Kaces newsletter vol7

J u l y

2 0 1 7

Vol.

7

contents KACES Focus

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The Purpose, Inspiration and Joy of Arts Education

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The Value of Arts and Arts Education

-2017 International Arts Education Week -Arts and Culture Education Colloquium

KACES Review

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Batik Story in a Small Village in Java Island

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Flower of Understanding Blooming within Unfamiliarity and Difference

-PyeongChang Cultural Olympic ODA 'PyeongChang Arts Dream Camp' -PyeongChang Arts Dream Camp

KACES Interview

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Research on Systematic Arts and Culture Education

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Unceasingly Challenging and Unceasingly Convincing

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Good Performance and Good Education are Not Separate

-Mark Londesborough, RSA Creative Learning and Development Director -Rhona Matheson, President of Starcatchers in Scotland

-Hong Young Yoo, Director of Children and Teenager Play Research Center

Kaces Message

Greetings!

KACES introduces policy trend and major operations on arts and culture education in both Korea and abroad, and shares its values regarding arts and culture education by preparing quarterly newsletters in English. Also, KACES mediates professionals from each country through continuous interaction with overseas officials and develops messages for art educators.

This volume introduces major scenes at KACES’s international exchange businesses in 2017 and people met there. From PyeongChang Arts Dream Camp in last February to KACES International Arts Education Workshop and International Arts Education Week, KACES strives to lay foundation in order to set the course for development and direction of arts and culture education through various businesses.

In particular, events where arts and culture education professionals from each country gathered together to share “joy and value from artistic experience and own philosophies” were made during the International Arts Education Week. In addition, in commemoration of the 2017-2018 KoreaUK Mutual Exchange Year, UK delegates were invited to lead roundtables together and discuss and share experiences and ideas about arts and culture education.

We ask for continued interest in KACES and Korean arts and culture education and wish to bring various arts and culture education-related news in the second half of 2017.

Thank you.

The KACES Public Relations Team

Kaces Focus

The Purpose, Inspiration and Joy of Arts Education KACES International Symposium during the 2017 International Arts Education Week The 2017 International Arts Education Week began with KACES international Symposium on May 24th, followed by KACES Conference on the 25th and KACES Workshops on the 27th28th. Among these, the KACES international symposium held at Dongdaemoon Design Plaza(DDP) was a great success with 400 participants from arts and culture education fields.

This KACES international symposium was conducted under the slogan “The Purpose, Inspiration and Joy of Arts Education� and held as a sharing place of firm beliefs and methodologies about arts education by inviting local and international specialists active as both artists and art educators. It was a time for assessing and sharing possibilities to enhance diversity and increase the quality of arts education in Korea as the country experienced rapid growth over the past.

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Presentation Presentation ① The Artist Educator : a Wing-Maker

Álvaro Restrepo, Colombian Modern Dance Founder of Colombia’s “The School of the Body(El Colegio del Cuerpo)” Álvaro Restrepo started his presentation by performing with Ricardo Bustamante Martinez, a professional dancer from the School of the Body(El Colegio del Cuerpo), under the slogan of “The Artist Educator : a Wing-Maker” and gave artistic inspiration to all. He claimed that studying knowledge with art is the same as studying knowledge with scientific knowledge and gave Robert Root-Bernstein and Michele Root-Bernstein’s book “Sparks of Genius” as an example. By quoting that the book emphasizes the part that says “Holistic education that places art and science on equal footing is needed,” he reminded that art and science successfully interacted with each other to produce excellent outcomes. In addition, he asserted that every student needs to learn art as well as humanities, mathematics and science from kindergarten to college and criticized the reality that arts education is regarded and conducted merely as “leisure” or “entertainment in the formal education.

A Wing-Maker, Someone Giving Inspiration “The School of the Body(El Colegio del Cuerpo),” founded 20 years ago and run by Álvaro Restrepo, strives to be clear in using the words “together with art” and “for art.” Here, “together with art” implies holistic arts education in which teaching is conducted by professional artists, while “for art” means that it is for people who have received elite education at the highest level and lived with art for their entire life to lead a life of art. Álvaro Restrepo said what we need is “someone giving inspiration instead of art educator.” He expressed with words that “a wing-maker” is someone who shows beauty of the complexity of artistic world and opens both eye and mind. Lastly, we commented that the task as art educator is to become “creator’s creator.” Sculptor’s sculptor and artist’s artist. ‘a Wing-Maker’. His last words that such poetic and broad definition of the task of art educator meant a lot for the reality of our education.

Presentation ② Connecting Everyday Life to Art Jeong Myeong Cheon, Korea, Vice Principal of Sadari Creative Drama Laboratory To Jeong Myeong Cheon who has introduced drama play in the field for 20 years, drama and drama play are not separate works with the only difference being in the way of encountering subjects. Her drama works have the characteristics of choosing children’s play as a form of art and seeking active communication with audience. Play expresses itself into change of recognition and change of life when there is someone to expand thoughts and link meanings of activities. She asserted that such role needs to be played play instructors who are art educators.

Art Educator Expanding Horizon of Life The difference between drama play and play is the presence of instructor and drama play instructors set what participants need to discover and understand as course targets and structure activities based on drama and play. She explained that drama play is a process-centered dramatic activity in which students create virtual world with instructors and live with their own body and language, and that such activity can be summarized as “living life safely.”

For people living daily life, art may feel like a different world. However, she suggested that daily life can be enriched by looking at usual things differently, discovering about the self and others, expressing the self with art’s metaphor and symbols and understanding life differently like artists.

She concluded that art educator needs to be the architect and collaborator who guides such path.

Kaces Focus

Presentation ③ Musical Engagement : Sound, Imagination, Emotion, and Artistry Beth Bolton, Associate Professor of Music Education at Temple University in USA Music Education through Artistic Engagement In music education, the important words include imagination, emotion, sound, artistry, etc. Beth Bolton’s presentation time was the processing of showcasing why such concepts are important in music education and how they can be applied.

Beth Bolton talked about five factors for artistic engagement.

First explained was audiation. Audiation implies a comprehensive understanding of music, is a form of music that exists and is understood in mind without actual existence or sound, and is used as a key tool in helping children understand music.

Second is musical intervention. Words such as movement, emotion and words that compose music interact to help education with imagination also being used in the process. Also, she said that factors seemingly unrelated to music can be attracted to enrich the feeling of music.

Third is emotion. We all have emotions including very young children. She explained that sharing of such emotion can be a very important factor in arts education, especially music education.

Fourth is artistry. One needs to become music educator with artistry. However, how can normal people like us develop artistry? Beth Bolton said continuous self-development is the answer.

Continuous singing leads to better singing tomorrow. Art instructor needs to be a continuously striving artist. As a result, one’s own music is naturally played within and such process of finding special artistry should be the goal of music education and arts education.

Fifth, musical diversity is also important. Music education needs to individually approach all subjects from infants to adults. She told that music education is meaningful only if one person can influence other person’s emotion with musical emotion. The argument was that arts education is the process of changing through emotion and developing new ideas after all.

Presentation ④ Joyful Encounters : Generating the Conditions for Creative Learning in the visual arts Anna Cutler, Art Administrator and Director of Learning at Tate Art Museum Group in United Kingdom Anna Cutler chose “joyful encounters” as the keyword. She explained what she meant by joyful encounters, why it is important and how museum can be a place of joyful encounters. The presentation began by reading one of the emails she received.

“Dear Anna, I am an 80-year-old elder living across Tate Modern for a long time before Tate Modern was created. I have many worries about the world I live in, my own life and my children. I need a joyful encounter. What can I do?”

Anna Cutler set this mail as a starting point for operating “Tate Exchange” that can be regarded as the open place of Tate Modern. In order to create a place that can provide “joyful encounters,” she cooperated with her team, artists and audience. She did so with thoughts about “What is the role of museum, art museum and artists for joyful encounters?” and “What should Tate do?”

As a civil and social place, Tate Exchange is a place where anyone can come to lectures, engage in conversations and learn something new. It is also a place where artists experiment with new ideas and the public meets new forms of art. To create this “joyful encounters,” Tate Exchange is continuously run with an annual subject from every September to the following April. The subject in the last five years has been “Change through Exchange of Art and Exchange Among People.”

What are the prerequisites for creative learning?

“We can have joyful encounters through art. Creative learning environment becomes a prerequisite for joyful encounters. When art meets creative learning, we can enhance the capacity of life.”

