Creative ID: 659
North Shore and Manukau and Māngere
My arts or creative practice (including details about my specific focus within that art form/practice and my strengths):
My academic background is in Fine Arts (Chinese traditional painting and contemporary art) and Art History. I also have a qualification in Professional Supervision and Bicultural Studies with strengths-based positions and roles from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. My studies of Asian and Western arts has made my life interesting, vibrant, and enjoyable. Arts give me indirect experience by acting as a bridge between the past and present, and between cultural practices in Asia and western culture. This is my real strength – to express my inner being allows me to identify the core question of who I am.
Art is culture. Art gives Koreans and other ethnic groups exposure to different cultural experiences from around the world. Having social activities in a multicultural setting will strengthen their lives. I really wish to share what I have studied in art and culture with others so Koreans and other ethnic groups can widen their view of world. My art practice is based on traditional values that include respecting ancient heritages and investigating new ways of presenting inherited knowledge and of perpetuating beliefs and values. I also seek to transform ancient subjects into new images and convert local materials and traditional techniques into contemporary arts such as modern Korean folk painting, abstract painting with traditional materials, and installations and wall paintings using traditional practices.
It is good to encourage diverse ethnic groups to participate together in art and cultural activity and experience such as creating wall paintings during school cultural days or as an after-school activity, which provides opportunities for participating in other cultural heritage programmes. I would like to provide opportunities for multi-ethnic groups and people living in New Zealand to benefit from my cultural experience and art skills. And I would like to share with them all aspects of Korean culture, including Korean drama, K-pop, and movies and to improve multicultural practices and build cultural strengths in a multicultural setting. I would love to partner with schools and help plan ways in which creativity can be enhanced in their schools through various art forms.
My track record of experience and success - or the track record of experience and success of the creative or artist that I will partner with:
2021/2022: Kaipatiki Local grant: Korean arts and cultural heritage: Banchado (illustrations for Royal Protocols) project
2020/2021: Creative Community Scheme: Korean art and culture: Minhwa Exhibition
2020/2021: Creative Community Scheme: Korean traditional folk painting workshop 2020/2021: Creative Community Scheme: Korean traditional folk painting workshop
February 2021: Children’s holiday programme: Korean traditional folding screen making
July 2021: Korean culture experience: Korean traditional clothing – Hanbok making exhibitions Minhwa Exhibition, Lake House Arts Ogle Gallery
2021 Jan to Feb: Elam Grad Show, University of Auckland
2019: Studio International Show, Elam Art Gallery
August 2018: ‘Jeong’ and ‘Sharing’, George Fraser Gallery
August 2018: Te tangi a te awa, Tacit Ggallery
May 2018: Elam Grad Show, University of Auckland, Elam art gallery
2017: Education 2020 Master of Fine Arts, Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland 2019: Graduate Diploma in Arts (Art History), University of Auckland
2018: Postgraduate Certificate in Fine Arts, Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland 2014: Graduate Diploma in Bicultural Professional Supervision, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
2008: Bachelor of Fine Arts (Chinese Traditional painting), Yanbian University in China
Describe the experience you have had working with children or young people, teaching or facilitating creative processes:
I am a trained art teacher, specialising in East Asian traditional painting and contemporary arts. I hold a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Fine Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Art History. I was a classroom teacher in the IT centre for teenagers, Yanbian University of Science and Technology in China, teaching computer graphic design and colour scheme programs, helping students develop their computer design skills. I had many special experiences with these students. There were many Korean students in the school who are called Chaoxianzu (Korean Chinese) and are third or fourth generation Korean immigrants, but they are not really closely connected with Korean culture.
My experience in China gave me huge insights and was extremely helpful when I came to live in New Zealand as an immigrant. I teach Korean folk painting at a local community centre. My group is a mixture of Asians and Kiwis from teenagers to 60-year-olds. All have a passion to learn about Korean folk painting and to meet the challenge of trying new creative works. Classes are divided into two groups – one for those with disabilities and the other a community painting group.
I am happy to develop community projects and teach classes. I am also developing children’s holiday programmes as a way to help develop children’s creativity, style, and passion for visual expression. I run art classes for children in the community during the school holidays. These workshops are run using cultural practices and modern art and craft ideas. I believe that creativity gives children more confidence in their ability to generate ideas and to grow up as good communicators, as well as improving their emotional and social skills.
Why I want to be part of the Creatives in Schools programme and how my involvement will link to my creative practice:
I think that learning and recognising many cultures from an early age plays an important role in multicultural society. Art activities make it easy for children to experience different cultures, develop their social, language, and other skills, and extend their families, friends, and neighbours in their childhood. Bringing creative activities to schools gives students an opportunity to experience new things they would not learn in the regular school curriculum, and it also allows me to share what I have learned while working in the art field and community. I believe that the Creatives in Schools programme connects the school with the community, gives teachers time to develop their teaching skills, and provides children with new experiences and opportunities to participate in a variety of programmes, making school life more fun. So, I want to actively participate in this programme with passion, and I love to help children gain interest and broaden their worldview through art activities.