"Ceramic and Craft Culture Enjoyed Everywhere in Gyeonggi"… Korea Ceramic Foundation Launches Culture Expansion Project

The Korea Ceramic Foundation is launching the "2026 Saeng·Saeng (Ja-saeng, Sang-saeng) Ceramic and Craft Culture Expansion" project to spread ceramic and craft culture throughout Gyeonggi Province.

Visiting Ceramic Culture Festival. Provided by Korea Ceramic Foundation

This initiative aims to expand cultural enjoyment opportunities for residents by supporting participatory cultural content planned independently by ceramic and craft artists, and to spread ceramic and craft culture to culturally marginalized groups and underserved regions.

The project consists of ▲ Support for Fostering Ceramic Culture Festivals in Gyeonggi Province ▲ Gyeonggi Craft Week ▲ Visiting Ceramic and Craft Culture Sharing.

The "Support for Fostering Ceramic Culture Festivals" program provides support for participatory ceramic culture programs linked to local festivals in 28 cities and counties across Gyeonggi Province, as well as for independent ceramic culture festivals led by ceramic organizations. The focus is on expanding resident participation and hands-on, experience-based programs.

"Craft Week" is a project where ceramic and craft artists independently plan craft cultural content closely connected to daily life and operate it in conjunction with local festivals. The goal is to establish a sustainable craft cultural ecosystem that connects residents, communities, and craft artists.

"Visiting Ceramic and Craft Culture Sharing" is a program that provides ceramic craft experiences and educational opportunities for culturally marginalized groups and underserved regions, with a focus on enhancing cultural accessibility across Gyeonggi Province. This year, it will be operated in connection with the promotion of the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale, aiming to bridge the cultural gap among residents and establish a virtuous cycle of cultural welfare.

In particular, the project will move beyond the traditional institution-centered approach, implementing the values of "Ja-saeng" (self-sustaining) and "Sang-saeng" (mutual prosperity) in the field, with ceramic and craft artists producing and sharing culture directly with residents.

The foundation will hold a unified open call for this project until May 25, selecting around 38 ceramic and craft organizations for funding, with a total budget of 350 million won to support part of the operating costs for local festivals and cultural events.

Eligible applicants are ceramic and craft organizations with five or more members based in Gyeonggi Province or organizations registered under the Korea Ceramic Foundation's ceramist registration system. Selected organizations must cover at least 20% of the project costs themselves. However, regions specialized in ceramics such as Icheon, Gwangju, and Yeoju are excluded.

Applications must be submitted via email, and after a document review and presentation evaluation, the final selection results will be announced in June.

For more details regarding the support programs and application process, please visit the Korea Ceramic Foundation website or contact the Culture Expansion Team.

Ryu Inkwon, CEO of the Korea Ceramic Foundation, stated, "The core of this project is to ensure that all residents of Gyeonggi Province can enjoy the everyday value that ceramic and craft culture provides. We hope that content created independently by ceramic and craft artists will spread throughout the region."

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