2018 Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival

This year, the 22nd edition of the Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival (전주한지문화축제) will be held on the first weekend of May, from Friday, May 5 to Monday, May 7, which is a National holiday this year.

The Festival program includes once again a Hanji fashion show, hands-on experiences, musical and dance performance, and the Hanji artisans' market.

This year, HanjiNaty will not be participating in the Hanji Festival in Jeonju. We wish them great success for their 22nd edition!

For more details, visit the Festival website (in Korean only): www.jhanji.or.kr.

Come to the 20th Hanji Culture Festival in Jeonju!

The 20th Edition of the Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival is ongoing!

From May 5 to May 8, you are invited to visit the Festival site, located in front of the Traditional Korean Culture Center (한국전통문화전당) in Jeonju!

Many activities are organized everyday to please all members of your family!

For details on the program, and how to get there, click here : http://www.hanjinaty.com/2016/04/only-few-days-before-20th-hanji.html

You can also check their website for more information (in Korean only) : www.jhanji.or.kr

HanjiNaty is there, with a nice selection of handcrafted items for sale!

Our booth is located in the market area, between the main stage and the Culture building.

In our shop you will find a variety of handmade jewelry (Hanji paper earrings, brooches and necklaces), unique hair accessories (hair pins, hair ties and headbands), and colorful deco items, such as coasters, pen holders, boxes, and plates.

We can't wait to see you !

Only a few days before the 20th Hanji Festival in Jeonju!

We are only a few days away from the annual rendezvous of the Hanji paper lovers in the South-Korean province of Jeollabuk-do!

From May 5 to May 8, you are all invited to join the 2016 Edition of the Hanji Culture Festival in Jeonju. This year marks the 20th anniversary of this important cultural event, and HanjiNaty will be there to part take in the festivities.

This year, May 6 (Friday) has exceptionally been declared 'national holiday' in Korea, so we are hoping that this nice 4-day weekend will be the occasion for many visitors and tourists to come and enjoy what the Festival has to offer!

Map of the 2016 Jeonju Hanji Festival site

This year again, the Festival will be held on the site adjacent to the Korean Cultural Center in Jeonju. The Festival site will be divided in four main sections (the HanjiNaty booth is marked by a blue star on the map) :

The main stage (section 1)

This year, many performances will take place on the 'Culture Stage'. The most important events scheduled for the Festival will be held on this main stage, including the opening and closing ceremonies, and the award ceremony for the winners of the National Hanji Craft Contest.

On Thursday night (May 5), the popular Hanji paper Fashion show will be presented. Models will be walking down the runway wearing amazing garments made of Hanji paper.

Friday evening (May 6), a show featuring numerous costumes made of Hanji will also be presented on the Festival main stage.

Throughout the Festival, many various musical and dance performances are also scheduled, including a Big Band, a belly dancing show, and traditional Korean music and dance performances.

Hands-on activities (section 2)

The second section will be dedicated to hands-on activities, featuring the star of the Festival : Hanji paper! The section located next to the Hanji Support Industry Center will be filled with activities and crafts that will enchant the little ones, and their parents as well.

The HanjiNaty is circled in red
on the Open Market map

Different booths will be set up to give the visitors the occasion to do Hanji crafts, and to create different items (lamps, dolls, pencil cases, etc.). Prices vary depending on the project you wish to tackle.

Hanji Open Market (section 3)

The Hanji Open Market will be located between the main stage and the Cultural Center this year. That's where you can find HanjiNaty!

The Hanji Open Market is the perfect place to find handmade gifts made of Hanji paper, including stationery, deco items, accessories, clothing, souvenirs, etc.

You can also purchase high-quality Hanji paper (made in Korea) in the Open Market.

Cultural Center (section 4)

In the Cultural Center building, visitors are invited to see the winners of the National Hanji Craft contest's amazing work. The exhibit is held on the 3rd floor, and is always worth a visit. Trust me!

We will be there!

HanjiNaty will be there for the four days of the Festival, to sell our handcrafted jewelry, accessories, and deco items.

In our booth, visitors will find a wide variety of handmade earrings, necklaces and brooches, along with handmade Hanji headbands, hair pins and hair ties. Other small items will also be for sale, including magnets, key chains, and phone pendants. A nice selection of coasters, pen holders and plates will also be available.

We really hope to see you there!



