The creative city of Gimhae will nurture the cultural industry based on
"Crafts and Folk arts" and move toward sustainable development.
Gimhae Workshop Village, located in Gwandong-dong in the western part of Gimhae started to form when craft companies started gathering in this part of Gimhae. The Village currently is comprised of some 40 craft companies, cafes and restaurants. This part of Gimhae had been gradually turning into a slum because of new city developments nearby and the residents and businesses leaving the area. And this was noticed by an artist who was looking for a village of culture, arts and crafts. The area had good transport links, was next to two parks, Yulhacheon Stream and Ballyongsan Mountain and it had vacant storefronts artists could occupy. So, in 2014, craft workshop Gama Waltz, collaborating with the residents and building owners, started an artist recruitment project. The empty commercial places were divided so that more crafts companies can come in, the village was cleaned and flowers were planted in empty lands all throughout the village. Village festival was held and craft market was opened every Tuesday. Free rentals of empty storefronts and free admissions to workshops attracted residents, artists and craftsmen. And this is how Gimhae Workshop Village was formed.
Gimhae Workshop Village is where traditional crafts and modern crafts coexist and it will strengthen its hands-on features and online video tour features. Also, it will contribute to the community by supporting children's Dream Support Group activities, free stamp tours and student exhibitions. Also, the Tuesday Craft Market which is the craft market for all the craft artists in Gimhae, will share the next 100 years with Gimhae Workshop Village.
Official Blog of Gimhae Workshop Village : https://m.blog.naver.com/koh8836
The citizens of Gimhae took initiative and started changing the rundown, old downtown area. The citizens fixed the old houses and turn them into craft workshops, cafes and restaurants and by word of mouth, more people started visiting the place.
And by integrating the urban regeneration project and promoting public-private cooperation, the city of Gimhae is trying to make Bonghwangdae-gil into a more lively space. With more craft workshops, craft co-ops, galleries, cafes and restaurants coming in, new forms of arts and culture are being introduced to Bonghwangdae-gil. Workshops and stores are being established in remodeled old buildings and we can see some new buildings as well. Bonghwangdae-gil is becoming a colorful street where the past and present coexist and is visited by younger generations.
Gimhae Cultural Foundation's Gimhae Cultural City Center also has launched a content development project to promote the value of the region and cultural industries and in this project, local artists created goods like cups and postcards under the theme of a street referred to as "Jangyugado" on Bonghwangdae-gil. Gimhae Cultural City Center also carried out a living tech project aimed at researching, developing and commercializing traditional handicraft techniques and in this project, memo holders modeled after the famous bathhouse and fortune teller's house and ceramic cups have been created. And the works from this project have been exhibited at a gallery run by a resident on Bonghwangdae-gil.
Welcome Residency was established in 2020 as part of the Gimhae Mugye-Dong Urban Regeneration New Deal Project and it is run by Gimhae Cultural Foundation's Gimhae Cultural City Center. Welcome Residency offers subsidies, residential spaces, workshops and support exhibitions for artists and, carries out various projects that promote artists and citizens' artistic and cultural exchange activities. Craft artists can participate in this project and communicate with the community through crafts.
※ Urban Regeneration New Deal Projects are government projects (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport) carried out to regenerate overall urban environment by improving physical environment and strengthening citizens' capabilities. The projects are selected through a competition and the communities take initiative in carrying out the projects.
