Yunmi Cho, a former Korean student in the Bachelor in Art Expertise and Trade.
Which program did you follow at IESA and in what year?
I followed a Bachelor in Art Market program from 2008 to 2011.
What did it bring you, and what are your best memories?
First of all, I gained experience in many artistic fields. Then, the courses taught, the museum visits and the instructors were all very interesting, and these three years proved very enriching. In addition, getting to know French culture was made easier, since the French students helped me integrate, and all of this allowed me to make friends.
What internships did you do, and how did they help you in your career?
I worked at the ITEM gallery, Art et Société, where I met artists of different nationalities. As part of this internship, I advised people on the works displayed in the gallery.
What did you do after leaving school?
At the end of my studies, I returned to South Korea. I worked in a gallery, where I looked for young artists to exhibit in order to help them become known. However, the task was not easy because young artists are shy.
Indeed, in Korea young people are not interested in art because of our mentality. Following this experience, I stopped searching for young artists to focus on education instead. So I started teaching art to young children, notably art history, as well as good habits for looking at artworks, and I introduced young people to painting.
What is your job today?
As mentioned earlier, I opened an art education center for young children. Now I am opening an art studio for adults, and I also run a gallery focused on developing education, discovering young artists, and writing exhibition plans to help the public with their visit.
What would you say to a student who wanted to enroll at IESA, based on your own experience?
This school is a place where you can have many artistic experiences. You can cultivate the power of seeing art, and also study different aspects of art in depth, including art history.
Thanks to IESA, I was able to join the School of Culture and Arts at Hongik University, which is the best university in this field in Korea. Moreover, our department signed an agreement with Northumbria University in London, and I would like IESA to do the same.