Dobong-gu Supports Move-in for 19 Units of Customized Public Rental Housing for Cultural Artists

Literary Writer, Installation Artist, Independent Film Director, Singer, Theater Actor and Others Move In on the 26th

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dobong-gu (Mayor Dongjin Lee) supports customized public rental housing for artists to ensure their housing stability and revitalize the local culture and arts sector.

To this end, the district signed an agreement with Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH Corporation) for the supply and management of public rental housing and recruited tenants in November last year.

This project recruited a total of 19 households: 10 households for the ‘4th Culture and Arts Village’ and 9 households for the ‘5th Culture and Arts Village,’ attracting high interest from artists with 68 applicants.

Residents selected for the ‘4th and 5th Culture and Arts Villages’ were chosen through document screening and interviews, including literary writers, independent film directors, installation artists, singers, and theater actors working in various fields.

Move-in is scheduled to begin on March 26, and the residency period can be extended up to 20 years if renewal conditions are met.

The ‘4th Culture and Arts Village (Nohae-ro 219-21)’ and ‘5th Culture and Arts Village (Nohae-ro 223-18)’ are adjacent to the existing ‘1st Cartoonists Village (Nohae-ro 51-gil 9-4)’ and ‘2nd Culture and Arts Village (Nohae-ro 209-21),’ creating a cluster of 40 artist households in the Ssangmun-dong Nohae-ro area. This is expected to generate a synergy effect for revitalizing the local culture as Dobong-gu’s artist village.

Additionally, each building in the Culture and Arts Villages has a community room on the first floor, which will be used as a space for communication and collaborative work among residents.

Meanwhile, the district plans to announce recruitment for the ‘6th Culture and Arts Village (Nohae-ro 53-gil 18)’ on the Dobong-gu Office website in May. The district will continue to support artists so they can focus on their creative activities without housing concerns.

Since launching the ‘Culture and Arts Village’ project in 2017, the district has actively discovered and supported talented cultural and artistic creators to help them grow. △ In 2017, the 1st Cartoonists Village housed 11 cartoonists △ the 2nd Culture and Arts Village housed 10 artists △ and in 2018, the 3rd Culture and Arts Village housed 13 artists. To date, a total of 53 artist households have lived in the ‘Culture and Arts Villages.’

In particular, the 3rd Culture and Arts Village (Dobong-ro 143-gil 44) is close to Banghak-dong Culture and Arts Street (Dobong-ro 143-gil 10 area), which has 15 workshops including woodworking, cloisonn? enamel craft, and leather craft. This proximity allows workshop artists and resident artists to collaborate in various art activities such as art markets and Halloween festivals.

Mayor Dongjin Lee of Dobong-gu said, “I hope the synergy created by gathering artists through this project will be returned to the local community and revitalize local culture. We will actively support the creation of a local cultural and artistic ecosystem that residents can experience in their daily lives.”