From the Gangjin Shinmun.
On May 9th the Smithsonian displayed some examples of celadon pottery from Gangjin county as part of the 22nd Annual Asian Arts and Crafts Festival. The Smithsonian exhibition and subsequent tour are to mark the one-year anniversary of the opening of the Smithsonian's Korea Gallery. You can find a Korean-language article with lots of pictures from yesterday's Gangjin Shinmun. Here's an excerpt from a write-up by the Korean Embassy in D.C.:
Gangjin celadon porcelain, a national treasure of Korea, is world famous for its transcendent beauty. During the Goryeo era in Korea, (918-1382 AD) approximately 80% of the celadon ceramic objects produced were made in royal kilns located in Gangjin City. Today, the ceramic artists of Gangjin continue to use centuries-old technique of firing vessels with glazes containing traces of iron ore to produce the unique greenish and grayish colors that, while remaining true to the ancient techniques, appeal to the aesthetic values and sensibilities of today’s ceramic enthusiasts. Gangjin City has held a number of successful Goryeo Celadon Exhibitions, including the main office of the Unesco in Paris, as well as a six-city tour of Japan in 2007.
The article goes on to talk with an official from Gangjin who, as is the habit of Gangjin officials, invoked "thousand year legacy of this mysteriously beautiful ceramic art form" to describe the pottery, which reminds me of an uncharacteristically witty comment from my former co-teacher: "Why do they call it mysterious? We know how to make it."
The Smithsonian exhibit marked the start of a 65-day US tour of these pieces which will include stops in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, and Los Angeles. They are currently on display at the Embassy's KORUS House through May 16th. The KORUS House is, in case you weren't paying attention, "a hub for new Korean-American intellectual network" according to Korea.net. The latter half of the article would go on to contradict the idea of an intellectual network, though. An excerpt:
Pointing out that Japan's territorial claim to Dokdo reiterates the anti-human nature of its colonialist past, [Minister of the ROK Government Information Agency Kim Chang-ho] said it imposes a fundamental challenge to the universal values based on humanism.
Well, looks like this 6-city, 65-day tour will mean that Gangjin's pottery will get more exposure and sell more tickets than all those Korean pop singers who tried, and failed, to crossover (*cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*). I must admit, there are few things I find more boring than pottery. Incidentally, why are all my hits today coming from people searching for Wonder Girls pictures? Eww. Go read my KT article instead.
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