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| Parents and children immerse themselves in an activity-centered exhibition, "The Child in All of Us," at the National Museum of Korea's Children's Museum, Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis |
By Park Han-sol
In Korea, an alternative term for May is "family month," as the month holds holidays honoring members of a traditional family unit, including Children's Day on May 5, Parent's Day on May 8 and Married Couple's Day on May 21.
This year, in celebration of May and the centennial of Children's Day, major national museums in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province are hosting special exhibitions and programs to greet family visitors.
Special educational programs for children are scheduled for the Seoul and Gwacheon branches of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA).
Under the theme of "art museum with children," MMCA will offer various online and in-person activities related to some of its currently ongoing exhibitions in both venues ― "My Your Memory," "Hito Steyerl ― A Sea of Data" and "You & Me" ― from Thursday to Saturday.
To broaden young audience's understanding of these art shows, the museum will also organize a series of interactive, contemporary dance performances that re-interpret the gallery spaces and the works of art they hold for a total of 160 family visitors.
For the National Museum of Korea, an exhibition titled "The Child in All of Us" that opened on Tuesday at its Children's Museum is a chance for the parents and their children to engage in 10 activities that include immersive family picnics, exploration of popular gifts of each era and discussion about animal- or family-related cultural artifacts. The activity sheets are offered in Korean, English and Braille.
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| A world invention-themed board game that was made by children's rights activist Bang Jeong-hwan is unveiled to the public for the first time at the National Folk Museum of Korea's "Children's Day ― Funny Tales by Mr. Bang" show. Courtesy of National Folk Museum of Korea |
Starting from Wednesday, the National Folk Museum of Korea is presenting the show, "Children's Day ― Funny Tales by Mr. Bang," focusing on fairy tales such as "The Country Mouse's Sightseeing in Seoul," "Magpie's Clothing" and "Jobless Pig," and board games enjoyed by Korean children a century ago.
These elements were all introduced by Bang Jeong-hwan (1899-1931), a children's rights activist and writer who is credited for establishing Children's Day in 1922.
Culture Station Seoul 284 is hosting its own gallery tour program for elementary school students, revisiting the century-old history of its space until May 22.
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| Culture Station Seoul 284's gallery tour program for children / Courtesy of Culture Station Seoul 284 |
In 1900, Namdaemun Station was built in central Seoul, signaling the beginning of Korea's modern railroad history. During the 1910-45 Japanese colonial era, in 1925, it was reconstructed into the European-styled architecture and renamed Gyeongseong Station.
The tour program summarizes the building's history from its past as Gyeongseong Station to the national independence in 1945, when its name was once again changed to Seoul Station, and finally the present-era, as it serves as the cultural complex.
The tour guide will introduce children the stories of Korea's first train, as well as notable figures who have all passed through the railway station, including the country's independence fighters, Berlin Olympic marathon winner Sohn Kee-chung and Rha Hye-seok, Korea's first female Western-style painter, writer and a pioneering advocate for women's rights.
Finally, the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History's "We are All Children at Heart" is an exhibition that brings more than 300 pictures and archival materials of children from the modern history across the globe. The show runs until July 17. The museum will also host a musical performance on Children's Day that reinterprets classic fables under a contemporary lens.
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