Women’s News | [2017 Gender Equality Culture Awards Ceremony] Women in Culture and the Arts Paint a Picture of Gender Equality Through Culture

The Gender Equality Culture Awards Mark Their 10th Year

As the 'Feminism Reboot' Raises Interest in Women's Issues

Women in Culture and the Arts Stand Out

Gender Equality Culture Figure Award to Director Han Tae-sook

Gender Equality Culture Content Award to 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982'

Cheonggang Culture Award to Performing Arts Group Mut

Special Culture and Arts Award (Eulju Award) to Women's Cultural Arts Group Munhwagihoekdal

10 Winners of the Rising Women in Culture Award

[Photo: Winners gather together after the '2017 Gender Equality Culture Awards' ceremony, held on the afternoon of the 20th at the Korea Press Center International Conference Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul. © Lee Jeong-sil, Women's News photojournalist]

An occasion was arranged to encourage cultural and artistic figures who have contributed to spreading gender equality through culture. Now in its 10th year, the 'Gender Equality Culture Award of the Year' saw livelier enthusiasm than ever amid the era of the feminism reboot.

The '2017 Gender Equality Culture Awards' ceremony was held on the afternoon of the 20th at the Korea Press Center International Conference Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul. The awards ceremony is an occasion to support and encourage figures working for gender equality in culture across various fields. It is hosted and organized by the Women's Culture Network (President Park Hye-ran) and the Women's News (President Kim Hyo-sun), with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Do Jong-hwan). The Gender Equality Culture Award is an expanded version of the 'Woman of Culture Award of the Year,' established in 2008; the name was changed in 2015 when the Framework Act on Women's Development was revised into the Framework Act on Gender Equality, reflecting the need for policies to realize gender equality.

[Photo: Marking the 10th anniversary of the Gender Equality Culture Award, this year's ceremony was also graced by past winners. © Lee Jeong-sil, Women's News photojournalist]

Marking the 10th anniversary of the Gender Equality Culture Award, this year's ceremony was graced by past winners including Han Bok-ryeo, director of the Royal Cuisine Research Institute; Park Young-sook, director of Trunk Gallery; Kang Mi-sa, CEO of Able Music Group; underwater photographer Y-Jean; EBS reporter Lee Yoon-nyeong; Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung; violinist Song Won-jin; pianist Song Se-jin; Park Kyung-ju, director of Salad Theater Company; actor Ronald Mateo; and Kim Su-jeong, director of the Korea Adoptee Children's Choir.

The Gender Equality Culture Figure Award of the Year, which comes with a citation from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, went to director Han Tae-sook. Making her directorial debut in 1977 with the play 'The Dutchman,' director Han has gone on to stage a wide range of works, including 'Hanako,' which depicts the stories of Japanese military 'comfort women' victims, the Andersen-based children's play 'Mother's Story,' and the changgeuk (Korean opera) productions 'The Story of Chang-hwa and Hong-ryeon' and 'Lady Macbeth.' Over some 30 years of passionate directing, she has contributed to the development of culture and the arts, and to the spread of gender-equal culture through her stage direction of works dealing with women's social issues.

In her acceptance remarks, director Han said, "This trophy feels as heavy as the prize money. Honestly, I only know the stage. So when I heard the news that I'd won, I wondered, 'Have I really done anything worthy of an award?'" She added, however, "Today, this venue felt more vibrant with energy than any awards ceremony I've attended, and that was wonderful."

The Gender Equality Culture Content Award of the Year went to the novel 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982,' recognized for portraying the unequal realities women face and contributing to the spread of gender-equal culture. Author Cho Nam-joo, in unflinching, sharply observed prose, depicted the everyday gender discrimination that any modern woman might experience -- marriage, employment, the career break, and the burden of solo childcare -- striking a strong social chord.

In her acceptance remarks, Cho said, "I heard that last year's Gender Equality Culture Content Award went to an EBS documentary about women returning to work after a career break. My novel is the story of a woman facing that very career break. So when I heard I would receive this award, I wondered, 'Is this really something to be happy about?'" She added, "Going forward, I hope we move past stories of women's career breaks, and that what comes next also gets recognized with awards," and said, "I'm delighted to have met so many wonderful women today."

The Cheonghyeon Culture Foundation-sponsored Cheonggang Culture Award went to the performing arts group Mut. Mut has contributed to the development of cultural industry content by broadening the scope of the performing arts through collaboration between choreographers and architects. It is led primarily by choreographer Cho Hyung-jun and architect Son Min-seon.

Architect Son Min-seon, who attended the ceremony, said in her acceptance remarks, "Architecture and space intersect at many points in that both deal with space and people. We will keep working to find new ways to meet audiences going forward."

