The Korea Foundation > What We Do > Cultural & Arts Exchange > Support for Establishing an Endowed Curatorship for Korean Art at Overseas Museums

The Korea Foundation > What We Do > Cultural & Arts Exchange > Support for Establishing an Endowed Curatorship for Korean Art at Overseas Museums

Support for Establishing an Endowed Curatorship for Korean Art at Overseas Museums

Program Outline

The Korea Foundation (KF) provides financial support in order to promote efforts to create and maintain new curatorial positions in the field of Korean art at leading international museums that operate independent Korean art galleries or have significant Korean art collections and carry out research, exhibitions and educational programs on Korean art. Under this program, the KF funds the establishment and operation of a curatorial position for Korean art through an endowment fund jointly created by the KF and the grant recipient museum.

Eligible Applicants

Museums outside of Korea that plan to create and maintatin an endowed curatorship in Korean art.

Eligible Areas

Korean art, Korean art history and related areas in the humanities.

Details of Support

The KF and the recipient museum each contribute 50% of the total endowment on a dollar-for-dollar matching fund basis in order to establish and maintain a permanent curatorial position in Korean art. During the grant period, the KF provides the recipient museum with annual installments.

Grant Period

Three to five years

Prerequisites for the KF’s Support

This program aims to support museums willing to fund and maintain a newly established curatorship in Korean art through an endowment fund jointly created through their own resources and the KF’s support. In addition, the museums are required to ensure that curators supported by this endowment fund will be appointed and promoted through a thorough and fair review of their qualifications and accomplishments in accordance with the museums’ procedures for appointment and promotion for curatorial staff members.

Program Schedule

1. Application Period: March 2 to April 3, 2020 (Deadline: April 3, 2020, 18:00 KST)
2. Notification of Results: May
3. The grant period starts either in the 2020 or 2021 financial year.

Required documents

1. Online application
Information about current status of Korean art collections of the applicant’s institution(an independent Korean art gallery, a curator for Korean art, the scale of the Korean art collection, etc.) is required.

2. Supplementary materials (to be uploaded with the online application)
① Curator’s main responsibilities and qualifications
: Please describe the curator's main responsibilities, e.g. managing Korean art collection,
implementing exhibitions, research and administration. When it comes to the curator's
qualifications, please include her or his field of specialization, published research, language
skills, etc.
② Museum’s salary scale for curators
③ Project director’s curriculum vitae
④ Letter of intent from the museum’s director to establish an endowed curatorship in Korean art
⑤ Curriculum vitae of the prospective curator
(if the applicant institution has a concrete candidate in mind at the time of application)

How to Apply

All required documents must be submitted in Korean or English via the KF Online Application Portal
(http://apply.kf.or.kr).

Evaluation Criteria

1. Quality and scale of applicant institutions' collection of Korean artifacts/artworks
2. Availability of museum staff to supervise Korea-related projects/matters
3. Availability of Korean gallery spaces
4. Outcomes of Korean art curator program
5. Ability to participate in a cost-sharing arrangement to implement the project proposal
6. Applicant institutions’ ability to mobilize additional financial resources, as needed

Important Reminders

1. Cancellation of support
The KF may revoke its decision to grant support if the KF and the grant recipient institution cannot conclude an agreement.
2. Eligibility requirements for appointees to an endowed curatorial position in Korean Art
① Focus on Korea in more than 50% of their curatorial assignments, and conduct related research using primary sources
published in both Korean and English.
② Publish the findings of such research in English and be proficient in Korean and English in the respective area of
specialization.

3. Notification of changes to the project
Applicant institutions must promptly notify the KF of any changes, including postponement and/or cancellation, of the project plan submitted at the time of application.

4. Revision of the project plan
The KF, when deemed necessary, may request applicant institutions to revise their project plan or to supplement it with new elements.

5. Disbursement of the grant
Before grant funds are made available to selected applicant institutions, the KF and the respective recipient institution enter into a grant agreement that includes the details of the project and the budget, which are determined through mutual discussion between the two parties.

6. Submission of report
During the term of the agreement, recipient institutions are required to submit an annual project report to the KF. The report must be accompanied by a financial statement, drafted and signed by the recipient institution’s accounting officer. A KF report form will be provided.

7. Recipient institutions shall not receive any additional financial assistance for the project from other Korean government organizations ⁄ agencies, such as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Arts Council Korea or the Overseas Koreans Foundation.