3 posts tagged “art”
It turns out there is a lot of art in Korea. There are hundreds of galleries in Seoul, and even more artists operating studios and opening shows. There are networks of expat artists all over the country, and I've had the pleasure of meeting a few a them. South Korea also has one of the largest artist villages in Asia, nestled in a valley near the border with the north. Heyri Art Valley has 300 artist members, and more than 100 buildings comprised of houses, galleries, and shops. Each building has a unique architectural design and the artists display diverse collections, from paintings, to ceramics, to musical instruments, to books. It's such a beautiful place. I'm fortunate to live fairly close, so I have been volunteering there for the last month. Each time I visit I go to a new gallery or shop and help the manager with whatever they have for me to do. I'm planning to write a short essay about my visit to each place, since they have provided some of my most interesting experiences in Korea. I am very excited to be involved at Heyri and to learn from international artists. And I'm thrilled to have discovered so much creativity surrounding me.
For the last 10 weeks I've been teaching two art classes every week. One group is 3rd graders and the other is 4th and 5th graders. The point of the class was to teach English through art. It was an idea I came up with because I had pretty big reservations about doing an English play (which is what the English teacher did last year). The other reason was that I'd been wanting to do something like this for a while. I wanted to try teaching something creative and art is what I know. I had a lot of fun in these classes. It was always the highlight of my week to come up with a lesson, teach it and see the results of my students work.
I knew from the beginning that I wanted to have some kind of exhibition to showcase their work when we had finished the class. I thought it would be an opportunity they wouldn't normally have to see their work up in the library in the style of any real life art exhibit. I also had grand plans of having them present their work in English to the crowd of spectators. Of course, these things never turn out exactly how you'd envisioned them. There were numerous bumps in the road in the past couple of weeks, but last Friday night it all came together. Each student had chosen their three favourite pieces and they were arranged together. I think it ended up looking great and I think the kids were pretty impressed with themselves. The parents and public seemed to like it too. You can see it for yourself here.
I'm glad it went so well, because I'll be doing the whole thing over again starting in a few weeks. Only this time, I only have 5 weeks! Eeek.
It figures that the moment I no longer have access to ovens and thrift stores is the moment I begin to intensely crave baking and shopping. I go through phases. For two months I won't be able to get enough apples, grilled cheese and scarves. Then, all of a sudden I'm crazy about cats, heels and orange juice. The problem with my phases is that my physical location does not always allow me to indulge. A large part of living abroad is learning to live without the things you are used to. Which is just one reason why I love the internet. I'm currently going through a phase of style addiction. What I mean is that I get excited about experimenting with clothes, accessories and whatnot. I know that is terribly girly and vain, but I find it just as interesting as any photograph or century old oil painting. I can't do a lot of shopping here because of sizing and the lack of thrift stores, but I do have the internet! I've found several sites that document personal style through ordinary people on the street. My favorite one is called "Hel Looks" and is completely comprised of people the author found in Helsinki. Sites like this one allow me to indulge and be inspired. Even if I can't shop, I can be creative and work with what I've got. Below are my favorite pictures found on the site: www.hel-looks.com
