the artists live, work and exhibit. We will also take a sightseeing detour to the DMZ and visit the ceramic studios of two local ceramic artists, Kim Yik and Kim See Man.
Two days will be spent visiting the Korean World Ceramics Biennial Exhibition 2009 in the cities of Icheon, Kwangju and Yeoju. We are arranging a meeting with the organizers at the headquarters in Icheon.
The southern tour would include Park Young Sook's studio, (one of the superstars who has a gallery in New York which JRA members have visited during SOFA New York.) Time will be spent with fiber artists, recommended by Chung-Hie, and we will visit national and internationally recognized fiber artists working in oversize tapestry and print works, tapestry, paper, 3-D sculptures, contemporary installation/paper works/tapestry. We saw the work of some of these artists on the fiber trip to Philadelphia in March.
Komelia has recommended venues to visit in various craft media including metal/jewelry, fiber, glass and wood. We are also working on glass artists, i.e., Gallery Sklo and others and are searching for artists in paper, wood turning, furniture and metal working other than jewelry.
There is enough to do to fill the nine days. More specific details will be available once the hotel and charter bus service contracts have been completed. A final itinerary will be published later this year and updated prior to departure.
The cost to Caucus members for the study tour is $3,950 per person on a first come, first served basis. This price includes daily motorcoach transportation, nine lunches and eight dinners (one free evening), all admission fees, gratuities, fee for the guide and a voluntary $250 contribution to the James Renwick Alliance. The cost does not include hotel accommodations, airfare to/from South Korea, transportation from/to the airport and other personal and incidental expenses which are the responsibility of each traveler.
Limit is 30 people; however, no one will be turned down.