Kim Cha-soon, director of the Ujegil Art Museum, has received the "Proud Museum Person Award," the most prestigious honor in South Korea's museum and art museum sector.
The Korean Museum Association announced Thursday that it had selected Kim and four others as recipients of the 29th Proud Museum Person Award.
The award recognizes museum and art museum professionals who have contributed to the development of the field over the course of the year. Joining Kim as recipients are Oh Sun-hee, director of the Park Eul-bok Embroidery Museum; Yun Suk-ja, director of the Tteok Museum; Song Young-suk, director of Museum Hanmi; and Jeon Bo-sam, director of the Manhae Memorial Hall.
Kim opened the Ujegil Art Museum in April 2001 — the first private art museum in the Gwangju and South Jeolla Province region — and has spent 25 years organizing a wide range of special and thematic exhibitions, earning recognition for her contributions to the vitalization of contemporary art in the area. She has also run education programs to cultivate professional talent in the art world and has engaged local residents in cultural and artistic activities.
Particularly notable was a 2014 expansion of the museum, carried out in collaboration with architect Seung Hyo-sang and incorporating the artistic world of painter Woo Je-gil, whose work centers on light. The expanded museum has since been named one of the "must-visit landmarks of Jeolla Province's millennium" and designated a "Gwangju unique venue." During this period, the museum has hosted more than 400 special and thematic exhibitions, drawing a cumulative audience of 180,000.
The award ceremony is scheduled to take place Monday at the grand auditorium of the National Museum of Korea, as part of a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Korean Museum Association's founding.
carrier@heraldcorp.com
