The Once and Future Korea (Exhibition)

Exist Dates

1988 April 7 - 1988 September 25

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

Exhibition. Opened April 7, 1988 and closed September 25, 1988. Located on Floor in 2 in the Akeley Gallery at the American Museum of Natural History. The Once and Future Korea, an Arthur Ross Exhibit of the Month curated by Laurel Kendall of the Museum's Department of Anthropology, featured 80 sepia-toned photographs and artifacts from Korea at the turn of the twentieth century bracketed by color photographs and high-tech objects from Korea from the 1980s.

Summary

The Once and Future Korea, an Arthur Ross Exhibit of the Month curated by Laurel Kendall of the Museum's Department of Anthropology, featured 80 sepia-toned photographs and artifacts from Korea at the turn of the twentieth century bracketed by color photographs and high-tech objects from Korea from the 1980s. The early photographs were taken by Museum explorer Roy Chapman Andrews in rural Korea in 1912. The contrasting images traced the nation's transformation from a traditional peasant society to a world industrial power. The exhibition gallery was decorated to suggest the ambiance of a traditional Korean peasant house with sand-colored walls, wooden beams, baskets and tools, and garlic and red pepper hanging from the walls. Korean folk music was an audio feature (1, p. 3).

The exhibition, which coincided with the Summer Olympics in Seoul (1, p. 1), was supported by the Arthur Ross Foundation, the Korean Cultural Service, Daewoo International (America) Corp., Hyosung (America), Inc., Lucky Goldstar, Samsung America, Sangyong (U.S.A.), Inc., and Sunkyong International, Inc. The exhibition included photographs from the Museum Library and was installed by the Department of Exhibition and Graphics (1, p. 3; 2, p. 60, 62).

Highlights included objects from modern and traditional Korean culture (1, p. 1-2):

*A television set

*Computer graphics

*Color photograph of tall buildings, assembly lines, and athletes

*Neon signs

*An umbrella-shaped paper hat cover for a rainy day

*Talismans for good luck

*Fans

*Iron sticks and a wash paddle

*A wooden doll wearing a veil

*Roy Chapman Andrews' 1912 photographs including ferrymen poling a log boat across the Tumen River, an elderly man worshipping at a mountain shrine, and peddlers traveling along a footpath

This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.

Sources

(1) American Museum of Natural History. Press Release. "Exhibition on Korea to open at Museum in April." January 20, 1988. Departmental Records, DR 101. American Museum of Natural History Library.

(2) American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1987-1988.

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Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

American Museum of Natural History. Akeley Gallery.
Location of exhibition 1988 April 7 – 1988 September 25 (1, p. 1)

American Museum of Natural History. Department of Anthropology.
Related department (1, p. 2)

American Museum of Natural History. Department of Exhibition.
Installed exhibition (2, p. 60)

American Museum of Natural History. Department of Library Services.
Roy Chapman Andrews photographs in exhibition came from the Museum Library (2, p. 62)

Andrews, Roy Chapman 1884-1960
Took historic photographs used in exhibition (1, p. 1)

Arthur Ross Foundation
Sponsor of exhibition (1, p. 2)

Daewoo International (America) Corp.
Sponsor of exhibition (2, p. 89-90)

Hyosung (America), Inc.
Sponsor of exhibition (2, p. 89-90)

Kendall, Laurel
Curator of exhibition; assistant curator in the Museum's Department of Anthropology (1, p. 2)

Korean Cultural Service (New York, N.Y.)
Sponsor of exhibition (1, p. 2)

Lŏkk'i Kŭmsŏng (Firm : Korea)
Sponsor of exhibition; referred to as Lucky Star in Museum documentation (2, p. 89-90)

Samsung Telecommunications America
Sponsor of exhibition (2, p. 89-90)

Sangyong (U.S.A.), Inc.
Sponsor of exhibition (2, p. 89-90)

Related Resources

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1987-1988: 5, 39, 60, 71, 75-76, 78.

American Museum of Natural History annual reports, 1902-2001.
"Department of Anthropology Annual Archival Report July 1, 1987-June 30, 1988.": 15 [1988].

American Museum of Natural History photographic drawers
Repository: AMNH Special Collections [Black and white contact sheets of exhibition on view]

American Museum of Natural History press releases, 1933-1990s.
"Exhibition on Korea to open at Museum in April." January 20, 1988; "Media Advisory: Press Preview—Korea Exhibition." March 15, 1988; "Museum Programs & Exhibitions, April 1988." February 19, 1988.; "Museum Programs & Exhibitions, June 1988." April 14, 1988. .

American Museum of Natural History vertical files
Repository: AMNH Special Collections [Exhibition brochures, photocopy of page from 1987-1988 Museum Annual Report, exhibition working outline]

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