The summer has past and the cool autumn is setting in. It’s a time of feelings with your lover or yourself. We have set the theme and brought an important person who takes responsibility for the cultural life of the inhabitants of Kyungnam. Please welcome the mascot, Gami.

Q: Nice to meet you. Please introduce yourself.
GAMI: Hello, I am Gami, the mascot of Kyungnam’s provincial art museum. Our museum was created in 2004. This year marks our 12-year anniversary and the museum plays a pivotal role in bringing 80-90,000 visitors. Recently there was a display called “The Place Alice Discovered” attracting more than 90,000 people in a bit over 2 months.

Q: That’s amazing. I never imagined that so many people would come to visit. I heard you are preparing for the 4^th display. Are the displays set for four seasons?
GAMI: Actually it occurs quarterly. There are 5 art and science researchers. Although the display at the art museum is autonomous, one researcher is selected as the lead and proceeds with their own display. Generally, there is a display each year, and two theme displays. It is a display not only for adults, but also for all ages.

Q : I heard about curators and docents. What kind of work do they do here?
GAMI: Curators are the art and sciences researchers I previously mentioned. They maintain and control the displays. Docents are display commentators. They explain the displayed artwork. Many retired women apply for the docent positions. There are curators, docents, security guards, librarians, and interns that help run the art museum.

Q: Are there lots of students from Changwon National University that visit?
GAMI: A lot of Changwon University students visit. However, the number of college students that visit are low. It is hard to find the exact number but approximately 27,000 out of 110,000 people visit.

Q: I think there are still students that fear the museum. Are there any tips to observe the masterpieces more easily?
GAMI: Nowadays there are lots of kinds of art. Usually when you think of art museums, you think of paintings but there are various materials such as media, videos, and art that is created via computers. Because there are so many ways to portray the artist’s view, they always experiment with different materials to efficiently convey the right message to the viewers. Therefore, I believe actively viewing the pieces is important to experience the artwork. Because they are from our generation I believe that they view things with more emotion and sensitivity. They are able to create messages that if focused enough, can be understood.

Q: I heard there are other programs that are in progress other than the displays. Please introduce them.
GAMI: During vacation, there is a program for elementary students called “Kids experiencing with art”. There is a 3 to 4-day class that is offered. The class is popular which consists of thinking and making art. There is also an open lecture. A theme is selected and the class started but I hope that more college students would attend this.

Q: Are there any companies in the region in order to discover new artists?
GAMI: There is a lot of dilemma currently in that field. Not a lot of young artists pursue this field thus are hard to find. This year, there is a first artist called N artist that had displays in which 5 people were selected to support. In addition, the national exchange display <Art Rainbow> chose 5 Kyungnam artists that spend 3 weeks in October going to Germany to work and have displays. Next year it is planned for Germany artists to attend the Kyungnam art museum. Through this national exchange we are raising the level of the regional society.

Q: I feel the Changwon University students are blessed to have the Kyungnam art museum so close to them. Do you have any last comments?
GAMI: We need help placing the artwork for displays and commentators, but currently the volunteers are elderly women. I hope that the students of Changwon National University can attend. Even if you don’t know much about art, having sincerity is all that matters. We are willing to be flexible with the timing, and voonly need to come once a week.

Lee Hun,cub-reporter  pjh327s@naver.com

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