In early 2017, we wrote about a friend of ours, Youngmin Lee, who designs and creates stunning hand-sewn Korean textile art in her home in the San Francisco area (https://100thimbles.com/youngmin-lee-bojagi-artist/). In that article we mentioned a project that she was pursuing with visitors to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), where she was…
On February 9, Yuna Kim, Korea’s beloved 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist in Women’s figure skating ignited the Olympic Flame during the dramatic opening ceremonies of this year’s Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It is fitting that a spokeswoman for Korea’s ever-increasing contemporary presence on the world stage should light a vessel that symbolizes Korea’s…
During a recent visit to San Francisco, my daughter and I had the great pleasure of visiting the studio of Youngmin Lee (www.youngminlee.com), a skilled bojagi artist born and raised in Korea and now living in the U.S. Serene and soft-spoken, Youngmin spends up to four hours most days carefully stitching wrapping cloths, pouches,…
I recently attended a beautiful exhibit of Korean pottery at the Korean Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. The KCC makes a special effort to showcase the work of Korean and Korean-American artists working in many different media, introducing them to local audiences. On this particular night the work of Jong-neung Lee filled both galleries…
The hanbok, Korea’s traditional costume, is said to reflect the Korean artistic aesthetic—flowing lines and curves that lead the eye, large expanses of open surface that invite the imagination, and the bold use of color, often with symbolic meaning. It is worn today primarily for formal events, holidays and celebrations such as the first birthday,…
Joan loves dirt. She’s an avid gardener and potter, both of which require getting your hands into the stuff, and nothing makes her happier. So, not surprisingly, some of her favorite Korean handicrafts are those made from dirt, or what used to be dirt. She can stand forever, lovingly caressing a simple round pottery…
When I think of a thimble, I imagine a metal cap that fits on my finger with indentations to help stabilize the needle I might be using. Not so the Korean thimble! Traditionally and even today, they are made of natural materials (often layers of stiffened paper) and then covered lovingly with brightly colored silk…
The very first time I went to Korea in 1985, in connection with my son’s adoption, I spent a week there and had a chance to explore. Never having been there before, it was all absolutely new and fascinating to me. My most vivid memory of that trip, other than the time spent at Eastern…