Exchange of ideas and excitement of actions happening in Tate Exchange is the “joyful encounters” that arts education pursues. Anna Cutler’s point was that the job of artists and art educators is to create such prerequisites for this “joyful encounters.”

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Discussion Dialogue on General Arts Education After the presentations of Part 1, free dialogues about overall arts education were made in the same place. In Part 2, Se Rin Kim (Managing Director of Division of Initiatives and Resources at KACES), Hwan Jeong Jae (Professor in School of Dance at Korea National University of Arts), Joo Hee Rho (CEO in Korea Audiation Education Research Institute) and Byeong Joo Kim (Professor in Graduate School of Education at Seoul National University of Education) led the discussion and talked about the relation between arts and arts education, creativity, qualifications of art educator, and the importance of self-development with the four presenters from Part 1. Key parts of the dialogue are summarized.

First, Professor Hwan Jeong Jae inquired Álvaro Restrepo about how students at the School of the Body(El Colegio del Cuerpo) overcame the scars of civil war on body and mind, asking the question “What is the purpose of creativity?” So Álvaro Restrepo responded that arts education contributes to peace, saying “First of all, when we recognize ourselves and neighbors as creative people, we can understand the value of life and respect each other.”

Also, director Joo Hee Rho asked Beth Bolton that “As you mentioned the importance of inducing exchange of emotions as the purpose of creativity, I am curious how children can exchange emotion through singing.”

Beth Bolton responded: “Various emotions get into singing. I try to enter the child’s world and understand and emphasize. Music is a social art that uses hearing. Creatively expressing musical thoughts using both body and voice and sharing space-time. About 95% of children in the United States do not take a music class. They are not attracted to music in school. Children who like music learn music by themselves through various channels including YouTube. The problem is not children, but music education at school. Both teachers and programs think that artistry needs to be added.”

Next, Professor Byeong Joo Kim asked “What is the most important qualification of art educator?” Drama educator Jeong Myeong Cheon said “Evaluation of the field is very important. Also, the will to develop and grow by meticulously reviewing their own classes is important,” while Beth Bolton answered “One needs to continuously practice. The will to progress is important. I created learning program and refined myself every week. I tried various forms of art besides music and this greatly helped the development of artistry.” In addition, Álvaro Restrepo asserted that artists active in the field need to be involved in arts education and thus the artist’s generosity is very important in this period.

What is creativity?

Lastly, audience questioned all of the discussants “What is creativity?” They received the following answers: “Ability to materialize and apply idea to reality,” (Hwan Jeong Jae), “The whole process of carrying out new thoughts, ways, understanding and behavior,” (Anna Cutler), “Strength to link new ideas to given environment and sense of identity,” (Álvaro Restrepo), and “Act of behaving in ways to bring changes to familiar symbol system.” (Jeong Myeong Cheon)

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Kaces Focus

Arts and Culture Education with the Value of Arts at its Center

Arts and Culture Education Colloquium ‘The Value of Arts and Arts Education’ Cho Young Lee _ Culture Planner, President of Something Special Studio

The arts and culture education colloquium titled “The Value of Arts and Arts Education” hosted by KACES was held on last February 24th. While the 4th colloquium progressed as a closed meeting with the subject “In Search of New Ways for Enhancing The Quality of Arts and Culture Education” discussed the characteristic and educational value of each art genre, the 5th open colloquium was put together to seek practical and structured arts and culture education scenes centered around the value of art. With Professor Jae Oh Choi (School of Performing Arts and Media at Chung-Ang University) leading the event and about 100 participants gathered, Part 1 discussed artists in the field of arts and culture education and Part 2 proceeded with a discussion for arts and culture education field with lively arts.

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Presentation Goal of Arts Education, Opportunity for Safe Failure As the first presenter of Part 1 “Artists in the Field of Arts and Culture Education,” Professor Hwan Jeong Jae (Professor in School of Dance at Korea National University of Arts) presented on “Arts Education for All” (Subtitle: For Graceful Rehearsal for “Safe Failure”) based on her three-year experience of directing and producing <Dance School> and <Dance Challenge> as part of Saturday Cultural School at Korea National Contemporary Dance Company. She explained that <Dance School> and <Dance Challenge>, both with motto of “Everyone is a dancer,” started by recognizing that everything participants feel is the value and characteristic of arts and that educational program needs to be structured in order to allow for the experience of freedom and tolerance in artistic behavior rather than for technically advanced dance.

Following was an exploration of “Dancing Education for All” from various perspectives centered around five key factors including contents, showcase, characteristics of participants, creative leader and evaluation. By defining “dance” as a cultural means of communications based on respect and understanding of body, she explained that the content of dance is experiencing freedom in one’s own way of interpretation and emphasized the importance of the exploration process of free will that is allowed even with incompleteness, no applaud, no face saving and no ingratiation.

Showcase is the first starting point for participants to form identity as “dancer,” functions as a place to present community dance and the whole process from learning to presentation is considered as a complete form of art and a positive cycle. As it is called “13th class,” she added on producing programs to avoid being dominantly about preparation of shows.

Next, she commented on the characteristics of participants by age group, occupation and gender, as well as on art educators as creative leaders. Most of all, she emphasized that the ability to emphasize is the most needed aspect given the importance of feedback with participants and reminded that open attitude and professionalism dictate the quality of education. Furthermore, she sees that the educational goal can be achieved only when collaborators in the process exactly identify their roles.

She highlighted the need for continuous research and discussion on evaluation tools as participants and teachers go through change through self-evaluation. Lastly, she finished by commenting that she thinks that preparing incidents of safe failure in a society obsessed with perfectionism and success and cultivating motivation for challenge should be the goal of arts education.

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Kaces Focus

Good Artist Is Not Necessarily Good Art Educator In the second part, the presentation titled “Experiencing Art and Introducing Art Educator” prepared by In Woo Nam (Art Director at Booksetong Company) followed. By reviewing the trends of arts education policies and time periods, she diagnosed that the paradigm of arts education needs to change in th modern society. She introduced the next case by emphasizing that futuristic arts education with which one can transcend technical experience and appreciate the essence of art is needed.

“Annantalo Arts Center” is a representative public art institution in Helsinki, Finland and everyone from infants to teenagers can receive arts education. Instructors and artists directly select method of learning and the system was structured to allow for convergence with school curriculum and use in classes. Director In Woo Nam explained the reason why Finland, once with highest teenager suicide rate among the OECD countries, placed arts education in the center by borrowing Professor Hwan Jeong Jae’s “Safe Failure” that safe rehearsal for survival is itself an art and that expressing everything through art that has no right answer can be a worthwhile experience. Pursuing socioholistic arts education, Belgium’s “ABC House” (Art Basics for Children) is a children’s workshop with various theme for studio including theater, wood workshop and kitchen.

Children told that they learn to exchange inspiration with others, learn to respect the place and contribute to integrating the lives of individuals and social members. Director In Woo Nam questioned audience on whether “art educator is a teacher or a guide” and concluded that while artistic skills in teaching technical methods is important, the difference lies in the attitude towards art. She concluded his presentation by commenting that new arts education may begin when one can restore creative energy as an artist seeking truth and change it into a balance well with other forms of education.

Identity as Art Educator Needs to Be Discussed in Social Context Last session of Part 1 was presented by Professor In Sul Kim (Graduate School of Culture, Chonnam National University) with the subject “Art, Education Reform, and Identity and Dignity as Art Educator.” If prior presentations were about “Arts Education, What Needs to be Done,” Professor In Sul Kim mainly talked about “how the society should treat art educator.” First, she interpreted the value of art and explained contradictions when the society generalizes the value of art as the value of education, and the gap between modern art and general public based on theory.

It was followed by the creation and expansion of cultural democracy and inquiries into the true nature of arts education that helped understand current status of arts education. She explained that by considering the current peripherization process of arts education in public education system, and the harsh reality of limited cultural capital, the role and place of art educator can be clearer by assessing where society targets it arts education goals.

Presenting an interview case with art instructor, she commented that she rethought about social status and achievable support as the principal of arts and culture education, and interpreted that Korea’s art educator is experiencing a crisis by quoting James Marcia’s Four Identity Statuses Theory that the professional identity can be achieved by experiencing devotion, despair and crisis.

