Ko-Am community celebrates cultural art exhibit

Residents stopping by the Daleville Cultural and Convention Center to pay their water bills or visit the Chamber of Commerce will notice a new addition to the foyer’s walls. Members of the Korean American Association of South Alabama (Ko-Am) announced the opening of a new art exhibit and cultural display during a June 26 gathering. A display of traditional Mooninhwa art, as well as several cultural items and figurines, now adorn the Center’s walls.

Mayor Claudia Wigglesworth said the Korean community was the first group to accept the City’s invitation to local civic organizations to set up cultural displays in the Center’s showcases. 

“We are really thrilled that the Korean American community was the first to get their showcase updated, but we also love the artwork and think it is very reflective of the Korean culture,” Wigglesworth said.

Lydia Barnes, Ko-Am president, said the group was thankful for the chance to publicly display items important to their culture.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you Mayor Wigglesworth for opening up your beautiful building for us to display items of our culture,” Barnes said. “You have and continue to be so supportive to our cause, and we very much owe you and your staff a debt of gratitude.”

The Ko-Am was established in 1982 with the election of its first president, Jang Yoon Park. In 1984, it acquired its first meeting hall, located on Donnell Blvd. Barnes was elected last December for a two-year term as the eighteenth president.

The association is part of a larger federation located in Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina and Alabama. The group works to provide a forum for interaction with the community, provide support for its members and foster and promote business relationships within the community.

The Ko-Am also serves as the classroom for the Korean Art Club, which meets every third Saturday of the month for lessons in the Mooninhwa style of painting taught by Atlanta-based master painter Hak Hee Baek.

Barnes said Mooninhwa art was originally painted by noble Koreans as a way to discipline and train the mind. The non-realistic art form is characterized by strokes of ink and watercolors that convey the artist’s inner mind and impression of nature.

In addition to the exhibit of Mooninhwa artwork, the Ko-Am has also displayed several cultural pieces on the shelves of the Center’s display cases. The items are examples of typical Korean crafts, such as figures of wooden ducks, a bride and groom, a farmer couple and other items relating to Korean history, such as the “Turtle Ship" that helped the country win battles.

Barnes said the artwork and cultural items represent themes and values important to Koreans, including peace and harmony, hard work, good food, traditions and a closeness to nature.

Barnes said she hoped the art exhibit and display would serve as an invitation to community members to learn more about Korean culture.

“This display will enable us to provide an ongoing invitation to get to know us and inform the public of our existence and contribution to our community, as well as further our understanding and relationships with our fellow citizens of the Wiregrass,” she said.