How to get to the Jeonju Festival :



Information in Korean : http://jhanji.or.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=main01_04

Get Ready for the 20th Edition of the Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival!

The 2016 Edition of the Jeonju Hanji Festival will be held in Jeonju (Jeollabuk-do province, South Korea) from May 5 (Thu) to May 8 (Sun), 2016.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Festival! How exciting!

Once again, HanjiNaty will have its own booth at the Festival, to celebrate with the visitors, artists and artisans the twentieth anniversary of the Festival.

This annual event will be held once again the area surrounding the Hanji Industry Support Center in Jeonju.

As soon as the detailed program of the Festival is revealed, I will post more information here! I can already tell you that there will be an open-air market, hands-on workshops, and most likely shows and exhibitions, including the popular Hanji fashion show.

Finally, it is important to mention that the Festival site is open and admission is free for all visitors. As the first day of the Festival is Children's Day (May 5), visiting the site with your family could be a very pleasant experience, as many activities are designed for children.

You can find more information on the Festival website (in Korean only) : www.jhanji.or.kr

Here is the map to get to the Festival site : https://goo.gl/maps/uHHKvmhwwqo

See you in Jeonju!

A New Hanji Festival... outside of Korea!

I was thrilled to discover, thanks to my dear friend and fellow artist Jan Coveney from Hanji Happenings, that a brand-new Korean Hanji paper Festival has been organized in her beautiful homeland : Australia!

Organized by the Korean Cultural Center in Sydney, the K-Paper (Hanji) Culture Festival will be held from February 15 to February 29, 2016 at the Korean Cultural Center Australia.

The program of this 2-week festival includes workshops, an exhibition, a market, and a fashion show.

It is very exciting that Hanji is being promoted overseas, and that consequently more and more craft and art lovers will discover the beauties of this material, along with the endless possibilities it offers.

For more information on this festival : http://koreanculture.org.au/hanjifestival

Here are some articles on the event :

Hanji culture festival opens in Sydney (YonHap News Agency) :
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2016/02/16/0200000000AEN20160216003500315.html

Beauty of "K-Paper (Hanji)" to resonate with Australians (SBS) :
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/korean/en/content/beauty-k-paperhanji-resonate-australians

Hanji Festival Opens at the Korean Cultural Center Sydney (HelloAsia) :
http://www.helloasia.com.au/news/hanji-festival-opens-at-the-korean-cultural-centre-sydney/

HanjiNaty at the 2015 Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival~!

The 2015 edition of the Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival was held in the beautiful city of Jeonju (Jeollabuk-do province) from May 2 to May 5 2015.

This year was the 19th edition of this event, and I was really looking forward to it, as last year's edition was cancelled (following the tragic accident of the Sewol ferry).

HanjiNaty was there for the 4-day event, with a booth in the market area. During the Festival, I had the occasion to meet some wonderful people, present my handmade creations to many visitors, and fraternize with my fellow Hanji artists and artisans.


New products in the HanjiNaty booth

In my booth I was offering to visitors a nice range of Hanji paper earrings, hair barrettes, and home decor items, including coasters, plates, tissue box covers and pen holders.

Handmade hair accessories, including headbands and barrettes,
were available for sale in the HanjiNaty booth.

Recently I have started to create new jewelry pieces, including brooches and necklaces. I have also added to my collection pony hair ties, that were quite popular!

Visitors seem to appreciate these latest additions, and it is giving me the desire to continue my exploration! I am planning on working on some leather bracelets with Hanji paper beads; I'll keep you posted with my progress, of course.


Meaningful encounters

One of the things I love the most about participating in festivals and craft shows is meeting customers, fellow artisans and visitors, and have the time to chat with them.

We made sure to place a sign in our booth that our visitors can expect to be served in English, Korean, French or German!

My husband and I put our linguistic skills to good use during the Festival, as we had the chance to meet visitors from France, Austria, North America, Australia, New Zealand, China, and of course, Korea.

People were generally very kind, and genuinely interested in my creative process. I had to answer the question "How did a foreigner end up doing Hanji crafts?" a few times; it is a fair inquiry, I believe I am the first Westerner to ever sell their own Hanji creations in the Jeonju Festival.


... The right site for the Festival?

This year, new brooches, pony tail ties, hair barrettes and
necklaces were available in the HanjiNaty booth.