Accordingly, she emphasized that a social approach examining whether they have healthy job identity and self-respect and whether there is a balance between academic and legislative support.

She finished her presentation by summarizing and proposing five factors including art, learning, youth growth, harmony in group and purpose of the agency that can be the starting point.

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Discussion Multi-faceted Approach towards Arts Education Field is Needed Part 2 was “Discussion for Arts and Culture Education Field with Lively Arts” and proceeded with three discussants’ presentation and questions, answers and questions from audience. First discussant, Professor Eun Kyung Park (College of Art at Baekseok University), echoed the importance of arts education with no answer in the presentation “Arts Education for All” and summarized educational values of examples such as KACES’ <Little Composer in Kumdarak Saturday Cultural School>, <Orchestra of Dreams – El Sistema Korea> and <Arts Education is Changing>. In particular, she reminded the role of art educator by explaining that provocation of children’s own thoughts in <Arts Education is Changing> helped minimize intervention of instructors.

Next discussant, President Ji Hye Seo (In Culture Consulting), proposed two subjects for discussion, “Art and Education, Breaking Frame of Understanding About Arts Education” and “Pursuit of Life and Capacity for Art Educator Based on Entrepreneurial Spirit,” with regard to the approach towards new arts education in music. First, she commented that director In Woo Nam’s presentation brought intrinsic value into fundamental characteristics of art and narrated on the experience of managing <Orchestra of Dreams – El Sistema Korea> with regard to “Art and Education, Breaking Frame of Understanding About Arts Education.” She set the educational goal of “Healthy Growth of Children” in order to break the art educator’s firm attitude towards arts education and witnessed how the orchestra’s educational approach changed with the change of children. It was added that El Sistema also began by setting arts education for the healthy growth of all children, not music education for the poor. Afterwards, she summarized the discussion subject “Pursuit of Life and Capacity for Art Educator Based on Entrepreneurial Spirit” as music educator as the role model and music educator with entrepreneurial spirit.

She noted by quoting “CATS” developed by Abreu Fellows (NEC El Sistema Teacher Training Program) that music educator as a role model needs to have the qualifications as great citizen, great artist, great teacher and continuously studying scholar. In addition, El Sistema is the realization of 40 years of efforts by the constituents exercising the entrepreneurial spirit. She commented that the manifestation of proactive entrepreneurial spirit by art educators is necessary in the creation of various artistic and social values and that new arts education and identity of art educator may be formed in the process of capitalizing such values into social capital.

At the third discussion, Chief Young Jung Park (Arts Policy Research Division at Korea Culture and Tourism Institute) presented “Value of Arts and Policy Change in Arts and Culture Education.”

From the perspective of rediscovering arts education, four subjects including the value of arts and culture education, modern education and arts and culture education, context-based arts and culture education, and arts and culture education and mediating role were discussed. In the value of arts and culture education and arts, she summarized that artistic behavior is fundamentally educational in nature and that the value of arts which is composed of aesthetic (intrinsic), economic and social values contributes to the creation and expansion of value through arts education activities. In particular, she emphasized that arts education activities within arts and culture education must caution against being locked up in the system and to avoid such issue, it is important to operate after restructuring contents in the context with participants instead of just distributing well-made contents. As for the mediating role, she agreed with “entrepreneurial spirit” as argued by President Ji Hye Seo in her presentation and concluded by saying that only people with acquaintance with specific subject, skill, attitude and ability can be regarded as art educator, producer and mediator and that the need for enhancing the ability of the mediator in consideration of these factors.

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Kaces Focus

Q & A Session Beyond Exchange and Communication with Various Principals Followed was Q&A session with presenters and audience. With regard to the audience’s impression with “Safe Failure,” Professor Hwan Jeong Jae commented that “it is saddening to see that participants show difference in experience at the crossroad of choice” by quoting the word “cost-effectiveness” used by the 20s and answered that she hopes arts education can function as the safety net for proactive choice. Director In Woo Nam commented that “The attitude of art educator in the field towards individual life is very important” and questioned about future policy direction for art educator. For policy-related questions, chief Young Jung Park proposed “Let’s review whether arts and culture education policy is trapped in the system.” She summarized by pointing out that there are only stances and demands from institutions and individuals without a solvable system and that while the system has supported people before, it is now the time to rethink about how proactive people can save the system and change principal with subject.

For a question and a worry from a social art instructor working in the area of elderly art, director In Woo Nam encouraged that the answer lies in the question and wished that she teaches the act of experience instead of the act of teaching. For a worry from an art instructor who feels the need for arts and culture education for parents, Professor In Sul Kim expressed her sincere sympathy, warned about how such education can be a pressure for them, and told her experience in finding the answer from a teacher acting in the middle. President Ji Hye Seo added that efforts to conduct parent interview, invitation to performance and home correspondence before selecting program participants in order to increase parents’ understanding and support. A student aiming to become an art director asked about the living of an incumbent art educator. Then, director In Woo Nam asked chief instructor Jeong Myeong Cheon who has been active for 20 years with Sadari Creative Drama Laboratory for an answer. Chief instructor Jeong Myeong Cheon answered that rent for space is being made up with contributions from members and that it is very difficult to do business without aid. She added that it is necessary to be strong to continue in this profession, to always ask “Why I do this,” and wished her to find good peers. Professor Eun Kyung Park also asked for continued passion.

Host Professor Jae Oh Choi summarized that “Value of Art and Arts and Culture Education” shines when exchange, understanding and communication among government, institutions, education field and art educators combine and individually function in the broad context and concluded the colloquium running over 4 hours.

Thanks to the reflection of the value of art due to this colloquium, we hope for continued gathering like this to seek a better environment for arts education.

Kaces Review

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Batik Story in a Small Village in Java Island PyeongChang Cultural Olympic ODA 'PyeongChang Arts Dream Camp' Bo Seul Shin _ Curator at Total Art Museum

The beginning of the story The beginning of batik story goes back to the meeting with Marina in Kota Kinabalu in the island of Borneo about 7 years ago. Marina, who is a director at Sabah Animation Creative Content Center (hereafter SAC3), is someone who wants to try new things. We tried to put together a media art festival. However, the place did not even have modern art infrastructure, not to mention about media art. Students of SAC3 were in difficult environment and studied with government’s financial aid, not showing any special interest in exhibition or modern art. Marina and I first decided to create talent pool. I invited media artists or modern art producers from Korea to Kota Kinabalu, exposed them to management of international events through workshops with children of SAC3, and decided to create international media art festival.

For five years, I managed with enthusiasm under the title of “Playground in Island.” Many producers and media lab members including Jung Hwa Choi, Sun Tek Roh, Ho jun Song, Ok-In Collective, Hyo Jung Seo, Bang & Lee participated. Contrary to the first trial, the children professionally greeted guests and accomplished the management of programs. There were cases in which students who participated before ended up becoming a staff of SAC3. However, we were unable to host media art festival. No, we did not. Suddenly, I was unable to come up with rationale to hold media art festival in this location. This is good as it is. Why? When I asked myself, I was ashamed to admit that I wanted to host such festival for my personal greed. So, I told Marina that we needed to stop. Marina responded without hesitation:

“Okay, let’s wrap up “Playground in Island” here. If fine, can I propose a project?”

The project Marina wanted to do was about “batik.” Batik is an Indonesian traditional dying technique and stems from “ambatik,” which implies “cloth with dot or stain” in Javanese. Kolej Yayasan Sabah (currently University College Sabah Foundation) to which SAC3 belonged teaches batik to its students, but the batik technique did not really help the lives of children. However, Marina wished to discover various possibilities of environment-friendly batik with Korean artists.

To do something with them, learning batik was the first thing in order.

So in the winter of 2015, “Playground in Island: Batik Story” was created in a small batik workshop in Kota Kinabalu. Producers and designers from various fields including photographer, fashion designer, magazine editor, illustrator, and media artist joined together.

We learned the process of batik and how we were able to help in different ways. In a small workshop, students made batik in the way they learned from Indonesian batik instructor, Bu Ifa. However, they were just learning “skill” instead of understanding the history of batik, materials used in the process and, more importantly, the importance of batik. Maybe, the inability to link batik to their lives was inevitable.

