"‘Ensuring No One Is Excluded from Art’ Leeum Museum of Art Hosts Special Viewing Event for People with Disabilities"

Over 120 Participants Including Disabled Persons, Families, and Volunteers from 7 Seoul Districts
"Promoting Various Measures to Enhance Viewing Accessibility and Lower Cultural Barriers"

Invitation event for people with disabilities at Leeum Museum of Art. Photo by Leeum Museum of Art

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] "There were so many new experiences, from ancient ceramics to augmented reality artworks, that I lost track of time."

The Leeum Museum of Art announced on the 18th that it invited over 120 people, including individuals with developmental disabilities, their families, and volunteers from disability family support centers in seven districts?Yongsan-gu, Dongdaemun-gu, Mapo-gu, Seodaemun-gu, Jongno-gu, Jung-gu, and Jungnang-gu?in Seoul, to attend a museum viewing event.

This second event saw participation from seven institutions with over 120 attendees, more than the four institutions that attended the event in April. Participants viewed the Leeum Museum’s first-ever special exhibition offering an overview of Asian society and art, "Cloud Walker," the permanent exhibition "Yeowoljihang: Park Youngsook Baekja," which explores the expansion possibilities of white porcelain through the traditional yet modern interpretation of ‘Moon Jar,’ and "Craft Now," showcasing the diverse expansion of traditional-based contemporary crafts. They also experienced the special project "Kaleidoscope Eyes," featuring augmented reality (AR) works by 16 renowned contemporary artists displayed throughout the museum.

The event was held on a Monday, the museum’s regular closed day, to allow attendees to enjoy the museum more comfortably and leisurely. To help participants better understand the exhibitions, Leeum’s senior researcher Jo Eunjeong introduced the main planned exhibitions, after which attendees freely explored the exhibitions using a ‘digital guide’ that automatically explains artworks based on the viewer’s location.

Attendees expressed their joy, saying, "We are happy to have a time to enjoy artworks in an ordinary daily life."

Leeum Museum of Art Invitation Event for Visitors with Disabilities. Photo by Leeum Museum of Art

The Leeum Museum of Art is actively pursuing various measures to provide practical support for people with disabilities to visit the museum, ensuring that no one is excluded from cultural and artistic experiences.

In May, the museum planned a specialized program for hearing-impaired students called "Beyond the Senses," operated in collaboration with Seoul Agricultural School and Seoul Samsung School. While conducting on-site museum experience programs for elementary school students, the program also included artist workshops with professional instructors for people with disabilities and contemporary artists for middle and high school students.

In August, to make it easier for hearing-impaired visitors to view and understand exhibitions, the museum produced ‘sign language interpretation videos’ for 15 representative pieces of ancient and contemporary art collections. These videos can be accessed via QR codes placed in front of the artworks on personal mobile phones. To allow enjoyment of the artworks anytime without visiting the museum, the videos are also available on the Leeum Museum’s website and YouTube channel.

In November, as part of the "Beyond the Senses" program, a program will be conducted for hearing-impaired elementary students to view the "Cloud Walker" exhibition and express it through movement, led by a children’s art instructor and choreographer. To facilitate smooth communication with participating students, sign language interpreters will be involved throughout the entire process to provide interpretation in sign language.

In December, to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3), the museum plans to hold an invitation event for people with disabilities, offering more opportunities to experience the museum. Currently, the Leeum Museum provides free admission benefits for people with disabilities and one accompanying person to special exhibitions at all times, enabling them to visit the museum without burden.

Ryu Moonhyung, CEO of the Samsung Foundation of Culture, stated, "The Leeum Museum of Art continuously improves accessibility for people with disabilities and pursues various measures such as specialized programs for them. Going forward, the Leeum Museum aims to become an ‘open museum for all,’ where anyone can freely visit and enjoy."

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