This year the Festival site was once again set up around the Hanji Industry Support Center and the Traditional Cultural Center, a few blocks away from Jeonju City Hall. Despite the fact that these recently-erected buildings are very attractive, they remain fairly unknown to the general public.

Visitors and tourists are still naturally drawn to the Hanok Village, a popular traditional neighbourhood where you can find many art galleries, tea shops, tiny museums, etc., and where the Festival used to be held (until 2012), rather than the new Festival site.

I think the Festival is suffering from this lack of visibility, as the foot traffic wasn't as abundant as expected. I personally know several people who had difficulty finding the site, even when taking a taxi (many drivers didn't even seem to know where the Festival is located, which is quite troublesome).

It seems logical to have the Festival celebrating Hanji paper next to the Center dedicated to this sublime material, but we have to ask ourselves: is it the right location for a Festival that aims to attract large numbers of visitors? Is it the best way to host a successful event, that is appealing to the tourists, profitable for the vendors, and fruitful for the Hanji industry and community?

Odd configuration

Another thing that could be improved for the next edition of the Jeonju Hanji Festival is the configuration of the site.

This year, the Festival was spread on a wider radius, and the different zones (hands-on activities, Hanji market and stage area) were quite far from each other.

I think it would be beneficial to have the different zones closer to each other, and all grouped around the central stage area. In my opinion, it would keep the festive spirit up, and improve traffic to the different areas of the Festival, including the market, the shops inside the Cultural Center, the kids' zone, the National Contest Exhibit, as well as the hands-on activities. It would also encourage the vendors to keep their booths open later in the evenings, when the fashion shows attract visitors at night.

A great experience

Overall it was a great experience. I had a good time, met some fantastic people and did some good business. I was happy and proud to be participating in this event in Jeonju, the city where I discovered Hanji, and where I learned Hanji crafts. You can count on me for next year, especially knowing that 2016 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Jeonju Hanji Festival!

Thank you so much to my wonderful husband and partner.

Many thanks!

I want to take the time to warmly thank the people who helped and supported me throughout this adventure.

All my heartfelt gratitude to my extraordinary husband and partner, without whom I would have never succeeded the way I did.

I am also very grateful to all my friends (including my beloved Hanji teacher) who took the time to visit my booth during the Festival! I was also thrilled to see my Hanji friend Jan Coveney from Hanji Happenings, who visited Jeonju with her lovely sisters. It was wonderful to see you and feel your encouragement and support.

I want to especially thank my friend Byung Tae Goo for the beautiful photos you can see in this post.

See you all next year for the 20th Edition of the Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival !

My Visit to the Seoul Hanji Culture Festival

Last Saturday (October 11) was another great "Hanji Day" for me. I took the earliest bus from Iksan to Seoul on Saturday morning; I arrived in the Capital City a little before 8am, had a cup of coffee and head over to Dongdaemun Market.

As you know, I cannot go to Seoul without paying a visit to the hundreds of vendors at the Accessory Mall! This time was no exception; I stocked up on wood pieces, plastic disks, barrettes, pins, super glue and other crafty goodies. Fun!


A visit to the Yui Art Gallery

Yui Art Gallery specializes
in fiber art and paper art.

After a nice lunch in the traditional neighborhood of Insadong, I walked over to Bukchon to visit Yui Gallery, a lovely art gallery owned by a couple of Japanese artists and beauty-lovers, whom I met at the Wonju Festival last month.

They visited my booth and we had a nice chat, and they even bought several of my Hanji patchwork coasters.

My HanjiNaty patchwork coasters are for sale
in the Yui Art Gallery, in Seoul.

A few hours later I was thrilled to receive an email from them, asking if I would accept to have them sell my handmade coasters in the gallery up in Seoul. Oh my! I was so excited, and very touched, and I immediately said yes.

They kindly invited me to visit their space, and I made sure to go there on Saturday, before heading to the Hanji Festival. I was delighted to see my Hanji coasters for sale, among other gorgeous handmade items.

The Yui Gallery specializes in fiber art and paper crafts; you can find a nice selection of handcrafted items including jewelry, stationery, framed pieces of art, decorative objects, boxes, etc.

I have never had my work displayed in a shop before, and for it to be in such a lovely and tasteful space, in the heart of Seoul, I couldn't be happier!

Now we just have to wait and see if they find a good home!

