Nowon-gu Operates Youth Visual Arts Education Program 'Dalbit Yesul School'

A New Model Integrating Hands-on Experience and Discussion into Community-based Art Education Draws Attention
Youth-led Works Completed with Professional Artists Displayed at the '5th Nowon Dalbit Sanchaek,' Fostering a Sense of Achievement

Nowon-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it is operating the youth visual arts education project "Dalbit Art School" to promote the participation of local youth in public art promotion.

This initiative aims to achieve a twofold effect by promoting community revitalization through art education during adolescence. The exploration topics in the process of cultivating individual youths' artistic sensitivity and creativity include understanding the local community and shared experiences of peer generations.

The educational method emphasizes experiential activities and discussions combined with field trips, allowing participants to gain experiences in collaboration as well as a sense of accomplishment from planning artworks to arranging detailed elements.

In particular, the 2024 "Dalbit Art School" selected public artists Ahn Kyung-jin, Cho Young-chul, and Han Ho-jin to collaborate with the youth, assisting them throughout the entire deliberation process from the theory of public art.

Forty youths aged 10 to 16 residing in Nowon-gu, who were recruited through an open call last May, formed three community groups. Each group participates in education based at Surak Happiness Development Center, Sanggye Forest Small Library, and Choansan Forest Small Library, respectively. They hold regular meetings aiming to create works to be exhibited at Nowon-gu’s representative public art project, the "5th Nowon Dalbit Walk," scheduled for October.

So far, they have undergone processes including ▲public art education ▲field trips and discussions on Nowon-gu’s natural environment and identity ▲discussions on artwork themes ▲and in-depth discussions on artwork concepts.

The artwork concepts planned collaboratively by the youth in each group are being refined by professional artists and are preparing to be unveiled as final public art pieces. To enhance the educational effect for the youth, the foundation plans to provide opportunities for participating youths to visit artists’ studios to observe and learn about the artwork production process.

Kim Tae-min and Kim Ji-na, participants in Dalbit Art School, recently expressed their satisfaction with the educational program in an interview with the Nowon Cultural Foundation’s webzine "Nowon Atti," saying, “The process of discussing to create a work that will be remembered for a lifetime remains a precious memory, and the field experience was so enjoyable that it made us forget the heat.”

Son Yi-sang, the planning director preparing for the 2024 Nowon Dalbit Walk, also expressed high expectations for the artworks created with youth participation. He said, “The core of public art is citizen participation, which is still lacking in our country. Nowon, with its well-organized spaces and strong resident communities in each neighborhood, is a place where innovative attempts to establish the relationship between citizens and public art are possible.”

In fact, at the 2023 Nowon Dalbit Walk held last year, artworks created through participation in the "Dalbit Art School," such as "Eclipse" by artist Joo Hong and "Fusion" by artist Ahn Kyung-jin, were exhibited and received positive responses.

Meanwhile, the works completed jointly by Dalbit Art School youths and professional artists will be exhibited at "2024 Nowon Dalbit Walk: Breath," held at Danghyeoncheon from October 18 to November 17. This representative district art festival, which attracted an average of over 40,000 visitors per day last year, has youths eagerly awaiting the day they can explore the festival and meet viewers admiring their own participatory artworks.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Art education combining vivid experiences and discussions has been extended to link with local festivals to achieve greater effects for youth. We will continue to support nurturing youths who actively participate and discuss rather than just observe, and who love art and know how to express creativity.”