2012 International Joomchi and Beyond Art Exhibit Atrium Gallery New Visions New Curators Series

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts presents the "2012 International Joomchi and Beyond Art Exhibit" at the Atrium Gallery @ One Capitol Hill. This exhibit is part of the International Artist and Cultural Exchange Program and the New Visions/New Curators Program.

Joomchi is a unique way of making textured and colored handmade paper simply by using water and eager hands. The term originated from the expression “making a Joo-money” (pouch in English). It creates strong, textural, and smooth surfaces. As time goes on, the surface becomes more elegant, like leather. In Korea, paper is part of everyday life. It is made into window shades, oiled for use on the floor and often covers the walls. Before the textile industry blossomed in Korea, Joomchi was used to create clothing and household items as a substitute for fabric.

The 2012 Joomchi and Beyond Exhibition in Rhode Island is composed of 26 artists’ works from five countries: Korean, USA, Netherlands, Australia, and Taiwan. Korean Joomchi artists, most of them from the Korea Paper Artists Association, were encouraged to focus on showing Joomchi’s traditional beauty mainly in two-dimensional works whereas other artists were more focused on combining it with their own techniques to show its possibilities in many other ways, such as two-and three-dimensional installation and wearable sculptural works. Some pieces are stitched/embroidered and some pure to the technique and its materials. The show is comprised of both traditional and transformational works. Joomchi has truly become a bridge between East and West.

Curator: Jiyoung Chung

Curator Bio: Jiyoung Chung is a Joomchi artist, painter and freelance writer who shows her works nationally and internationally. She has developed an innovative method for utilizing a traditional Korean method of papermaking called Joomchi into a contemporary art form. Jiyoung has had numerous solo shows in Korea, U.S.A., Australia, France, Finland, and the U.K. In 2010, she curated the International Korean/American Joomchi show for the European Patchwork Meeting in France, which later toured in Korea. Additionally, she is the author of a How-to-Do book titled “Joomchi & Beyond”. Recently she received an ‘Award of Excellence’ by the American Craft Council /Baltimore show. Her works are in the permanent collections of Fidelity Corporate Art Collection, Boston, and the Museum of Art & Design, NY.

Participating Artists:
Korea: Youngsoon Cha, Chanhee Choi, Dong-lim Chung, Sojung Hwang, Lee II-soo, Jeeun Kim, Jungsik Kim, Kyungsook Kim, Yu-Mi Kim, Michelle Oh, Sanghoon Yang, Bong Hee You.
Taiwan: Kris (Yi-Chen), Chang.
Australia: Judi Bushby, Liz Powell.
Netherlands: Della Lana, Janine Visser.
USA: Angela Bernard, Elsinore Carabetta, Nancy Dove, Deborah Nehmad, Karen Searle, Julie Sirek, Abigail Walz-Hill, Julie Weavering, Saaraliisa Ylitalo

Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) developed the Atrium Gallery to recognize talented artists from communities throughout the state. The Atrium Gallery hosts multidisciplinary exhibitions in partnership with diverse artists and cultural organizations. The gallery features a stunning tall glass ceiling with light that cascades into an open space surrounded by three walls of artwork. This has become a destination point for visitors and the many people who frequent the Administration offices at One Capitol Hill, while enriching the environment for hundreds of state workers in the building.

International Artist and Cultural Exchange Program
The International Artist and Cultural Exchange includes community workshops, artist presentations, film screenings, panel discussions, and art exhibits. This program brings together inter-cultural art in multi-disciplinary forms at several venues across Rhode Island. Many international artists have been affiliated with this cultural exchange including Afro-Brazilian artist Tiago Gualberto, Cuban abstract visual artist Reynier Ferrer, Dominican fiber artist Julianny Ariza, Ecuadorian artist Illdefonso Franco, and Sri Lankan artists Chaminda Gamage and T.P.G. Amarajeewa. Partnerships have included: AS220 Artist in Residency Program, Attleboro Arts Museum, Brown University Watson Institute Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Gallery Z, Ibero-American Film Festival, Newport Art Museum, Providence Community Library, and Warwick Center for the Arts.

New Visions/New Curators Program
The Atrium Gallery encourages the development of new curators and gallery directors from diverse communities through the New Visions/New Curators Program. Artists of color are provided logistical support to curate a show by defining a theme, professionally installing the artwork, and creating marketing materials that promote the exhibit. Previous participants have curated exhibitions in local and regional galleries and museums. This highly successful program has become an incubator for new curators that promote viewpoints and voices of artists of color.

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. RISCA provides grants, technical assistance and staff support to arts organizations and artists, schools, community centers, social service organizations and local governments to bring the arts into the lives of Rhode Islanders. To learn more visit www.arts.ri.gov