The First Edition of the Seoul Hanji Culture Festival 

The Seoul Hanji Culture Festival was held
in front of Seoul City Hall.

As I mentioned in a previous blog article, I was hoping to participate in the first edition of the Seoul Hanji Culture Festival; unfortunately, my work schedule didn't allow me to part take in the event this year.

Even if I couldn't participate as a vendor in the Festival, I absolutely wanted to visit Seoul for the occasion and see what that brand-new event had to offer to visitors and paper enthusiasts.

The Festival was held in front of City Hall, in the heart of Seoul. When I surfaced from the subway station, I wasn't sure I was actually at the right spot; there was no banner for the Hanji Festival, no balloons, and no greeting volunteers. There was a banner announcing a used book fair that was held in the same area, which made me wonder even more.

The Festival offered different hands-on activities,
including paper flower making.

Then I walked around and headed toward the line of white and green booths, and by looking on the overhead banner I realized I was indeed in the right place.

About three dozens tents were installed around the large green area; because of this odd configuration, the atmosphere of the Festival wasn't very festive. Visitors had to walk along the different rows of tents, around the large grassy square; it didn't feel very engaging, and the vendors were very far from each other, on both sides of the square.

A first section was dedicated to hands-on activities: visitors could make Hanji crafts such as dolls, lamps, brooches, and pen holders.

The second section was reserved to the paper vendors: people could purchase high-quality paper from Wonju, Jeonju, Andong and Yeju.

The third section was for the Hanji products vendors, artisans and artists.

High-quality Hanji paper, from Wonju, Andong, Yeju
and Jeonju, was for sale at the Festival.

Visitors had a chance to make Hanji crafts, including these lovely
Korean dolls, made of Hanji paper.

There was also a closed tent, dedicated to "the future of Hanji". Some vendors were installed in that space to introduce their products to the public : a special printer that can print on Hanji paper, traditional beds made of Hanji, and wallpaper and home decor items featuring Hanji paper.

There was also an interesting section called "Hanji Material Library", where people could see different types of paper up close, along with a few Hanji creations.

Meeting "my" Hanji people

I was happy to see some of the Hanji artists and artisans I met in Wonju a few weeks ago: the talented paper makers from Dong Yang Hanji in Yeju, the team from HanArt, and a few other vendors I remember seeing and talking with at the previous festival.

It made me feel great to be welcomed by my fellow "Hanji people", who seemed genuinely pleased to see me, and who remembered me and my work. I fell proud to be a member of this community, even if I am still quite new at it.

Unfortunately, I noticed quickly that their enthusiasm wasn't great, and that they didn't seem to have such a great time here in Seoul. There were only a few dozens of visitors on the site (despite the gorgeous weather on this Saturday afternoon), and the large site looked quite empty.

The Festival site was opened until 5pm on Saturday; some vendors appeared defeated, and packed up their booths as early as 3 o'clock. To see deserted booths, some of them filled with trash, was a little sad.


Nice discoveries

Lamps made by Kang Minji.

There weren't that many booths displaying Hanji items (we were far from the 300 vendors promised in the Festival brochure), but there were still very interesting items that are worth mentioning.

I bought several items for different vendors, and I really enjoyed the conversations I had with them.

Here are some of the most interesting discoveries I have made at the Festival :

• The Hanji club of Yewon Arts University, called "Dr Hanji", had a booth at the Festival. They had very interesting items on display, including clocks made of Hanji paper.

• Another vendor, called Kang Minji (mind.bl.ee) had fantastic lamps for sale. Awesome work!

Visit coreapeople.com to see more of
Bok si-yoon's amazing work.

• An artist and designer named Kim HyunJoo was selling flexible Hanji trays, in the shape of a tree leaf. Beautiful! 

• EcoCNT was selling Tyvek(R) wallets, with gorgeous designs, including hand drawn city landscapes;

• SYSCOM was offering wonderful Hanji stationery products, including memo note blocks, notebooks, letter sets and guest books;

• The Hanji artist Bok si-yoon makes exquisitely detailed Hanji dolls, and the handmade costumes are precise replicas of the traditional outfits of the different eras of Korean history. Outstanding!

See You Next Year!