Kaces Review

To Java Island, the home of batik Last December, as part of PyeongChang Cultural Olympic ODA “Arts Dream Camp,” KACES hosted a batik project in Indonesia, the home of batik. While it would have been great to bring Bu Ifa in visiting the home of batik, Yogyakarta, the teacher had a different opinion. As his students were running Alam Batik Center in his hometown Pasuruan, he wished to get together with underprivileged children in the area. As someone first visiting Indonesia, just learning batik and for the purpose of allowing children to lead their lives with batik, following the teacher was the right thing. To that end, we left for the home of batik, Java Island, for seven days from December 1st, 2016.

First, we had to make a team. Photographers to record situation abroad (Soon Taek Roh, Ki Hoon Roh), visual specialists (Hyung Joo Kim, Yoon Suk Choi), designer to produce catalogue (Hye In Sohn), fashion designer to study items utilizing batik fabric (So Young Ma), magazine editor for advertising (Mi Hye Lee), and designer to structure exhibition or pop-up store (Tae Hoon Jang) decided to join. For smooth process, it was necessary to balance the composition of the team between those who have experience with batik and Kota Kinabalu and those new to join. First of all, the role of mediator in communicating with Bu Ifa and batik specialists at Alam Batik who are active in Kota Kinabalu is crucial and was taken up by Marina and her sister Bibi who works at SAC3 as an administrative staff.

The help of Marina and Bibi was huge. While it was possible to communicate even shortly with students in Kota Kinabalu, Indonesian children were not able to speak English and we weren’t able to speak the Indonesian language. Marina and Bibi took care of overall preparation of workshop including communication with local children, material, vehicle, accommodation, etc. To be precise, the project of “batik story 2” in Indonesia was made possible by the close cooperation among Total Art Museum in Korea, SAC3 in Malaysia and Alam Batik Center in Indonesia.

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Alam Batik Center, batik and meeting with children After having breakfast, we followed a raining country road to the village of Pajaran where Alam Batik Center was located. Alam Batik Center was smaller and shabbier than the picture. Children were doing batik on floor that resembled bench. Prior to our arrival, Alam Batik called for a meeting with children for smooth operation of the program and taught them basic batik techniques earlier. Children seemed awkward as they just recently met. In addition, they were curious and shy to even make an eye contact with the “gang” from Korea.

Before the beginning of the program, there was a basic instruction on batik for foreigners from Korea. Bu Ifa kindly introduced his disciples operating Alam Batik, the process of making batik and traditional ways of preserving batik. Actual work with children has begun afterwards. Children were broadly divided into two groups with one group producing batik and the other group making catalogues about batik. The batik-making group first drew their thoughts about stories on winter and snow on paper and then brought them on fabrics.

They re-drew following rough sketch by storing molten wax in a bucket called “Tjanting.” The fabric attains color from natural dyes and assistance from related professionals was needed as the dyeing process requires careful attention.

It was curious as to how children from countries without snow think about winter. Although they have not actually seen or touched snow, the children were aware of snow and winter in an era of highly developed media. Although they would have wanted to touch snow in the middle of winter, children’s drawings were different. Winter story from one child was particularly interesting. “I do not like snow. If there is snow, it will cover matoa tree, leading matoa fruit to die. If there is no matoa fruit, batik will become difficult…” How foolish my thought was that children in countries without snow may undoubtedly long for snow and winter.

Children making catalogues were as excited as children making batik. Children summarized the process of batik-making into pictures and ran around town to explain batik materials by drawing pictures. Then, they interviewed each other and added brief introduction. It was decided that children’s catalogues would be made with fabric instead of paper. Each page was treated with the complete batik process: drawings and writings were placed on paper, brought onto fabric, sketched and dyed with Tjanting. Produced catalogues were manually sewed to become a batik catalogue. While the dyed fabric did not dry fast enough due to daily rain in the wet season during one week of short schedule, the batik process was completed nonetheless.

Before our departure, we held a small exhibition on a wall of city hall building in Skolejo to which the Parajan village belonged with batik and batik catalogues. Children’s work was displayed on structures made with bamboo from the village side and desks from the office. While finishing up the short schedule with the exhibition was worthwhile itself, we were delighted to see that children were happy. After constructing the exhibition, we shared white T-shirts. After everyone started writing each other’s name on the shirt, every participant had a shirt with his/her name on it.

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Kaces Review

Entering someone’s life During the workshop period, we visited children’s home. Although the Parajan village in which Alam Batik Center was located was not either big or affluent, children’s village was approachable through twisted country road. There was no wall between houses with chickens freely roaming around, goats in cages and every house having bird cage under the eaves. Some villages were so remote that there was no public transportation and getting out was not possible with the assistance of someone’s bike. When we visited, villagers were out for sightseeing and a friendly gentleman brought us mangoes from mango trees as we converse with children and their parents. The villagers even chipped in to get us drinks. There was only a carpet in the living room and not even a television. Bu Ifa commented that even the carpet may have been borrowed from a nearby temple.

Despite the lack of materials, there was no shadow on their faces. One child who said he quit school told us that he wanted to earn money by diligently practicing batik.

It was not possible to meet these children with the incidence of the workshop. The workshop gives a somewhat different experience from exhibition. However, that is why it is always careful. While the one week we spent there could be a good experience and memory for us, someone’s life may depend on it.

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By-talk. The story of batik specialist Mr. Perry Mr. Perry is a student of Bu Ifa. About four years ago, he came into the Parajan village, founded Alam Batik Center with five batik specialists and taught batik to housewives from nearby villages. When orders arrive to him, he distributed them to village house wives. Most of the housewives in Indonesia work from home. While there can also be religious reasons, there was not much to do around for women raised in poor homes without proper formal education. Mr. Perry gave such housewives work and helped them earn extra income. In addition, he encouraged villagers to raise plants used for batik material. For example, fruits from mango trees were consumed or sold outside and unused leaves were put together to be sold to Alam Batik Center as material. This also was to help the lives of villagers. Most of the materials used at Alam Batik were sourced by the village.

Mr. Perry hoped that children from poor environment learn batik and improve their lives. Of course, batik is not just a way of earning money to Mr. Perry. Batik is itself a form of religious act and a very spiritual one. In fact, when batik orders arrive, he cleanses himself up and focuses on the wish and story of the buyer by not meeting other friend for a while. While it may sound anachronistically in the age of capitalism, it occurred to me as I watched their calm and happy faces that it may be the most important thing.

Counting on the next meeting After commented previously, while entering someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life is a careful thing, it is exciting that some encounters may give big joy to each other. Our short week passed like that. There was no rain as we came out early in the morning from our quarters. While it was difficult to leave, we were able to return happily thinking that ten children met in the Parajan village will visit Korea in the coming February. How would the children experience and feel about cold winter under sunny sky?

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Kaces Review

Flower of Understanding Blooming within Unfamiliarity and Difference PyeongChang Arts Dream Camp Yoo Mi Park_Artist

With over 100 participants from 5 countries, “PyeongChang Arts Dream Camp” opened its door on February 17th in National PyeongChang Youth Center. Arts Dream Camp is an arts and culture education project with the aim of increasing interest in PyeongChang Winter Olympics and PyeongChang Winter Paralympic next year and expanding the spirits of Olympics on passion and harmony.

While Korean artists personally visited Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia and Malawi to lead arts education in 2016, students from each country visited Korea this time to collaborate. What kinds of possibilities were laid out by friends who came a long way from hot summer countries to the winter land of PyeongChang and PyeongChang Arts Dream Camp proceeded under the theme of “Blooming Snow and Flower.”

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Coexistence of Unfamiliarity and Difference Anxiety and excitement were found on the faces of participants gathered to celebrate the opening ceremony of the 7-day long PyeongChang Arts Dream Camp (hereafter Arts Dream Camp). Welcome greetings for overseas participants who came a long way from each country were replaced by performance prepared by students at PyeongChang Jinbu Middle School. Overseas participants took turn to come out to the stage and introduced themselves in their native languages. Particularly, participants from Malawi received cheers after performing and singing songs with unique excitement. There was much expectation about new experience in the participants’ introduction.

Some participants mentioned about the great joy of visiting Korea and others looked forward to meeting good friends. In particular, an overwhelming number of participants commented on seeing snow for the first time in PyeongChang.

In the following dinner, much excitement and joy could be felt in food plating competition under the theme of “Journey to Korea.” They expressed “PyeongChang under White Snow and the Scene of Five Countries Joining Together as One” (Vietnam), “Stranger Entering an Unknown World” (Indonesia), “Warm Snow As if Riding on Ballooning Cloud in the Sky” (Colombia) and “Excited Face in Airplane, Sun and Snow-covered Mountain” (Malawi) on white plates. While the main program of the camp were art

workshops, there were events prepared to experience Korean culture and winter sports from time to time.

