In October, the National Museum of Asian Art celebrated Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving Day, one of the biggest holidays in Korea, and traditionally a celebration of the mid-autumn harvest marked by the lunar calendar. This was one of the largest Korean cultural programs the museum has presented to date, and our partnerships with both the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C., and Onjium in Korea’s capital city, Seoul, connected it even more closely to the country.
On a personal level, celebrating Chuseok at the Smithsonian was incredibly meaningful. As a Korean American adoptee, I’ve spent much of my adult life craving greater connection to and understanding of my own culture and heritage. My story isn’t unique. Diasporic Koreans understand and practice the traditions of our homeland to various degrees and in various ways, frequently reinventing those traditions in a Korean American context.
The diversity of the Korean American experience was evident during the museum’s Chuseok Festival. Seeing parents take photos of their children wearing traditional Korean hanbok (clothing) in front of the modern charye table display and explaining this ritual feast prepared in honor of a family’s ancestors. Listening to Korean American artists speak about retaining identity during ongoing hallyu, waves of Korean culture abroad. Dancing a traditional Ganggangsullae, an ancient Korean harvest dance, on the steps of the museum’s Freer Gallery of Art. Simultaneously presenting galleries of traditional Korean ceramics and opening Park Chan-kyong: Gathering, a multimedia exhibition of a contemporary artist’s work. These snapshots encapsulated two of our main goals: to highlight both the traditional and modern and to spark curiosity among attendees about Korean art and culture.
Unintentionally, but significantly, one of the major festival themes from this year revolved around multigenerational perspectives and connection. The museum shop organized a hanbok trunk show from Los Angeles-based House of Leehwa, owned and operated by Laura Park, who has been a fixture in LA’s Koreatown for over thirty years. Her daughter, Estella, who has evolved the brand’s social media and online presence, showcased the adaptation of traditional Korean garments and accessories to contemporary ready-to-wear designs.
Another discipline where modern meets traditional, especially across generations and holidays, is the culinary space. We were thrilled to present a compelling panel discussion between Korean American chefs and their moms (who are also incredible chefs!) about passing down and adapting traditions and recipes, moderated by Usan Usan founder Peter Chang. Chef Danny Lee, co-owner of DC-based restaurants Mandu, Chiko, and Anju, and his mom, Yesoon Lee, talked about how celebrating Korean holidays like Chuseok at these restaurants not only gives Koreans a place to gather but also educates non-Korean guests and staff about holiday foods and traditions. Chef Patrice Cunningham, founder of Taegu Kimchi, and her mom, Hong Yon Cunningham, reflected on how launching a kimchi business in 2020 brought them closer. They also shared stories about cooking both Korean and American foods at family holidays, something that many in the audience found parallels with in their own Thanksgiving tables.
Chuseok was also a chance for visitors to gather and enjoy traditional performances, such as pansori, samulnori, and nanta, from Korean American performance groups, including Washington Sorichung, Di Dim Sae Korean Traditional Art Institute, and First Generation Korean Academy (FGKA), members of which teach and promote traditional music, dance, and folk traditions among younger generations. The performances on the Freer Plaza also gave visitors the opportunity to enjoy both traditional and non-traditional Korean foods from local chefs Roren and Caleb Choi of Magpie and the Tiger, Vivien Bang of Lei Musubi, and Ellen Lee of Ahjummeow, who also brought samples of songpyeon, traditional moon-shaped Korean rice cakes served on Chuseok.