The Special Culture and Arts Award (Eulju Award) went to the women's cultural arts group Munhwagihoekdal. Active at the foot of Jirisan Mountain, Munhwagihoekdal has made a name for itself with the quarterly magazine 'Jigeulsu' ('Women Writing in Jiri Mountain'). It was recognized for its contribution to enabling women to transform their local communities as active agents through cultural and artistic activity, and for expanding women's culture.

Jeong Sang-sun, director of Munhwagihoekdal, said, "We are based in Samhwa-gil, Sannae-myeon, Namwon City. Many of us, including myself, have moved to this area from elsewhere, both farming and non-farming migrants, and we find ourselves navigating a boundary between longtime residents and newcomers. Women's lives here, in particular, are far from easy." She continued, "We've been active for four years in order to say, 'women live here too.'" Director Jeong added, "(While running our organization) we've heard a lot of things -- comments like 'why are you women doing this among yourselves?' or 'we came down to this village to live peacefully, why are you stirring up trouble?'" She emphasized, "Our goal is to break the kind of peace built on someone else's sacrifice, and to listen to voices that have never been heard before, however quiet." She closed by saying, "We will work even harder and with more enjoyment, for a local community in which women become part of the solution."

This year's Rising Women in Culture Award went to 10 cultural and artistic figures across fields including exhibition curation, music, visual art, and fine art.

The honorees include: curator Kang Myung-soon (CEO of Art Jeju), recognized for developing Jeju into an internationally renowned art-tourism destination through creative, outstanding exhibition curation; rapper Slee (Kim Ryeong-hwa), who has contributed to raising younger generations' awareness of women's rights and popularizing women's culture through popular music; visual artist Bomroya (Kim Eun-jin), a feminist artist who has contributed to raising awareness of women's issues by expressing the discrimination women face through visual art; fine artist Kim Hyung-hee, who has contributed to realizing a happy, inclusive society by encouraging the artistic activities of people with disabilities and fostering collaboration between people with and without disabilities; installation artist Park Yun-ju, who has contributed to advancing the rights of minorities through diverse visual art activities; violinist Yang Yoon-jung, who has contributed to raising the status and pride of Korean women musicians by showcasing the strength of Korean musicians on the world stage; content planner Yoon Seo-won, who has led new creative cultural trends by producing cultural content that draws on local cultural resources; calligrapher Lee Eun-hee (CEO of Deulkkot Calligraphy), who has helped people with disabilities enter society and laid groundwork for their cultural and artistic activities; performance artist Jeong Hye-yoon, who has contributed to cultural communication by raising awareness of the importance of cultural and artistic activity through street art and public art projects; and fine artist Han Hye-jeon, who has opened new possibilities in the arts by building a creative body of work that combines fiber art and painting.

Park Hye-ran, president of the Women's Culture Network, said, "As if to prove the rising social interest and passion for feminism this year, we received entries showcasing the achievements of people active across a wide range of fields," adding, "The spread of gender-equal culture can begin not from ten or a hundred words, but from the ripple effect held within a single creative work. We hope the Gender Equality Culture Award continues to be a warm encouragement to cultural figures cultivating cultural resources everywhere."

Kim Hyo-sun, president of Women's News, said in her congratulatory remarks, "There are many talented women in culture and the arts, but too often they run into the walls of reality and are unable to fully display their abilities, which is unfortunate. If women in culture and the arts could fully realize their talents, our society would become far richer and more wonderful," and added, "It is said that the level of a society is determined by the level of its culture. I hope that artists' dreams come true, and that through that, more exciting things happen in this world."

The event was attended by Lee Woo-seong, Director-General for Cultural and Arts Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Park Young-cheol, Vice President of Chungkang College of Cultural Industries; Ko Ae-ran, Professor of Clothing and Textiles at Yonsei University's College of Human Ecology; Seo Eun-kyung, Senior Researcher at Yonsei University's Graduate School of Human Environmental Sciences; Kim Hye-sook, Director of the National Gugak Center; Shin Jong-ho, Chairman of the Korea Disability Arts and Culture Center; Han Bok-ryeo, director of the Royal Cuisine Research Institute and a 2015 award recipient; Jin Geum-ok, President of the Jeju Korea-US Montessori Association; Lee Su-yeon, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Gender Equality and Society Studies, Korean Women's Development Institute; Park Seo-kyung, Chair of the Ilkyung Scholarship Foundation; Lee Sang-mun, Vice President of the Incheon Metropolitan City Sports Council for the Disabled; Cha Mun-kyung, Director of the Women's Culture Network; Yoon Jeong-yeon, Secretary-General of the TMP Alumni Association; and film critic Kwak Young-jin, among others.

Issue No. 1462 [Culture] (2017-10-20)

By reporter Kang Pu-reum, Women's News (purm@womennews.co.kr)

Written by — Reporter Kang Pu-reum (Women's News)