I have one more big announcement for 2021. Some of my work has been purchased by the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum for their permanent collection. This is for a research project titled "Asian-American Foodways in the DC Area." The project focuses on Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese food cultures in and around Washington DC. The museum is collecting artifacts, documents, and histories from local restaurants, home cooks, and producers of foodwares such as myself.
My work was sought due to the strong influence of my Korean heritage in my foodware designs. And that I tend to adapt traditional forms to make them accessible for use on western tables. Being a lifelong resident of this area also plays a big role in my design choices.
The items they purchased include an Ahjoshi Hanbok canister, which is an abstracted anthropomorphic representation of a Korean gentleman's traditional garment. Plus a stack of kimchi dishes with a modern hexagonal design, a bowl that incorporates chopstick rests on its rim, and two serving platters that are love notes to my home state of Maryland.
These pieces will be catalogued and made available for researchers (and anyone else who is interested) to access online, within the next year. Along with an audio recording of me being interviewed about my work history.
This acquisition has been in the works since last spring. It has been an exciting process and I feel incredibly honored.
My work was sought due to the strong influence of my Korean heritage in my foodware designs. And that I tend to adapt traditional forms to make them accessible for use on western tables. Being a lifelong resident of this area also plays a big role in my design choices.
The items they purchased include an Ahjoshi Hanbok canister, which is an abstracted anthropomorphic representation of a Korean gentleman's traditional garment. Plus a stack of kimchi dishes with a modern hexagonal design, a bowl that incorporates chopstick rests on its rim, and two serving platters that are love notes to my home state of Maryland.
These pieces will be catalogued and made available for researchers (and anyone else who is interested) to access online, within the next year. Along with an audio recording of me being interviewed about my work history.
This acquisition has been in the works since last spring. It has been an exciting process and I feel incredibly honored.