Special Exhibition Celebrating the University’s 120th Anniversarys
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2026-05-04
To commemorate the 120th anniversary of its founding, Sookmyung Women's University will hold a large-scale special exhibition that revisits the Korean Empire’s spirit of “nation-building through education” and highlights artistic values that connect tradition and modernity.
The exhibition will welcome visitors across three venues on the Sookmyung campus — the Sookmyung Women's University Museum, the Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, and the Moonshin Art Museum — each presenting a different theme. The opening ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 7, at 3:00 p.m. in the museum lobby on Basement Level 1 of Renaissance Plaza at Sookmyung Women’s University in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
The Sookmyung Women’s University Museum will present the special exhibition “The Future Dreamed of by the Korean Empire” from May 7 through December 30 as part of the university’s 120th anniversary celebration.
This exhibition spotlights Myungsin Girls’ School, the predecessor of Sookmyung Women’s University and one of Korea’s earliest institutions for modern women’s education, founded by the Korean Empire’s Queen Sunheon under the educational philosophy championed by Emperor Gojong in 1906. The exhibition will feature artifacts and photographs from the imperial household of the Korean Empire, archival materials related to the university’s founding, and historical materials connected to Sookmyung Women’s College, all drawn from the museum’s collection, in order to share the university’s identity and historical significance.
In particular, the exhibition was jointly organized with the Association for King Uichin Memorial Projects, established by descendants of Emperor Gojong, and the Daegu National Museum, adding greater expertise and depth to the project.
The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum will host the special exhibition ‘Connection–Expansion’ from May 4 through December 30 as part of the 2026 K-Museum Regional Touring Exhibition and Tour Support Program.
Centered on 19th-century American quilts and East Asian jogakbo patchwork cloths, the exhibition explores the techniques and social meanings of textile art in both Eastern and Western traditions. It will showcase a wide range of works, from traditional textile artifacts embodying the values of frugality and communal sharing to contemporary reinterpretations created by modern artists.
The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum stated, “This exhibition will serve as a meaningful venue for exchange, demonstrating how textile arts born in different times and spaces have been preserved and expanded into the present day,” adding, “Visitors will experience the essence of textile art, where practical everyday function meets artistic beauty.”
This special exhibition is supported through the “2026 K-Museum Regional Touring Exhibition and Tour Support Program,” jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Museum Association.
Meanwhile, the Moonshin Art Museum will present the 120th anniversary special exhibition ‘The House of Sculpture’ from May 4 through October 14.
This exhibition sheds light on the entire process behind world-renowned sculptor Moon Shin’s artistic project of “museum architecture.” Beyond simply documenting the act of constructing a building, the exhibition traces Moon Shin’s artistic world, in which space itself was conceived as a work of art. Through archival materials related to the museum personally designed and refined by the sculptor, visitors can gain insight into his unique perspective of architecture as an extension of sculpture, as well as his uncompromising artistic spirit.
Further information about the special exhibitions commemorating Sookmyung’s 120th anniversary can be found on the official website of the Sookmyung Women’s University Museum.
<Sookmyung 120th Anniversary Special Exhibitions>
Exhibition Title | Exhibition Period | Venue |
The Future Dreamed of by the Korean Empire | May 7 – Dec. 30 | Sookmyung Women's University Museum |
Connection–Expansion | May 4 – Dec. 30 | Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum |
The House of Sculpture | May 4 – Oct. 14 | Moonshin Art Museum |
*Opening Ceremony: Thursday, May 7, 2026, 3:00 p.m., Museum Lobby (B1), Renaissance Plaza, Sookmyung Women’s University
*Visiting Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Closed on weekends, public holidays, and the university’s founding anniversary on May 22)
(Inquiries: Sookmyung Women’s University Museum (+82-2-710-9134, smmuseum@sm.ac.kr)