I was told that the venue might change for next year's Festival. The location was great, but the site itself seems inflexible (as far as hours of operation or use of the space are concerned), which created frustration and disappointment. Hopefully the Festival team will be able to find a location that is more suitable to this type of events (where all the vendors could be closer to each other, in order to generate a positive and festive atmosphere), and that will be available for the whole weekend (this year the Festival was held until Saturday only).

I am looking forward to participating in the Seoul Hanji Festival next year! I think it will be a great occasion to present my work to a large audience. Let's hope that the problems experienced this year serve as lessons, in order to plan and have a more successful event next year.

Gorgeous traditional Hanji dolls.

The Hanji clocks designed by the students
of Yewon Arts University.

The 2014 Seoul Hanji Culture Festival (First Edition)

While taking part in the Hanji Festival in Wonju last week, I found out that a brand-new Hanji Festival will be held in Seoul on October 9-11, 2014.

The theme of this first edition of the Seoul Hanji Culture Festival is "Hanji, emit its light"; this event wishes to communicate and promote the multiple qualities of Hanji paper, and its importance in Korea, as well as everywhere else in the world.

The 3-day event will occur at the Seoul City Hall Plaza, from October 9 (Thu) to October 11 (Sat). The opening ceremony, which will include a dance performance and a Hanji fashion show, will be held Thursday night. An open-air market, where visitors will be able to see and purchase a wide variety of Hanji-related items, will be held on Friday (10am-7pm) and on Saturday (10am-5pm).

I was hoping to participate myself in the Hanji market, but my work schedule prohibits me from taking part into the event this year. What a shame! Despite this disappointment, I will surely go to Seoul on Saturday to check out the market and visit the Festival site. 

I don't have much information about the Festival; you can check the official website (http://seoulhanjifestival.co.kr/), but I have to warn you that the site has been unstable for the last few days, and the contents of the pages is solely in Korean. 

Once again, it frustrates and puzzles me to see that an organization that aims for the international promotion of Hanji can't provide basic information in English (or any other foreign languages, for that matter) on their website... Doesn't it defeat the purpose?

The only information in English I was able to gather is from a Korea Time article published a few days ago : http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2014/09/135_165042.html

There is also a Facebook for the event (but the contents is only in Korean) : 

https://www.facebook.com/seoulhanjifestival

I will keep you informed if I can gather more information on the Festival !! If you happen to have any useful info, please do not hesitate to leave a comment below!

HanjiNaty at the Wonju Hanji Festival~~!

Natalie in her "HanjiNaty" booth at the 2014 Wonju Hanji Culture Festival.

From September 25 to 28 I had the chance to participate in the 16th Edition of the Wonju Hanji Culture Festival, held in the city of Wonju (province of Gangwon, in the northeastern part of South Korea).

This 4-day Festival is dedicated to Hanji paper, one of the treasures of Korean culture. During the Festival, the visitors could make their own sheet of Hanji paper, experience Hanji crafts, shop for handmade goods, Hanji paper and other Hanji-related items. There was also a Hanji fashion show and numerous musical performances throughout the weekend.

Hit the road at 4am

My husband Jason and I left Iksan around 4am on the 25th (Thursday), in order to reach Wonju early enough to set up our booth and get ready for our first visitors. We packed everything in our tiny car (including tree branches, countless bags and plastic bins, two by eight planks, etc.) and we enthusiastically hit the road! 

Hundreds of items were for sale in our booth, including
magnets, chests, boxes, pen holders, earrings, hair pins
and headbands, key chains and pendants, etc.

I was very excited, but equally anxious about the whole venture. Luckily my detailed planning paid off and we were able to set up our booth smoothly, without any missing items, panic moments or thrown tantrums!

Our first visitors came to meet us around 10:30, and I was excited to make my very first sale only a few minutes after opening my booth to the public.

There was a regular flow of visitors throughout the Festival, and it was especially busy on Saturday and Sunday.

The Joys and Frustrations of Being a Craft Show Vendor

Let me tell you right away : having a booth in a craft show is hard! I didn't expect it to be so demanding, both physically and emotionally. We spent long hours in our tent (from 9am to 10pm, for 4 days); it was very hot during the day, and annoyingly popular with mosquitoes at night.

My booth was nicely set up, with custom-made earrings boards
(with integrated lighting!) and items hanging for a maple branch.

