The 5th New Artist Competition, sponsored by the Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, awards ceremony and opening reception were held at the Cultural Center Gallery on Saturday, August 14 at 5:00 p.m.

The New Artist Competition, the second competition since the Covide-19 pandemic, featured professional and non-professional Korean artists from all over the United States, with a total of 52 pieces of artworks. The artworks submitted were more unique and varied than the previous years, and each artist’s reverence, family, and dedication and love for art were expressed enthusiastically. Most notably, the participants were of a broad range of ages, with artists from their early 20s to early 90s participating in a well-intentioned competition as a medium of art. The competition elected 13 winners, including grand prize, 1st and 2nd place. The judging standards reflect the uncertain and grim situation of the present era, creatively delivered fresh and hopeful messages, and evaluated works with the possibility of future development.

The awards ceremony was attended by executives including, the president of The Chicago Korean American Art Association, Sung Eun Hong, Andrew Bae of Andrew Bae Gallery, and Tiffani Kim of the Tiffani Kim Institute to congratulate the winners on the celebration and awards. All of the artworks will be on display at the Cultural Center Gallery until August 31.

Awardees (Total 13):

1st Place: ‘Flowers’ (Ellie Lee)

2nd Place: ‘You’re Still Beautiful’ (Jihyun Ra)

3rd Place: ‘Chinese Writing Calligraphy’ (Choong Jin Yoon)

Special Award: Mi Jung Kim, Susannah Kim, Jung B. Yi

Honorable Mention: Ku Kim, Frederick Moon, Junghye Kang, Young Jo Chang, Hyechong Mitchell, Boh Rha Yoon, Richard Werle