Participants joyfully communicated through these activities and actively experienced Korea. Especially, the Korean food event where they made and shared royal stir-fried rice cake and bibimbap themselves was noteworthy. Participants scented in front of unfamiliar food ingredients and clumsily practiced using chopsticks. They rushed to get a hold of rice paddle when bibimbap enough to serve 50 people was prepared on a large vessel.

Liaisons followed participants like shadow during the entire camp. Arts Dream Camp liaisons who were composed of college undergraduate and graduate students not only provided interpretation for participants, but also supported overall operation of the camp. Their involvement in taking care of participants like close friend, brother and sister was very moving at some moments. Thanks to such efforts, participants were able to become more intimate.

They were found taking self-photos together and learning different languages. During the 7-day camp, participants left their comfort zones in terms of time, place, relationship and ambience and continuously confronted unfamiliar and new things. Conflict and coexistence of unfamiliarity and difference, and scene of understanding were the biggest possibility discovered during Arts Dream Camp.

19

Kaces Review

First Memory of Snow Snow is a completely new experience for participants from hot summer countries. They felt PyeongChang’s cold winter wind, rising white breath, and shivering feeling of body. They took a tour of ski jump tower and went sledging in ski resort all covered with snow. Participants took a careful first step while carrying the sled on snow.

However, there was much pure laughter blooming on their faces as they slid down fast as soon as sledging started. High pitch dolphin-like sound was bursting out here and there. There were smiles on the faces of instructors and liaisons who were watching from below. It was a touching moment to witness as someone experienced something for the first time in his/her life.

percussion. Also, the sound of piano was added, as well as that of chorus. Whenever rhythmical expression was bursting out, everyone was clapping and dancing together. Before unbelievable impromptu performances, we all had to become innocent audience.

a i b m o l Co

The Colombian team’s arts education workshop proceeded with body expressions. After discussing the experience of snow, art instructors and Colombian participants stood in a circle. When they expressed the white movement one by one, everyone learned together. Going around the circle, calm and peaceful white movements formed into a dance. Careful efforts were given to refining by giving variations with beats and formations. The Indonesian team’s workshop was calm and quiet. Participants sat down together in groups to discuss the impression and feeling of snow in writings and pictures. They expressed Korea’s winter, snow and its memories in Indonesian traditional dying technique of batik, and planned on expanding the expressions by installing them on a wagon structure. Bo Seul Shin, the curator who chaired workshops, introduced that participants take batik as part of their lives. It is interesting to see what kinds of synergy the new experience of Arts Dream Camp may create in conjunction with arts rooted deep in lives.

a i s e n o Ind

m a n t e i V

Participants who saw with their own eyes and enjoyed much explicitly expressed their excitement through team-by-team arts education workshops.

The Malawian team’s music workshop was freedom itself. The Malawian team’s energy and wit were uncontrollable and unpredictable. The workshops proceeded with stories about watching snow and expressions with melody, rhythm and body language, full of impromptu performances that made the beginning and end indiscernible. One of the participants expressed that “Unlike sand, snow leaves footprints. I am happy because snow is everywhere,” expressing it by relying on one

M

i w ala

The Vietnamese team’s workshop proceeded together with students from Jinbu Middle School who performed the welcoming performance. For harmony, participants held theirs with one another and moved organically together, feeling the mass of “us.” For lyrics, participants wrote down the images of snow that popped up in their minds: “When snow comes, stop on the way and smile like the white snow. Hold the hand more tightly~.”

When asked about their thoughts on preparation of performance, Vietnamese participants wished to see the falling snow like the lyrics, smiling shyly.

It became curious when looking at the participants who welcomed their first meeting with snow in their own ways. When and where was the first memory of snow? Despite the hard thinking going back to the past, the dimming memory was hard to grasp.

In the first meeting with snow, what was our facial expression?

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Together, flowering snow The biggest difference between 2016 Arts Dream Camp occurred in different countries and this PyeongChang Arts Dream Camp lies in the joint programs. The Vietnamese team prepared performance with Korean students, while planning co-work with students from five countries including Colombia’s “the School of the body(El Colegio del Cuerpo).” It seemed difficult to proceed with co-work in a limited amount time with friends of different languages and culture in a strange environment. However, the meeting of unfamiliarity and different and the process of cooperation was the main goal of Arts Dream Camp.

Group photography work drew particular attention among various joint programs. It is because they were both joint work and the only individual work. The plan was to take pictures of oneself, friends joining together and the environment, to talk about these, and to produce albums storing each one’s memory. Arts Dream Camp’s art director Yu Jung Lee explained that the joint photography work was the “process of making memories about self, you, us and the world.”

“Photography work is the work of communicating with the self, instead of directing towards external objects.

It involves the process of finding answers for why I came and what I was able to feel here. Participants came to Korea by themselves, leaving their comfort zone and environment on their own will. I wish that they are able to feel that they are one of the international people and share common emotions as the international people. Consequently, I wish that the world they take in becomes larger.”

– Yu Jung Lee, PyeongChang Arts Dream Camp Art Director In Raymond Carver’s Cathedral, there is “I” who is confined to his/her small place and unable to truly meet others. “I” talks with “the blind” who came as a guest of mistress, but the conversation continues to digress.

At that moment, the blind suggest to me that we draw the cathedral being shown in TV. Therefore, we continued. As my finger moves on the paper, his finger was riding on my fingers. During my life, there never was such incident.

– In Cathedral All participants in Arts Dream Camp held hands together, close their eyes and drew one unifying picture.

They opened their minds by sharing the first memories, first experiences of snow and winter and first meetings with friends from other countries. They communicated with others and met the world. While the short period of seven days is over, they may claim like this at the end:

“This is really great.”

21

Kaces Interview

Research on Systematic Arts and Culture Education Mark Londesborough The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) Creative Learning and Development Director The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) is an interdisciplinary research institution in UK founded in 1754. RSA, together with the British Council and KACES, held a bilateral professional roundtable during the 2017 International Arts Education Week in order to promote a better bilateral understanding of arts and creative education areas in celebration of the 2017-2018 Korea-UK Mutual Exchange Year. We met with Mark Londesborough, Creative Learning and Development Director at RSA, who participated in this meaningful roundtable event.

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▶ ‌ First of all, please introduce the background of RSA’s founding and its goals.

RSA was founded in the early part of the Industrialism, which also was the Enlightenment. Despite the rapid social changes occurring at the time, all people did not have an equal opportunity or capability due to the social structure. That led RSA to set the 20th century enlightenment as its vision and strives to have people to think in new ways and act collaboratively. Society members include professionals from various fields including science, economy, education and arts. These people wish to make the society a better place through changes. They tackle challenges by sharing ideas.

I think that arts is discovering new perspectives towards the world and is an important medium that allows people to share their own experiences by connecting them. In addition, art empowers people to lead their own lives by fostering confidence in them. RSA provides motivation and confidence with which creative people can turn ideas into reality. ▶ ‌ What is your job at RSA? RSA is composed of three main divisions (government policy division, economic development division and creative learning division) and I am responsible for creative learning and development-related work. Based

on research output of our research division, I manage projects that provide help for art educator and teacher in various arts education activities and ultimately lead to positive effects on children. Depending on the project, policy research is generally conducted first and field executioner designs training program or support sharing of ideas. That is, I bridge between government policy and field executioner. ▶ ‌ Please tell us what is the research of RSA reflecting its current interests.

We hope to examine the effect of creativity of art educator and teacher on education. In addition to the improvement in academic achievement through art, we pay more attention to how executioners in the educational field change and what they focus on for more stringent training.

In particular, apart from teaching based on prior success or subjective experience, we pay attention to the effect of application of new ideas. It is important to understand the actual change on children when new ideas are applied to education, and to evaluate educational method afterwards.

Not just applying good things to reality, we hope to help people share and apply these ideas by identifying why they are good and what kind of changes they create.

23

Kaces Interview

▶ ‌ I hear that there have been changes to how arts and culture education is realized in UK. In the case of UK, arts and culture education has not started first from government policy, but instead from field and various trends. As such, various entities related arts and culture education tend to develop organically.

