Jeonnam Education Research Information Center Visits May 18 Bereaved Families at 'May Mothers' House'

The Jeonnam Education Research Information Center announced on the 17th that it visited the May Mothers' House to console the May Mothers in commemoration of the May 18 Democratic Movement anniversary.

The 'May Mothers' House' is a shelter that provides care and healing, composed of women who lost family members or were injured during the martial law army suppression in 1980.

Jeonnam Education Research Information Center visited the May Mothers' House to commemorate the May 18 Democratic Movement anniversary and viewed the "May Mothers' Painting Farm." Photo by Jeonnam Education Research Information Center

Director Oh Eun-ju and staff met the May Mothers in person, listened to their stories from the uprising, empathized with their pain, and shared a meaningful time of consolation.

They then visited the May Hall Gallery to view the May 18 special exhibition, 'The Painting Harvest of the May Mothers.'

'The Painting Harvest of the May Mothers' is the first exhibition showcasing works directly painted by May Mothers who lost family members, who have comforted each other's wounds through art therapy over the past year.

The May Mothers, who have lived with the pain and scars of losing their families, sincerely expressed their suffering through their paintings.

Joo Hong, the artist who planned the exhibition, said, "The exhibited works are hidden feelings brought out with difficulty using crayons and paint," adding, "Unlike other paintings, the trees in these paintings are drawn with roots. This represents the trauma of losing a loved one."

Director Oh Eun-ju stated, "There is no greater teacher than a mother," and added, "Not only teachers in classrooms are teachers, but the May Mothers, living witnesses of democratic civic education, are truly our great teachers."