MMCA Launches Customized Educational Programs for Seniors, Reclusive Youth, Office Workers, and Foreigners

Specialized Educational Programs Tailored to Diverse Audiences
From Seniors and Office Workers to Foreign Residents
Expanding Opportunities for Art Appreciation and Cultural Engagement

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) announced on May 12 that it will introduce a wide range of customized educational programs tailored to different audiences, including adults, foreigners, and seniors, to help everyone easily appreciate contemporary art and participate in art culture.

A Step into the Art Museum_Senior Education Program in Progress. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

This year, the museum has further segmented its target groups to include seniors such as middle-aged and older adults before and after retirement, reclusive youth, office workers, and foreigners, and has established specialized educational programs for each group.

First, "A Step into the Art Museum," a program for middle-aged and older adults before and after retirement, will be launched in earnest from May, accepting applications from individual visitors. "A Step into the Art Museum" is a program for individuals or senior welfare organizations in which participants walk inside and outside the museum to better understand its architecture, view exhibitions, and then share their experiences and impressions while recalling personal memories. The program will be held three times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) during the first half of the year from May to June and the second half from September to November. Applications can be submitted through the MMCA website.

The "Space Travelogue" program, which supports the restoration of social relationships among reclusive youth, will also be offered. "Space Travelogue" is a new program for young people, providing opportunities for social connection among participants. The pilot program will run four times in total between April and May, recruiting ten pre-registered participants per session through organizations that support reclusive youth. In the second half of the year, the museum plans to refine and officially operate the program based on analysis and feedback from the pilot. Further details will be available on the museum's website at a later date.

"Art and Lunch," a program that allows office workers to appreciate contemporary art during their lunch break and experience relaxation and healing amid their busy routines, will be held in June and October (twice a month, on Wednesdays and Fridays). More information and application details can be found on the museum's website.

The "Contemporary Art Lecture Series" (tentative title), which helps participants understand the history and trends of contemporary art through the museum's collection, will be offered starting in September. Based on the MMCA Seoul permanent exhibition "Highlights of Korean Contemporary Art," the "Contemporary Art Lecture Series" will focus on the flow of Korean contemporary art and feature discourse-centered lectures and talk series. The specialized lectures will cover topics such as Korean contemporary art history, exhibition history, and artist studies. The series will be held once a week for a total of ten sessions from September to November.

Programs for foreigners will also be expanded. The "MMCA Guided Tour" is available to foreign residents and visitors in Korea through advance registration and introduces the architecture and history of the Seoul branch, as well as key works from the exhibitions. In addition, the "MMCA Guided Tour" exhibition commentary program will offer English-language commentary on the MMCA Seoul permanent exhibition "Highlights of Korean Contemporary Art" three days a week (twice a day) starting in June, allowing any foreign visitor to gain a deeper appreciation of Korean contemporary art at the Seoul branch.

As part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's "Touring K-Art" initiative, the "MMCA Korea Art Lab" program will be conducted not only for foreigners in Korea but also in cooperation with overseas Korean Cultural Centers selected through a preliminary demand survey, to promote Korean modern and contemporary art. Following last year's programs in Nigeria and South Africa, this year the program will reach local audiences in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai.

Kim Sunghee, Director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, stated, "Through the implementation of these specialized educational programs for each audience, we will continue our efforts to ensure that no one is left behind, and to help visitors communicate and interact through art and enjoy culture and the arts in a healthy way."