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Hub City of Asian Culture, Gwangju

The Hub City of Asian Culture Project, Gwangju has been putting forward as a scheme at the national policy level since March, 2004 when Presidential Committee for Culture Cities and Executive Agency for the Hub City of Asian Culture under Ministry of Culture and Tourism was inaugurated. This is the first state-initiated culture project and   new balanced national development model with arts and culture in the post-industrial era to overcome the problems such as urban sprawl, environmental degradation by the rapid industrial growth policy. With the Value of the “Neo‐Humanic City and Digital Nomad, etc”,  this project has been promoting the vision to make Gwangju “City of Asian Arts and Peace, City of Asian Cultural Exchange, City of Future with a  Culture‐Based Economy.”

Main missions of this project is to progressively realize construction of the Asian Culture Complex(ACC), formation and networking of Seven Culture Zones and virtual ubiquitous city, supporting arts and five major cultural content industries, developing human resources and cultural exchange functions under the enactment of the City of Asian Culture Special Law till year 2023.

The City of Gwangju is one of the six important metropolitan cities in Korea, especially well known for its cultural heritage and justice, shares them with other Asian cities of similar historical context.  The city already has successful international arts scenes such as the Gwangju Biennale, which has been attracts both local and international audiences and other regional festivals, Jeong Youlseng music festival, etc.

Powerhouse of Asian Culture,  Asian Culture Complex

The Asian Culture Complex(ACC) is a core facility to connect Asian cultural imagination and high technology, to function as a hub of Asian culture. In addition, it will become a cultural headquarter for interchange, creation, research and education which is the main functions of ACC. The ACC, built in Gwangju in 2012, is composed of 5 agencies such as Cultural Exchange Agency, Asian Culture Information Agency, Cultural Promotion Agency, Asian Arts Theatre, Edu‐Culture Agency for Children.

In line with this, we get underway doing lots of projects such as operation organizing project encompassing development of infrastructure, various pilot projects and open call for naming the ACC before inauguration.  ACC will become a powerhouse to generate new cultures by converging, leaping together based on the above main functions within the ACC, with Seven Culture Zones in Gwangju and Asian & Pacific countries.  Six huge open spaces like Asian Culture Plaza and squares in ACC would work as the festival and park ground for citizens and visitors as well.

Eye of the ‘Wholeness = Arts’ ,  Asian Arts Theatre

The Asian Arts Theatre is the omni‐directional stronghold of performing arts on Asian foundation, is the concentration & widening stronghold of the Asian style centering performing arts circulation, is the program portfolio and the first space making ACC the differentiated beauty spot.

The Asian Arts Theatre has 2 spaces such as Grand Performance Hall and Multi‐Functional Auditorium taking charge of the core function to enrich the lives of the culture‐loving public and encouraging new dimensions of creativity.

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• 300‐2,000 seat hybrid theater divided into multi‐spaces with cutting‐edge technology allowing simultaneous performances in each hall


• Claiming the need for incubation and experimentalism for new style of arts and collaboration program as well as delivering masterpieces


• A power plant experimenting and producing ‘Asia’s Aesthetic Value”


• "Factory Shop" where production, performance, and distribution of performing arts take place year‐round, opens the performing work origination process to the public


• Keeping a close partnerships with domestic & foreign performing halls & festivals

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• A 550‐seat multi‐functional lyric theater with a proscenium stage, accommodating most of the existing genres


• The rehearsal and showcase room for experts and closely linking with arts education programs for citizen artist


• A space for various exchange & academic events held at the ACC

Asian Arts theatre performing program has 3 patterns of ‘Asian prototype finding, Asian promise finding, and the new style creation.’

[caption id="attachment_2343" align="alignnone" width="350" caption=" Artists Workshop of Little Asia Creator’s Meeting in 2006"][/caption]

The Mission of the Asian Arts Theatre

1. Asian Arts Theatre’s Organizing Project

• Formulation of the operational/management body of Asian Arts Theatre


• Research & DB establishment on the relatives of Asian performing arts


• Space program Development and Facility Construction

2. Network and International Collaboration of Asian Performing Arts

• Research & study on the co‐production of Asian performing arts


• Performing arts co‐production and collaboration program


• Residency Program for Asian Performing Arts


• Asian Performing Arts Forum

3. Asian Arts Theatre’s Promotion Programs.

• Asian Promise Finding - Asian Arts Theatre’s Mega Brand Project


• Multi‐form and Interdisciplinary Arts Creation and Asian Prototype Finding


• Artist Arts Group Promotion Consulting Program


• Stage Tour, Arts‐Education, Outreach and Community Program, etc.

Joining Asian Hands in Culture as the World Awaits Us

A Culture city where people take the initiative

Culture is the central axis of communication that connects person to person.  In order to create an image of a true culture city, it is vital to develop and enlarge the human resources pool. The Hub City of Asian Culture aims to realize “cultural governance” so that experts and personnel seasoned in culture-related planning, education, and content development across a wide spectrum of genres can be trained in project units, while the public can be educated to appreciate the pluralistic cultures of Asia with an open attitude.

Hub of Asian Culture : a cultural city open to the world

In order to function effectively as a hub in communicating with and interconnecting the diverse culture of Asia, instrumental is an active cultural exchange program on an international scale. The Hub City of Asian Culture will encourage human, arts and culture-related organizations, and artists. The Hub City will also work to enhance its own status in the global community by means of exchanges through multiple channels with international bodies, national government, and organizations of various states, i.e.  ASEF and its upcoming project, culture 360.  In terms of the co-production, collaboration of Asian cultures and arts, any countries and organizations which join this project would get win-win policy, the short way to get to the goal, especially in the field of marketing and benefit much more than they thought it would be.  As seeds are to flowers, cultural exchange is to the future of You and Asia.

The Websites Related

• Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Korea


• Government of Gwangju Metropolitan City


• The Office for the Hub City of Asian Culture, MCST Korea


• Korea Arts Management Service


• Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS)


• The Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF)

Contact
Aye-Shil, Jeon (Senior Officer)
lovefruit (at) mcst.go.kr
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Office for the Hub‐City of Asian Culture