Recently, UK government has a significant interest in knowledge-based culture education such as how to embed art in curriculum, instead of the perspective of creative learning.

UK has geographical variations in educational system and the weight depends on the determinant of importance of arts education. As UK’s educational policy has shifted to focus on English, mathematics and sciences that produce tangible outcomes, the number of hours devoted to art curriculum is declining. After tests on English and mathematics were introduced in elementary school, teachers reduced hours devoted to arts education or private elementary schools that previously valued arts education no longer did so. Overall, there has been a decline in discussion on the importance of arts and culture education and such led to opinions that emphasized the value and necessity of arts education. RSA recognizes the great importance of arts education in school and tries to share and find out more about specific rational in relation to that. ▶ ‌ What is the status of arts education-related personnel?

There are instructors who teach dance, drama, art and

music in UK. There are various institutions in the field of culture that assist school activities. One of their jobs is to dispatch artists or art educators who contribute to school curriculum. However, since there is no formal training on arts education, it is difficult to confirm or guarantee the quality of education in school. In order to encourage arts and culture education, it is necessary to support activities of art educators, not teachers, to develop various programs. By allowing art educators to evaluate the educational content themselves and deliver it to teachers, it is necessary to expand everyone’s horizon on arts and culture. ▶ ‌ If so, please give a case example of efforts to enhance the ability of art educator.

There is an ongoing project on students from low income class in ten elementary schools in Birmingham. A locally active drama company brought drama to schools and conducted arts and culture education. In addition, it developed programs for elementary school teachers and art educators with 37 teachers participating in the program. We think that it is effective when at least one teacher comes from each school. For one year, they learn drama methodologies, structure programs based on them and apply their ideas with artists. Also, based on monthly evaluation meeting, they discuss which parts were effective and what needs to be improved. At the end of one year, they evaluate how art work has helped children’s writing ability and research on increasing creativity using drama.

"I think that arts is discovering new perspectives towards the world and is an important medium that allows people to share their own experiences by connecting them. In addition, art empowers people to lead their own lives by fostering confidence in them."

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▶ ‌ You have met arts and culture education specialists in Korea at the roundtable held during the 2017 International Arts Education Week.

What are your thoughts?

It was interesting to find similarities with what we do.

For example, the relationship between art teacher and teacher, interest and trust of the public on arts and culture education and practicality of government policy are similar. It was impressive that the Korean government, unlike the UK government, has established government arms for arts and culture education and that there are nationally-led projects.

▶ ‌ Lastly, any words on the direction for collaboration with KACES. RSA is a critical friend to both the UK government and field executioners. Given its non-government entity status, we can more freely give opinions. I hope that we can be a partner that offers objective opinion to KACES. Moreover, we hope to actively share RSA’s research output.

25

Kaces Interview

Unceasingly Challenging and Unceasingly Convincing

Rhona Matheson, President of Starcatchers in Scotland So Yeon Kim_Play Critic

26 26

Scotland’s Starcatchers is a professional art institution developing and producing performance for infants between the ages of 0 and 5. Visiting Korea in the early part of last December, they conducted workshops in both Seoul and Gwangju, and presented cases such as the development project “Moving Matters” using movements of infants at the 2016 Infant Arts and Culture Education Conference.”

Their programs introduced at the workshops and conference left a memorable image as effective programs inducing children’s creative experience.

On the other hand, what draw particular attention are their activities as much as their creative and effect methodologies. Since its foundation in 2006, they produced over 30 performances with more than 160 active artists and performance producers and more than 170,000 infants, children, parents, guardians and child educators participated in their programs. What their activities tell is not just the scale of their activities. The scope to infants aged between 0 and 5 is limited and their activities are complex and wide. Starcatchers’ vision and core activities include not only creation of performance, but also arts and culture education activities and community activities called “creative skill program.” Creative skill program is an educational program for adults in charge of education of infants. As such, they meet various people in various ways for infants’ creative experience.

The beginning of Starcatchers, which conducts various national projects related to art activities for infants in Scotland, was simple a demonstration project. One interesting point is that they applied the artist residency model when they planned this pilot project. Artists remained in local art centers and produced performances and creative activities for infants. That is, while the project was limited to infants, it worked in harmony with local residents through space in a specific area. Such beginning tells much in understanding their current vision and activities. Their vision and activities were not given from outside, but organized within their own activities.

As we look more at Starcatchers’ activities, it became more curious as to how the goal of government policy that “It should be the best place for children to grow” gave birth to new art activities through specific projects, penetrated through the lives of local residents and progressed to form social consensus on the social role and creativity of arts by relating art to various social problems. Despite the short time period, President Rhona Matheson gave interesting and joyful answers to many questions.

27

Kaces Interview

“Endless world open to everything” Please introduce Starcatchers.

This is difficult. It takes a long time to introduce ourselves. As a non-profit organization, Starcatchers offers arts and creative experience for infants aged between 0 and 5 as well as their guardians. We started as a pilot project in 2006 and gradually increased scale to become an independent institution. Began and grew with actors at the center, we partnered with infant educators and professionals responsible for health or welfare of children as the scale expanded. These days, we go beyond providing artistic joy and creative activities for children and think that we support children through art from an early age and utilize arts as a tool for change. We think that art can play a great role in the development of infants.

Based on your introduction, the size of the institution is huge. I am curious as to what kinds of artists are performing and how such a large number of artists get to participate in performance for infants.

In the first pilot program, two artists participated in the residency program. One was infant drama producer, with the other being a drama musical staff. They happened to recruit people without experience in this area. This became the beginning of all. Through the pilot project, we produced a play called <Little Light> and one artist independently produced a work called <My House>. We received attention from artists, art staff and educators involved in infant art activities by showcasing these pieces at an international symposium we hosted. When we started the pilot project, we belonged to “Imaginate” (Government entity supporting performance art for infants, children and teenagers aged between 0 and 18) and thus were able to actively advertise our activities too many artists belonged to this group. After going through such process, more artists became interested in art activities for infants. On one side, artists with young children were looking for activities to do together and joined to directly participate in creative activities for their own children. We were able to work together with about 160 artists. We were lucky. There were artists who worked with us for a short period of time, while some continue to be with us. We continue to expand the scope.

What is funny is that any form of creative activities whether it is drama, installation art, or visual art is possible as long as it is for children. There is no limit. While there are things to be careful, whether approaching abstractly, directly involving children or traditionally leaving them as audience, anything is possible. We explored and tried all of those methods. From the perspective of artist, this attracts artists by allowing for a great deal of freedom.

Participating artists are interested in this new attempt and work with open heart at the same time. Children are very candid and respond immediately. If it is not fun, feedback comes immediately. That is why this is a very challenging work.

You mention of a world with endless possibilities open to everything. While this is a very attractive term, this also means a world with no guidance.

Although it has been 10 years, did you have any fear about the unknown world?

There certainly was an early period without knowing what to do. There are many signs of clumsiness in <Little Light> created through the pilot project. There is everything you can expect in a performance for infants. Everything including balloon, bubble, feather, ball, music, rhythm and cadence.

Looking back, there certainly were things not necessary to be included. Because we did not know what to do, we poured everything in. Unnecessary things were there. However, this process is inevitable.

For a drama for infants, I think there should be “complexity of simplicity.” As simple as possible, but there must be various levels. To progress through various stories in a consistent manner, there should be a very complex process. The vision and purpose of artist must be clear. It should not follow an easy path just because it is easily produced. Sadly, many follow the easier path to avoid difficult process while preserving simplicity.

“Complexity of simplicity” means a lot. Can I interpret it as “Take a simple form, but with many layers?”

You have a good understanding.

You mention that trial and error in the early stage are a necessary step. What is the most difficulty issue for artists working on a new audience such as “infants”?

The most important, but difficulty thing is artist try new things with great confidence. When things go wrong, that is when there is an unexpected response, it means having an open mind to cope with. In production, the artist should not set the direction and plan to induce certain response, but instead let infants lead.

Responding immediately to audience’s reaction is important.

Some of the artists who worked with us in the early stage rejoined us a few year ago. These are artists with a lot of experience in working for infants between 2 and 4. As we cooperate with an organization in Berlin, we discussed for a long period. After 5~6 years of exchanging ideas, it took one year to specifically develop ideas. There also was a four-week intensive work. At the near completion stage, we rehearsed with kindergarten children in Germany. But, children weren’t able to comprehend at all. With three weeks left to performance, we scrapped the project of many years and recreated a new one centered around children’s feedback. In that situation, I think it was very important not to push ahead with the original idea regardless, but instead radically start over.

