National Endowment for Humanities Awards $600,000 to the Korean
Cultural Center of Chicago for the Construction of Bisco Presentation Hall

Wheeling, IL: The Korean Cultural Center of Chicago (KCCoC), amidst the challenges brought on by the Covid-19 Pandemic, is proud to announce it is a recipient of a $600,000 National Endowment for the Humanities Infrastructure and Capacity Building Grant. The grant will support the construction of KCCoC’s new 17,841 square foot, 430 seat public programming space, the Bisco Presentation Hall. With the steady support of our community, KCCoC continues to make 2020, which marks the 10th anniversary of its founding, an exceptional year through meaningful organizational progress and development. As we strive to provide excellent programming that uplifts the Korean and Korean American experience, we look forward to the opening of Bisco Presentation Hall, a space that will embrace diversity and inclusion, where all are welcome to participate, contribute and celebrate.

The support of the NEH is significant, as it recognizes the value of the work conducted by the KCCoC in highlighting Korean history, culture and heritage as well as the often under-recognized contribution of Korean Americans to the American Midwest. Matching support for the NEH award comes from the Bisco Charitable Foundation, which has committed $1.5 million, as well as the KCCoC’s Directors and project sponsors, who have committed $1 million to date to support the construction project, which is currently in the planning and design stages, with groundbreaking scheduled to take place in Fall 2021 and completed in Fall 2022.

In addition to the Bisco Presentation Hall project, new NEH Infrastructure and Capacity Building grants, support efforts including the creation of a Yoknapatawpha Humanities Center in Oxford, Mississippi; ADA-compliant accessibility and site improvement at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Connecticut; and digital infrastructure upgrades to the “Freedom on the Move” database of fugitive slave advertisements from eighteenth- and nineteenth-century U.S. newspapers at Cornell University.

National Endowment for the Humanities Announces $33 million for 213 Humanities Projects Nationwide: https://www.neh.gov/news/neh-announces-33-million-213-humanities-projects-nationwide

Bisco Presentation Hall Construction Project
The Bisco Presentation Hall Construction Project will transform KCCoC’s current Museum and Gallery spaces from an approximately 13,364 square foot footprint into a 17,841 square foot facility that will seat 430 people. It will contain a presentation space with a stage and A/V system. Movable chairs will accommodate theater-style seating and an open floor plan will allow for conferences and similar events. Bisco Presentation Hall will also contain a large, modern kitchen, allowing KCCoC to offer classes and demonstrations. Movable walls will maximize versatility and multi-functionality, allowing for multiple activities to take place simultaneously. Along with the two existing 200-person capacity presentation spaces, Bisco Presentation Hall will provide KCCoC tremendous capacity to present a very broad range of activities.
Bisco Presentation Hall will feature a modern design informed by traditional Korean aesthetics, typified by an emphasis on wood and natural finishes, resulting in a progressive, yet friendly, inviting environment.

Bisco Co. (www.bisco.com)
BISCO is an ISO 13485 certified manufacturer of medical devices for the dental industry, specializing in adhesive and resin composite technology. Established in 1981, BISCO is an industry leader providing technically innovative aesthetic and restorative products to dental customers in the U.S. and in over 60 countries worldwide.

National Endowment for the Humanities (www.neh.gov)

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency created in 1965. It is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States.

Because democracy demands wisdom, NEH serves and strengthens our republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans. The Endowment accomplishes this mission by awarding grants for top-rated proposals examined by panels of independent, external reviewers.

NEH grants typically go to cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television, and radio stations, and to individual scholars.

National Endowment for the Humanities에서 시카고 한인문화회관, Bisco Hall 건축에 60만불 지원

Covid-19 Pandemic을 겪는 어려움 가운데 기쁜 소식을 전합니다. 시카고 한인문화회관은 동포 여러분의 성원에 힘입어 꾸준한 발전을 해오면서 10주년을 보내게 되었습니다. 앞으로의 또 다른 도약을 위해 동포사회에 훌륭한 프로그램을 제공하고 또한 미 주류사회에 한국 전통문화를 전파하기 위하여 큰 장소를 꿈꾸게 되었습니다.

이에 호응하여 Bisco Charitable Foundation에서 건물 증축을 위해 $1.5 M을 (10년동안) 약정해 주셨고, 또한 시카고 한인문화회관 이사님들과 후원자 여러분들이 $1 M을 (10년동안) 약정해 주셨습니다. 이렇게 모두 $2.5 M으로 Bisco Hall 건축의 계획을 시작하게 되었습니다.

문화회관은 Bisco Hall 건축 프로젝트를 위하여 National Endowment for Humanities (NEH)에 4:1 매칭 그랜트를 신청하여 오랜 각고의 노력 끝에 60만불을 지원받게 되었습니다. NEH는 미정부 소속기관으로 인문학을 장려하기 위하여 만들어진 기관입니다.  NEH에서의 지원은 시카고 한인문화회관의 문화활동을 인정하고 장려를 해주는 것이므로 우리 시카고 동포사회의 큰 기쁨이자 자랑입니다.  앞으로도 동포 여러분들의 관심과 성원 그리고 많은 참여를 부탁드립니다.

 

National Endowment for Humanities
1965년 독립 연방기관으로 설립된 National Endowment for the Humanities는 인문학의 역사, 문학, 철학 및 기타 분야에서 연구 및 학습을 지원합니다.

 

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https://www.neh.gov/news/neh-announces-33-million-213-humanities-projects-nationwide