Jogakbo to promote the collection of family documents to preserve Korean American history
Seattle, Washington: KAHS is proud to introduce “Jogakbo”, created by local author-illustrator Julie Kim based on images from the KAHS collection. Julie’s artistic talent and these images produced the perfect piece to promote The Collective Memory of the Korean Community project. The goal of this project is to create a digital archive of documents like those in this artwork to tell the story of Koreans in America.
The digitization events will take place on September 8, 2018 from 10am to 4pm at the Federal Way Korean American Association (1500 S 336th St, Federal Way, WA 98003-6312) and on September 29, 2018 from 10am to 4pm at the United Presbyterian Church of Seattle (8506 238th St SW, Edmonds, WA 98026-8939).
To register, or for more information, please contact CollectiveMemory@KAHS.org
KAHS encourages people to bring their documents and artifacts to two events where we will scan documents and photographs and photograph 3D objects and then return the originals to the donors. The digitized images will contribute to a curricula of Korean American history in Washington State and be retained in our collection at The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience for future research.
Julie writes,
“When I was approached by KAHS, I felt that this was an important project for the Korean American community. I know that I treasure old photos that my parents have brought with them from Korea, and likewise, the photos of my early years may be valued by my children and grandchildren in the future.
Traditionally, jogakbo (Korean patchwork wrapping cloth) is made from leftover scraps of fabric that’s sewn together to create a beautiful wrapping cloth. These wrapping cloths held whatever that was valuable or needed storage. It was a perfect motif.
From the scraps and mementos of our varied lives, we sew together a visual story that holds our collective experience as Korean Americans. This is what KAHS is essentially trying to do – to collect and preserve our little stories, which together tells a larger narrative of what it is to be Korean Americans.”
Julie Kim is a children’s book illustrator who lives in Seattle with her husband and two children. She is a graduate of Rhode Island School Design and has illustrated several books and magazines. More recently, she has made her debut as an author/ illustrator with her picture book Where’s Halmoni? The book humorously touches on the theme of being part of two different cultures and what it means to navigate their familiar, and yet unfamiliar, terrains. It is inspired by her own experience as a Korean American learning to embrace the Korean heritage she inherited and the American culture that has shaped her.
We hope that you are as inspired by Julie’s artwork as we are! Click on the links below to download the beautiful posters and leaflets designed for us by graphic designer Jinhyeon (Michael) Song.
Collective Memory English Poster
Collective Memory Korean Poster
Collective Memory Bilingual Leaflet
The Collective Memory of the Korean Community project is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and is supported by The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience.
