Ministry of Culture Invites Applications for "Dream Studio" Visual Arts Education Hubs for Children and Youth

Recruitment of 20 Regional Hub Institutions Until April 15

Annual Funding of 100 Million Won for Three Years,

Up to 50 Million Won for Years Four to Six

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on March 16 that, together with the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service, it will accept applications from 20 regional hub institutions nationwide to participate in "Dream Studio," a new initiative under the "Dream Arts Group" project, until April 15.

The Dream Arts Group is a program that has evolved the Venezuelan "El Sistema"—a free music education initiative for children and youth from low-income backgrounds—into a Korean-style arts and culture education model. The program began with the establishment of an orchestra in 2010 and has since expanded to include a dance troupe (2022) and a theater company (2024). Dream Studio is a newly introduced project under the Dream Arts Group, focusing on the visual arts.

Photos from the 2025 Dream Arts Troupe Joint Camp 'Dream Festival'. Photo by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

After a year-long pilot period, Dream Studio will transition to a full-scale program this year and be expanded nationwide. It will be operated in collaboration with artists’ studios or professional studios, supporting children as they grow into “artists” who can interpret and express the world themselves. The program offers comprehensive visual arts education across diverse media, including painting, sculpture, video, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Eligible applicants include public institutions and corporations or organizations such as regional cultural foundations and cultural infrastructure facilities that can operate the program on a mid- to long-term basis. Applicant institutions must secure dedicated visual arts spaces (such as studios or workspaces). They may also operate the program in partnership with private artists’ studios.

The 20 selected regional hub institutions will receive annual government funding of 100 million won each for up to three years, and up to 50 million won per year for the fourth and fifth years. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to help the program become firmly established in each region and will provide systematic growth management to enable local governments to independently operate the program from the sixth year onward.

Institutions wishing to participate in the Dream Studio program can apply online via “e-Naradoum” starting March 16. An online briefing session for organizations and groups interested in applying will be held at 2 p.m. on March 25. Detailed information is available on the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service website.

The Ministry also announced it will accept applications from March 26 to April 23 from 10 regional hub institutions seeking to participate in the pilot project “Dream Arts Group Plus,” which aims to provide a broader range of arts experiences beyond the existing category-based educational model. The Dream Arts Group Plus pilot project will expand the program’s foundations in orchestra to include new music fields such as Korean traditional music and choir, and will broaden the target participants from children and youth to include infants and families, offering even more diverse artistic experiences.

Public institutions, corporations, and organizations operating children and youth orchestras nationwide—including those currently serving as Dream Orchestra hubs—are eligible to apply. Selected institutions will receive project funding of approximately 100 million won each to operate new integrated programs combining orchestras with other art forms. Details regarding the application process will be available on the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service website starting March 26.

Lee Jeongmi, Director General for Cultural Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, “We aim to support our children and youth so they can experience high-quality art in their daily lives and grow up creatively and healthily through the Dream Studio and Dream Arts Group Plus programs. The Ministry will continue to help our children discover the joy of self-expression through art and will strive to create an environment where quality arts education is accessible everywhere in the country.”

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