U.S. craft show features Korean artists

Korean craft works are set to captivate the United States.

Twenty-six Korean craft artists will be showcasing their works at the 33rd Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show which runs for five days starting today at The Pennsylvania Convention Center.

It is one of the three biggest craft shows in the United States, along with the Smithsonian Craft Show and The International Expositions of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art. The trading volume at the Philadelphia craft show alone is approximately $3.5 million, while the size of the U.S. craft market is around $14 billion.

Like the other two shows, only U.S. citizens could participate in the Philadelphia show. But from 2001, the show decided to select guest countries and invite their artists to learn about their crafts and exchange cultures.

Korea is the seventh country that has been invited so far, following Japan, England, Northern Ireland, Germany, Finland and Canada.



"The point is that the biggest craft show in the U.S.A. focused on Korean crafts this time. Our foundation supported the cost for the booths and transportation, because we know that this show will greatly affect the possibility of whether Korean craft artists can advance into the U.S. market or not. This is not only an opportunity for the individual artists but also a great chance to promote Korean crafts as a whole," said Sung Moon-mo, president of Korean Craft Promotion Foundation.

The foundation received applications from 300 artists who wanted to participate in the show and sent the list to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The museum selected the final 26. Some representative artists were left out and some up and coming artists were included through the process, according to the foundation.

The invited artists are Jeon Seong-im for baskets, Go Hee-suk, Kim Mun-gyeong, Kim Ji-hye, Kim Hye-jeong, Yun Ju-cheol, Lee Gi-jo and Lee In-jin for ceramics, Kim Min-ja, Lim Hye-suk, Jang Yeon-sun and Choi Ji-yun for textiles, Park Seong-won and Heo Hye-wuk for glass, Kim Bong-hee, Kim Yu-ra, Mun Chun-seon, Sim Hyeon-seok, Lee Seung-jin and Lee Jeong-gyu for jewelry, Kang Wung-gi and Park Seong-cheol for metal, Jeon Chang-ho for mixed media, Jeong hae-jo for ottchil, Jang Seong-wu for paper and Jo Seok-jin for wood.

The show is strictly commercial, so the selected artists will stay at their booths during the show and take care of the sales themselves.

Curators, collectors and gallery owners from all around the world will be visiting to browse through the works and learn about them straight from the artists.

"It will be a great opportunity to meet buyers who can help artists settle in the U.S. market," said Jo Hi-suk, General Manager of the foundation`s industrial promotion division. The foundation also educated the artists on marketing skills for this occasion.

"We got the chance to participate at this competitive show because Korea is the guest country, but nothing is guaranteed for us next year. We will be evaluated purely on our works this time, so I am hoping for good results," said Park Seong-won, a participating artist and professor at Korea National University of Arts. His work "Mask 2" was printed on the cover of the show`s pamphlet.

"There are not many shows or fairs like the Philadelphia Craft Show in Korea where craft artists can introduce their works to the public. There should be more, to reinvigorate Korean craft market," he added.

(claire@heraldm.com)



By Park Min-young