Gwangju City Culture and Arts Information 'At a Glance' Integrated Platform Officially Opened

Dear My Gwangju

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Gwangju Metropolitan City officially opened the Gwangju Culture and Arts Integrated Platform, ‘Dear My Gwangju (Chin-aehaneun Naui Gwangju),’ on the 8th, where various cultural and artistic information can be viewed at a glance and artists can interactively communicate.

The Gwangju Culture and Arts Integrated Platform ‘Dear My Gwangju’ carries the meaning of enabling citizens and artists to communicate through culture and to foster affection and pride for Gwangju.

Unlike existing public platforms, it was completed by forming a working group with citizens and artists from the planning stage. It is the first online cultural and artistic community-type model among local governments nationwide, where anyone can easily upload content, communicate directly with artists, and share and exchange various cultural and artistic information.

The platform was created as a solution to all these concerns at once: “Is there a place where I can see Gwangju’s cultural and artistic information at a glance? Is there a community where I can communicate with artists active in the region? Is there a place where I can directly promote my work?” It went through processes such as building a pilot model in April last year, temporary operation in May, and developing and refining the ‘Dear My Gwangju’ naming in December.

On ‘Dear My Gwangju,’ not only cultural and artistic information such as performances and exhibitions held in Gwangju can be found, but any citizen can enjoy cultural life, follow and communicate directly with artists, experience their creative activities, and even purchase artists’ works.

It is also a new-concept platform where artists can exchange information (collaborate) urgently requested by the local cultural and artistic community and obtain customized cultural job information.

The platform’s main feature, ‘Community,’ allows citizens and artists to interact, share various cultural life information, and view related cultural events and location information at a glance. Users can vividly access information about Gwangju artists, follow their favorite artists, and engage in two-way communication.

In the ‘Art Store,’ works by Gwangju artists are sold, and diverse works from Gwangju galleries and independent bookstores can be viewed and purchased online. Galleries and independent bookstores wishing to register on the Art Store can apply for approval by signing up, entering basic information, and attaching a business registration certificate.

In ‘Art Collabo,’ artists can propose cooperative projects, share and exchange practical information necessary for artistic activities such as item and space rentals, and public project information. In ‘Cultural Jobs,’ users can obtain customized job information for cultural sites according to desired work types and conditions.

Additionally, in ‘Cultural Issues,’ which introduces expert review content, users can easily access cultural columns, critiques, and related major news articles.

‘Dear My Gwangju’ is available to any citizen who registers as a member, and artists who have received an artist activity certificate can participate as artists.

When registering as an artist, users can freely share various information such as work details, daily life, and biographies with citizens by utilizing the portfolio function.

There are also abundant events held to commemorate the opening.

During the event period, simply signing up for ‘Dear My Gwangju’ enters members into a draw where 100 people will receive a voucher for one Americano. Uploading photos and comments about cultural life after joining enters 50 people into a draw to receive a 10,000 KRW cultural gift certificate. Among them, one person who receives the most ‘likes’ and ‘support comments’ will be awarded AirPods Pro.

The event period runs until the 21st, and winners will be announced on the platform on the 23rd. Various events will continue afterward to enhance communication and participation enjoyment among platform users.

It can also be experienced offline. In cooperation with Gwangju Shinsegae Department Store, from the 7th of next month, a promotional booth will operate in the first-floor department store lobby event hall, exhibiting and selling some of the works sold in the platform’s Art Store along with fun events.

Kim Junyoung, Director of the City’s Culture, Tourism, and Sports Office, said, “Until now, Gwangju artists lacked a one-stop window for self-promotion and mutual cooperation,” and added, “I hope that artists and citizens will have lively exchanges and communication on the AI and big data-based interactive platform ‘Dear My Gwangju.’”

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