Hands-On Korean Art Workshop for K–12 Educators: Minhwa Meets K-Pop
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Introduction
On Saturday, March 28, 2026, K-12 educators from across Southern California gathered at the University of Southern California for an in-person educator workshop jointly hosted by the USC U.S.-China Institute and the Korean Heritage Library. Centered on Korean traditional art and contemporary popular culture, the workshop explored how Korean culture can be brought into K-12 classrooms through a combination of hands-on art-making and lesson development.
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Understanding Culture and Visual Expression
The workshop opened with a brief presentation by Sofia Kim, introducing educators to the ways traditional Korean visual elements continue to appear in contemporary culture. Using Netflix’s animated musical K-Pop Demon Hunters as a reference, the presentation examined how familiar symbols such as the magpie and the tiger can carry cultural meaning in modern visual storytelling. Participants were also introduced to historical imagery and symbolic systems, including paintings of the sun, moon, and five mountain peaks, which traditionally represented cosmic order and the protection of royal authority. These examples helped K-12 educators better understand the cultural meanings embedded in Korean visual traditions.
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Applying Minhwa in the Classroom
The presentation also focused on how Minhwa, or Korean folk painting, can be adapted for classroom use. Sofia shared practical ways to translate complex cultural symbols into accessible teaching activities and discussed how art-making can help students engage more directly with cultural background and historical context. One of the teacher participants, Todd from Fairfax High school, considered how these ideas might be used across grade levels and subject areas, including art, history, and cultural studies.
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Hands-On Art Making
In addition to the presentation, participating educators took part in a series of hands-on projects led by Sofia and her studio team. Each participant was given a keychain painting kit inspired by Minhwa. During the hands-on activity, participants chose their own colors to paint the Derpy tiger keychain and discussed the symbolism of color in Korean culture. The art-making component gave educator participants a simple model for how cultural learning can be paired with accessible classroom activities.
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Conversation and Reflection
The workshop was attended by educators from a variety of schools, subject areas, and grade levels. Throughout the session, participants exchanged ideas about teaching practices and discussed how they might bring the workshop content into their own classrooms. A teacher from the Glendale Unified School District also expressed interest in bringing this classroom-ready activity to her school by inviting Sofia’s studio team to lead an onsite session. She mentioned that this was a great way to connect traditional Korean culture with K-12 students, making this keychain painting activity an especially effective tool for classroom learning.
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Looking Ahead
Crystal Hsia, program administrator for the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia at the U.S.-China Institute, expressed her appreciation to Sofia Kim and her studio team, as well as to the Library Liaison Ms. Jungeun Hong from the Korean Heritage Library, for their collaboration. The workshop not only deepened educators’ understanding of Korean culture, but also opened up new possibilities for cross-cultural teaching in K–12 education. Future Minhwa-related programming will continue to expand on themes introduced in the workshop, including shamanism and Korean music. To stay informed about upcoming programs, please fill out this interest form. If you would like to learn more about Minhwa, Sofia Kim will also present an upcoming exhibition, Lines & Colors: Tradition & Minhwa, at Gallery Western. Check out the flyer on the side for more details, and all are welcome to attend!