Samsung Cultural Foundation Hosts ESG Exchange Program for Cultural and Arts Institutions

Sustainability Management Cases and Experience Sharing at Cultural and Arts Institutions
Held at Leeum Museum of Art on the 23rd at 2 PM

On the 23rd, the Samsung Foundation of Culture announced on the 20th that it will hold the cultural and artistic institution ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) exchange program 'Creating Sustainable Change' at the auditorium of the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul.

Session Schedule and Poster for Cultural and Arts Institutions ESG Exchange Program.
[Photo by Samsung Foundation of Culture]

This event consists of a keynote lecture on the definition and future direction of sustainable management in cultural and artistic institutions, Session 1 featuring the case of the Samsung Foundation of Culture, and Session 2 featuring cases from institutions such as Arko Art Center, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, National Museum of Korea, and Korean Folk Village Museum. A networking session for practitioners from over 60 institutions is also arranged.

The Samsung Foundation of Culture explained that this program, involving various cultural and artistic institutions, was planned to implement more proactive sustainable changes based on the environmental responsibility and social interest of the cultural and artistic fields such as art museums and museums.

Session 1 begins with a keynote lecture by Professor Jeon Young-baek of the Department of Art History at Hongik University. It includes a presentation on the background of introducing sustainable management strategies by the Samsung Foundation of Culture and cases of sustainable management in environmental, social, and policy areas at the Leeum Museum of Art. Professor Jeon will redefine the concept of sustainable management in the cultural and artistic field and lecture on the direction of sustainable changes that cultural and artistic institutions should pursue in the future.

Director Shim Joon-sik of the Korea Management Association will present the social expectations and roles according to the purpose of establishing the Samsung Foundation of Culture, the background of introducing ESG management, the foundation’s ESG management vision and goals, and feasibility. Kim Sung-tae, senior curator at the Leeum Museum of Art, will introduce attempts such as modular partitions to reduce waste and carbon emissions during exhibition production and explain methods of sustainable exhibition design.

Nam Yu-mi, senior curator at the Leeum Museum of Art, will share the background and process of the cultural heritage preservation treatment of independence activist Ahn Jung-geun as part of social contribution projects, and share the future direction and plans for preservation support projects. Kim Jeong-hyun, senior curator at the Leeum Museum of Art, will share various activities of the Leeum Museum of Art to improve accessibility for culturally vulnerable groups including people with disabilities amid increasing demands for social roles, and present development plans.

In Session 2, presentations of cases from four external institutions such as art museums and museums will follow. Im Geun-hye, director of Arko Art Center, will introduce various practical strategies of Arko Art Center, including public programs and eco-friendly practice manuals based on 'Museum Innovation,' which acquires sustainability through active response and intervention in social issues. Hong I-ji, curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, will explain the survival strategies of art museums and cultural and artistic institutions that learn from the past, reflect the present, and prepare for the future.

Next, Jeong Hyun, curator at the National Museum of Korea, will share various exhibition and educational content cases and future directions for the national museum to become a 'museum for all.' Na Hyung-nam, curator at the Korean Folk Village Museum, will reflect on the meaning of the break and transmission of tradition through thatched roofs, a representative environmental issue of climate change, and discuss how to utilize and sustain traditional knowledge.

Ryu Moon-hyung, CEO of the Samsung Foundation of Culture, said, "We hope this program will become a platform for multiple institutions to continuously share information and collaborate to establish sustainable management in the cultural and artistic world," adding, "We plan to continue holding networking programs among cultural and artistic institutions in the second half of the year to lead concrete and practical cooperation for sustainable change."

Applications for participation are available on the Leeum Museum of Art website. A campaign to 'Raise My Eco-Friendly Index' will be conducted for attendees, where presenting 'eco-friendly items in my bag' or 'photos taken using public transportation' at the registration desk will provide a small eco-friendly souvenir. Coffee will be offered to participants who bring a tumbler.