A special exhibition at the Ewha Womans University Museum is taking place from May 10 to September 18. This exhibition, titled "Leader of Korean Culture, Ewha," celebrates Ewha's 124th anniversary and the 10th Kim Okgill Memorial Lecture. The memorial lecture had begun in Ewha since 2001 to remember the eighth president of Ewha, Kim Ok-gill's dedication on women education and realizing social justice.
President Lee Bae-yong, Kim Ok-gil’s brother Kim Dong-gill, and Lee O-young, an Honorary Distinguished Professor of Ewha Academy for Advanced Studies participated in the opening ceremony on May 10.
During her opening remarks, President Lee said, “In this globalised world, we should be equipped with knowledge of our culture, and it is the museum that can make that happen.”
Lee O-young conducted a special lecture on "Creative Sense of Culture" at the the memorial lecture. After Lee's lecture, Choe Kwang-sik, the Director-General of National Museum of Korea, and Rha Sun-hwa, the Member of Seoul Cultural Heritage Committee also gave lectures.
"This special exhibition will be meaningful place to reflect long history of the Ewha museum with its vision of nurturing in art," said Kim Bo-hie, the Director of the museum.
This exhibition focuses on four themes. The first theme introduces the museum’s 75 years of history and recalls its critical moments including the first excavation done by female university students in Korean museum history in 1963. The next theme, titled "Ewha, Incorporating Korean Culture," is the main theme of this exhibition. Its displays include one piece designated "national treasure", a title reserved for pieces of great historic importance.
The third theme, titled "Sharing and Sincerity", celebrates the Ewha museum’s founding spirit of donation. According to the brochure, the museum opened its doors thanks to donations from professors and students, and the exhibition aims to honor the donors and their devotion to culture and the arts by showing a collection of work donated in 2010.
The fourth theme is "Bojagi and Embroidery in the Joseon Dynasty". The bojagi, traditional quilted work done by Korean women, represent the wisdom and hope of Korean women as well as their refined aesthetic sensibility.
The museum is open from Monday through Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.