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IKS Lecture: Sooa Im McCormick, "Gender and Socio-Economic Diversity in Korean Embroidery of the Joseon Period (1392-1910)"

Image of embroidered Korean clothing
Wed, November 18, 2020
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Online (Registration Required)

The Institute for Korean Studies presents:

Sooa Im McCormick
Cleveland Museum of Art

"Gender and Socio-Economic Diversity in Korean Embroidery of the Joseon Period (1392-1910)"

Flyer: Sooa Im McCormick Flyer [PDF]

Abstract: In the Korean Peninsula, embroidery arts flourished as commodities of luxury for ruling elites as well as sacred objects in Buddhist religious practices since the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BC−AD 668). Yet, most surviving examples are dated to the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), a period where the division between men and women, as well as their corresponding jobs, Korean embroidery arts have been discussed conventionally as the product of women’s leisure activity. Furthermore, the distinctive aesthetic elements and artistic expressions of embroidery art from this period have been simply considered “folkcraft,” in contrast with fine or high art. This presentation explores the issues of gender and socio-economic diversity and complexity within the tradition of Korean embroidery by debunking some of existing misconceptions in the current state of the field. The exhibition ‘Gold Needles: Embroidery Arts from Korea,’ which I have curated at the Cleveland Museum of Art (from 8 March to 26 July 2020) will serve as a case study to examine the limits of the current scholarship and to build new contextual trajectories for Korean embroidery arts.