‘Hangul’ Art by U.S. High School Students Learning Korean to Be Exhibited at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

24 artworks by high school students in local Korean classes and weekend Korean language schools
Expressing the theme "Hangul Beyond Boundaries"

Artwork featuring Hangul, created by U.S. high school students studying Korean, will be exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

An artwork titled “Core Piece,” drawn by Foothill High School student Anastasia Kolchina. “Building on Korean cultural elements I already knew, I did additional research and learned about Korea’s iconic landmarks, historical works of art, and traditional sports. Through this project, I was able to better understand the diversity and depth of Korean culture,” she said. Ministry of Education.

On November 11, the Ministry of Education announced that 24 artworks by high school students enrolled in Korean classes at local schools and weekend Korean language schools will be exhibited in a public space at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in California from November 12 through April 20, 2027.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art was the first modern art museum in the western United States and is one of the largest modern art museums in the country.

The exhibition, a new effort to combine Korean language education with arts education, was organized in collaboration between the Korean Education Center in San Francisco, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Education, and the museum. The participating students are local high school students studying Korean, rather than art majors. Under the theme “Hangul Beyond Boundaries,” they expressed Hangul and Korean culture from their own perspectives, exploring Hangul as a medium for creative expression rather than simply a writing system.

Anastasia Kolchina, a student at Foothill High School, is participating with a work titled “Core Piece,” in which she uses puzzle pieces to represent elements related to Hangul and convey its diversity. Christina Kim, a student at Lowell High School, depicts her experience sharing Korean food with friends and introducing them to Korean culture in her work “Connected Through Korean Cuisine.”

A piece titled "Connected Through Korean Cuisine" by Lowell High School student Christina Kim. It depicts her experience introducing Korean culture by sharing Korean food with her friends. Ministry of Education.

Videos in which students introduce their own works and explain their creative process will be screened in the exhibition space alongside their artworks.

The exhibition will also highlight the role of the Korean Education Center in San Francisco in supporting Korean language and culture education at local schools in the United States.

Since 1999, the Ministry of Education has supported Korean language classes in U.S. public schools and expanded the foundation for Korean language education. As a result, the number of U.S. schools offering Korean classes increased by more than 70% over the past 10 years, from 155 schools with approximately 14,000 students in 2016 to 267 schools with approximately 26,000 students in 2026.

In particular, thanks to the Korean Education Center in San Francisco’s active promotion of Korean language education this year, one after-school class was established at each of William Smith High School and Forge Christian High School in Colorado, marking the launch of the state’s first Korean language classes.

Lee Nanyeong, Director General for International Education Planning at the Ministry of Education, said, “This exhibition is a meaningful example of an interdisciplinary approach that combines Korean language learning with artistic creation. We will continue to provide students with opportunities to learn in diverse ways by connecting Korean language education with other fields of study.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.