28 28 Long-term and continuous activity and cooperation Starcatchers picks three things as its main activities. Production & tour, creative skills for infant educators, participation in local community.

You list all of performance, education and local community as main activities. Is such variety due to the characteristics of the subject “infants”? Also, I am curious whether these three main activities are carried out separately or together.

They are closely connected. I hope you see it as a comprehensive approach. The three main activities are extensions of early project. The residency program runs over a long period with artists working together with children, parents and guardians. There are many households with difficulty and a lot of support is need. For example, there are various issues such as drug, alcohol and parent’s health problems. Observing the relationship between parents and children is included in the program, and is both a creative activity and a community activity.

Creative skill is what kindergarten teachers requested. When we ran the residency program in various infant educational facilities, teachers there requested that they are able to

do this and asked for support. In addition to kindergarten teachers, various family support institutions joined. Various people including social welfare staff, educational staff and play specialist joined to share their experience and received training through our program.

Creation is most important among our main activities. We think it is important to have more children in Scotland to enjoy artistic experience such as drama and visual art. As noted in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, every child must be able to enjoy art and cultural activities. For us, creation is a key activity.

When working together with children, artists take care of all three activities and children enjoy at least one activity or all three activities in some cases. In all of these activities, we do not specify any form of art. Whether creation or other activities, neither process nor characteristic is limited to a specific form of art. For example, a director does not specific what each person is responsible for with everyone assigned a different area. Because every activity is done through collaboration among visual artist, designer and musician, it is not limited to a specific form of art.

"The most important, but difficulty thing is artist try new things with great confidence. When things go wrong, that is when there is an unexpected response, it means having an open mind to cope with. In production, the artist should not set the direction and plan to induce certain response, but instead let infants lead.

Responding immediately to audience’s reaction is important."

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Kaces Interview

Personally, I am interested in community program.

Among the many community programs, which would you pick as most memorable and why?

It is hard to pick just one. They are all meaningful and important. First on “The Playground,” it was the first largescale project after Starcatchers became independent. Our activity has shifted from art center-based to educational institution-based. While it was previously artist looking for subject in art center residency program, we were able to stay in educational institution. We stayed in kindergarten for about a year. We conducted program for both children and parents and also trained teachers. Due to a completely different approach, it was very important. While the previously conducted “Inspire Project” was a collaboration with educational institution, it took the form of visiting each educational institution for a week.

That is why consistent program was need and became “The Playground.” To gain influence, our activity must be conducted over a long term. While “Talking Tales” and “Moving Matters” were about 6-month long and can be regarded as long-term projects, the time was limited due to project funding. It was regrettable that it could go beyond that. An approach similar to “The Playground” is important and our ultimate goal is to have artists in residence at every infant educational institution in Scotland. This is my personal wish and very difficult. That is why creative skill program is important. We think that our goal can be achieved to some extent if infant educators support children using these creative art activities as a tool.

I would like to introduce “Expecting Something.” While it is also a long-term communications program, the difference is that the target becomes moms and their children in vulnerable social status. The program supports moms from pregnancy to when children turn 2. This also started as a pilot program in the beginning. There is a public health project called

“Family Nurse Partnership” in Scotland. It supports teenager moms from pregnancy to when children turn 30-month old.

While this support is also necessary and helpful, the problem remains that teenager moms remain isolated and alone.

Thanks to the introduction by the institution, we began a program in which moms and children get together as a pilot program. We started from parents’ interests. It contemplates what moms prefer as their art activities instead of artists suggesting what to do. Artists consider ways to engage children in activities that moms prefer. By participating in this program, moms and children communicate with other families as well as local community. As the influence of the program was verified, additional funding was available. We received a 2-year funding and have been running for 18 months. Recent news suggests that budget for the next two years is set. It seems that various moms and children may apply.

Cooperation among various departments and institutions seems importance. Given its importance, it is difficult.

We continuously confront obstacles. We continue to meet people who ask us why we focus on infants, why we did not wait until children’s age around 5~7 and why we play drama for infants. The best way of persuasion is to directly show them what we do. They all understand after actually seeing them. The success of Starcatchers up to now can be attributed to skillfully linking people in other areas to our approach.

There are various infant policies in Scotland. According to Scotland’s national policy “Getting It Right for Every Child,” (GIRFEC) every child needs to be respected and live healthily and there are various metrics. There is art strategy for children and also creative strategy. These are quite connected to a lot of our activities. Our job is to concretely show that our activities support such strategy. We continue to work on these.

We did a lot of political activities as well.

"I think that prompting curiosity that only art can have and allowing exploration is the biggest key. Art brings a lot of changes. First for children, it brings about creativity and allows them to look at the world in a different perspective through play. The same is for educators. Through art, they express themselves and ultimately form relationships and communicate with others. This is because they may communicate using various senses."

30 30 Creativity of art, curiosity and investigation are the keys In setting target and evaluation, participants select self-confidence as the most importance factor.

Is “confidence” most valued by Starcatchers’ in artistic activities or is it your personal belief?

It is a personal belief as well as an important factor for infant arts education. Because I experienced that many teachers are without confidence in utilizing creativity in the process of “Creative Skill,” I got to emphasize this. By infusing confidence that they may use various skills and tools, children will continue to try different things. In community activities, it is an important goal to give confidence to infants and families. When less privileged parents become more confident and confirm their capacity by themselves, they may feel that they can pursue a different life and do something better for their children. When children become more confident, they are able to form better relationships and ultimately mature as more capable and creative adults. The big picture is to bring about changes for society to become a better place. The Scottish government has a policy goal of “Make Scotland the best place for children to grow.” To achieve this, I think we must proceed with confidence at various levels.

In looking over Starcatchers’ data, “Creativity is a problem of how to learn” and “Cultivating creativity is granting the most powerful authority” were very impressive. However, the creativity you defined does not seem to be developed only by arts. What do you think is a peculiar characteristic about art in developing creativity?

I think that prompting curiosity that only art can have and allowing exploration is the biggest key. Art brings a lot of changes. First for children, it brings about creativity and allows them to look at the world in a different perspective through play. The same is for educators. Through art, they express themselves and ultimately form relationships and communicate with others. This is because they may communicate using various senses. Creativity is a broad concept and we focus on art. What I hope there is no confusion on is that we value art itself and results as well as the process. We pursue beauty. Of course, the process itself is fun and interesting.

In workshops in Seoul and Gwangju, I hear that you emphasized “Children-entric,” and “Childrendriven.” This is an important observation. Did Starcatchers have any difficult in adhering to such principle? What do artists have to look out for in preserving the children-centric approach?

These workshops were very fun. There was much challenge and enthusiasm on the methods we proposed. Children-centric and children-driven imply neither giving orders to children to do specific things nor neglecting them to let them do what they want. Working with a certain structure, it implies allowing children to explore their directions if they are different from mine and then inducing them to my directions.

It is important to exchange feedback and guide them to come back based on their response. In exchanging feedback with children, the artist must carry out in his/her own open way.

You must work with confidence in appropriately responding to children’s feedback. We too continuously discuss with infant teachers, artists and parents about what it means to work in a children-driven manner. When children are given freedom to sufficiently express their creativity, we gradually realize that they experience better, parents are satisfied better and artists can attain sufficient freedom. There is no right or wrong answer. You must take the risk and let children take us to the journey. Being with children is unpredictable, but a fun and interesting journey.

Is it right to understand the relations among children, teachers and artists as action and reaction in acting?

Of course.

In listening to Starcatchers’ stories, I realize that infant art activities are an important activity that is related to various areas and also a challenging area in the creation of art. Also, it is impressive that while art attains utility by function as a social tool, its result is subject stringent standard. Thank you for such a long time with us.

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Kaces Interview

Good Performance and Good Education are Not Separate

Hong Young Yoo, Director of Children and Teenager Play Research Center at National Theater Company of Korea So Yeon Kim_Play Critic

Youth drama program book created by Children and Teenager Play Research Center (hereafter Teenager Play Research Center) at the National Theater Company is different in its content from that of a normal performance. While most performances structure program book with writing and data to help the audience understand, it is relatively detailed in its descriptions of programs run together with teenagers in the production process considering the limited space. When looked inside, various programs are there. Instead of watching practice, there are research, discussion and various presentations on the theme of the performance. As for rehearsal visit or performance visit, the approach is not just to offer various opinions on the performance, but a separate program for teenagers is provided. Based only on this program book, it can be assumed that Teenager Play Research Center at the National Theater Company considers understanding of teenagers and various concepts about related activities and tries new approaches in the production process. Of the activities of Teenager Play Research Center at the National Theater Company, the weight of performance production is not small, but the company shows various efforts on arts education for teenagers from the production process. In particular, it is more correct to say attempting and recording various opportunities and possibilities in art activities of children and teenagers in the process of creation instead of linking creation and education or joining independent or separated areas.

32 Teenager Play Research Center at the National Theater Company is the only institution devoted to a specific subject among public art institutions. After the foundation of Teenager Play Research Center along with the re-establishment of the National Theater Company in 2010, director Hong Young Yoo has since led the center. Stories began with her decades-long experience as a mime artist and head of an educational theater.

•‌‌ You have shown interest in arts education and children-teenager play from early on.

Both mime and children play seemed important to me, but no one seemed to have interest. I think that was I became interested. I was a founding member of Mokhwa Theater, but it seemed that actors can only wait if director or producer does not work. That’s why I decided to practice with fellow actors, play mime in the absence of a writer and go out to the streets to meet children. They were sometimes part-time jobs or voluntary work. Despite the small size, there was a strong feeling of achievement in meeting children. There also were big performances. At that time, musical <Slave and Lion> (1988) was put on the main stage of National Theater of Korea on the Children’s Day on May 5th. Because it was produced by a national broadcaster, even one-time performance made profits after deducting production fees for the main stage. In the 80s and 90s, Daehakro theaters such as Batangol Small Theater and Parangsae Theater put on children play in the morning and adult play in the afternoon. But at the time, children’s play was not recognized as a professional area. As I continued to do children’s play, a senior of mine worried why I did so.

• I understand that Sadari Company was the first educational company.

In founding Sadari Company in 1988, I made it clear about the identity as an educational company. While the founding was in 1988, there were activities prior to that. People who had worked hard over 10 years in the field joined to create special performances and we studied a lot. At the time, we conducted workshops on drama play with Ms. Young Ae Choi (Professor at Korea National University of Arts and former director of Teenager Play Research Center) and were pleasantly shocked by her influence on our creative work.

• Did you approach play based on the creative methodology?

It is difficult to say that we followed a specific approach to state that we approached drama play based on education or creative methodologies. While Sadari Drama Play Research Center is separated, creation and education were always together at Sadari Company. We tried to meet many children. In addition to performances, we kept on meeting children through drama play.

We thought hard about different processes and methodologies rather than just adults preparing performances for children. My experience at Sadari Company allowed me to confirm the balance between education and creation and special operations in there. That is why we held many workshops with other teams. We wanted to share our experience.

• ‌ While arts education has become more widespread these days, creation and education are still considered as separate areas. It is impressive that Sadari Company’s work considered both elements at the time.

While many experience programs contain drama play, neither art nor education is appropriately conducted there. People conducting arts education are not meeting children as artist, but instead deployed to the field after learning a few programs.

This is the negative policy outcome of linking arts education to job creation policy. This does not even provide stable jobs. In addition, it is problematic that education is becoming more like a business in the expansion process. The effect and outcome of education need to observed for long-term. As this becomes more business-like, short-term incentives to produce outcome create issues. The outcome of arts education can’t be evaluated just by the fact that children have momentarily enjoyed. It takes a long-term perspective.

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Kaces Interview

• ‌ There are positive aspects about the expansion of arts education for children-teenagers and experience programs.

It is positive that the concept of drama as play has become widespread. However, we worry that playfulness must be discovered and developed in daily life instead of pleasing children after learning a few programs without concept or observation. As our theater culture starts by borrowing from others and still has such elements, the same is true for drama education and arts education. While we have much playfulness, we think that we are not doing a very good job. I contemplate on how to develop children’s inherent factors, to expand together with future artists, and to link community culture and family play to drama. That is why I often use the term “play drama.”

• How do “drama play” and “play drama” differ?

While drama play is a play utilizing elements of drama, play drama attempts to secure theatricality through play. The difference is which modifies and which is the original concept. Play drama attempts to enhance the completeness of drama through play.

• ‌ It seems performance production among other things is the main activity of Teenager Play Research Center.

It seems so externally, but the process is not. We value the meeting between artists and teenagers in the production process.

One question we always ask artists participating in the production is “Do you know teenagers?” We all have been through adolescence, but that does not mean we understand teenagers of today. This is why we always get teenagers involved in the production process. During the process, not only are artists affected, but also teenagers themselves experience that there are people listening to them and influence the production process of a work.

Such process actual existed and there are research on it. In addition to performance production, “Investigation of Artists by Teenagers” and “Small Theater in One Summer Night” are in progress.

• ‌ When we look at the program book, it was impressive that teenager programs exist in the production process. However, it is curious whether teenager programs are for the reality of teen drama and whether the participating teenagers are people helping the production.

There should be something teenagers feel as principals in the process. What are they?

It may seem like that it is operated with performance production at the center. It may seem like a program of the production process. It is difficult to explain the goal and outcome of each of the programs. For each program to affect each other, these programs should continuously run. This is why we targeted for National Company of Children and Teenager Drama when we started. It does not mean that public art institutions have not produced children-teenager works. Seoul City Company still plays such work. However, when we decide to operate Teenager Play Research Center as a separate organization, what should we do? Is it sufficient to just make good performance? What do we produce such good performance? I think that various teenager programs are continuously needed for good performance. Every year, “Investigation of Artists by Teenagers” brings together young artists receiving spotlight in various fields and teenagers and develops futuristic model of teenager play in exploring the language or art. I think the success means producing good performances out of these works. Good performance and good educational program are not separate. What public art institutions must do is to create such a system. The same is true for recording and researching on such cases. While there are a number of theater organizations, there is no capacity to conduct recording or research. Recording and researching what we have done and are doing is an important work.

34 • ‌ “Small Theater in One Summer Night” (Program that enhances the capacity of actors in childrenteenager play as artists and invigorates field performance visiting local, school and culture facilities through production workshops on 1-2 person plays – Editor’s note) has reached its fourth meeting. Due to the creative workshops, there are networks of independent artists and a lot of performance in festivals.

Creative workshops for actors were started to help actors whose career is interrupted due to various reasons. I wanted to acknowledge that dream can be achieved by not giving up. I myself made the opportunities by not waiting on them. I gained confidence by doing maim on the streets.

I gained strength by working together. You must be doing. Actor is someone who acts. I like that expression. Despite the tough environment, exceptional people survive. What is important is to create a solid foundation. I wish for more children-teenager plays and places for artistic experience of children and teenagers. By thinking as if cultivating crops, both audience and participants change as well as the performance. Without such system, artists are marginalized in the market. Audience remains as consumers. In that way, there can’t be a deep and thoughtful work.

• ‌ Today, I thought much about how creation and education are not separate things. I also though a lot about the role national art institutions need to play in the field of art.

We need to create an environment in which we can observe for a long-term, lay foundation and live together. Slash-and-burn farming is stealing future generation’s asset.

• ‌ Last question. What kinds of support and cooperation are needed to invigorate arts and culture education at national art institutions?

Long-term view. Foreseeing sustainability is important. There is no specific way. When something is required and necessary work is in progress, policy and system should back it up. Abandoning ongoing work to begin new business or frequently changing evaluation criteria jeopardizes sustainability. What I would like to emphasize is recording. I wish to record performance production, education and field scenes on participating activities. I hope for more efforts to leave good records and allow field executioners to reflect and communicate on them. It is difficult to spread what Teenager Play Research Center has prepared to fields. I myself bring them and pass onto people in need. Places for accumulating and sharing such records need to be in place. Continuation of recording creates a stream of precedence. For there to be a stream, there must be a lot of springs. I tell artists to become springs themselves. When there are a lot of springs and a stream, embankment is required. This is when art administration is needed. While there are many who claim to be embanking today, we have a shortage of springs.

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KACES e-Newsletter Volume.7 Published by the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service 76, Sangamsan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Korea, 03926 eng.arte.or.kr / kaces@arte.or.kr

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