One of the most important challenges that we had to face is the fact that we are foreigners in an Asian country, which means that a large number of Korean visitors were intimidated by us, or rather by the idea of talking to us; even if my husband is fluent in Korean, many visitors were taking a surprisingly large detour to avoid our booth. We tried to be as welcoming as possible, greeting everyone in Korean with a warm smile, but we unfortunately had a to struggle at times to attract people to our booth.

Luckily, many people were interested enough to approach and take a look at my items : Hanji paper earrings, hair accessories, coasters, plates, boxes, chests, pen holders, magnets, etc.

I met some fantastic people at the Festival, including this
wonderful little boy and his older sister.

Wonderful encounters

People were very curious about the fact that a foreigner is actually doing a traditional Korean craft! We had to answer a lot of questions, and face quite a few skeptical folks!

We took the time to explain where I come from and how I came to be a Hanji craftswoman; people were genuinely interested in learning about it. Often enough, the people who took the time to discuss with us left our booth with a HanjiNaty item in hand; I guess the conversation gave more meaning to the objects they were looking at.

During the Festival I had the chance to meet some wonderful people, including many Korean children with their parents, expats from Europe and North America, business people, other artists and craftsmen and women, including Masters in paper making and Hanji crafts. It was by far the most exciting part of this whole adventure: meeting wonderfully inspiring people, who are interested in sharing their craft and their passions, and who are interested in hearing about mine!

During the quieter times, I worked on some 

new patterns, for future projects!

I am very grateful to have had the chance to participate in this event; beyond the financial aspects of this venture, I truly feel that I have made connections that will open new doors along the way. I also really enjoyed the feeling of slowing making my place in a community of artists and artisans dedicated to Korean Hanji paper, and its endless possibilities.

Next Stop : Seoul !

During the Wonju Festival I found out that the first edition of the Seoul Hanji Culture Festival will be held in the Capital City next week! 

The Festival is scheduled for October 9 to 11, and will include a Hanji Fashion show and other performances, a Hanji Craft market and other activities. I was actually invited to join the Hanji market for this new event... Will I be able to participate? Stay tuned for more details!

People could enjoy different performances during the Festival,
including concerts and a Hanji fashion show.

More information on the Seoul Hanji Festival :

-- Official website (in Korean only) : http://seoulhanjifestival.co.kr
-- News article : http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2014/09/135_165042.html
-- Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/seoulhanjifestival

Wonju Festival 2014 : Do We Have a Date?

There are two main poles for Hanji paper in Korea : the city of Jeonju, in the province of Jeollabuk-do (southwest of the peninsula) and the city of Wonju, in the province on Gangwon-do (northeast). They both have installations dedicated to Hanji paper (a museum in Jeonju, a theme park in Wonju...), numerous Hanji paper shops and, they both host an annual Hanji Festival.

I was supposed to take part in the 2014 Edition of the Jeonju Festival last May, but the Festival was cancelled. The next edition of the Jeonju Festival will be held in May 2015.

The 2014 Wonju Hanji Festival

The Wonju Festival will be held from September 25 to 28 in the city of Wonju, Gangwon-do province. Despite the distance (about 200km from my house here in Iksan), I have decided to apply for a booth at the Wonju Festival! Not being able to part take in the Jeonju Festival was a huge disappointment for me, and I don't want to miss the chance to show my work in the Wonju event!

I visited the Festival last year and was really pleased with the beauty of the site and the installations! I am really hoping I can part take in the event this year.

Apply, then wait

I submitted my application (and my payment! ;) to the Wonju Festival at the beginning of the week, and I now have to patiently wait until September 2 to know if I will be able to have a booth or not (the deadline to apply for a booth is August 31). Patience not being my greatest quality, I can feel it's going to be a long couple of weeks!

Getting ready for the Wonju Festival

In the meantime, I keep on working to make as many items as possible! I have an objective of 600 items for the Festival; will I be able to reach my target? 

I have already started to work steadily to make all kinds of items for the upcoming festival; I even added a few new items to my collection, including head bands, cell phone pendants and brooches. I have also made an interesting selection of coasters (round and square), pen holders, square plates and jewelry boxes.

I am also working hard to make a large quantity of Hanji paper earrings and French barrettes (of different sizes), as I expect the smaller objects to be popular at the Festival.

I am also hoping to have several larger items on display (and for sale), such as larger chests, tissue box covers and tea trays.

I will surely keep you posted on the latest developments! Stay tuned... and keep your fingers crossed for me!

* * *

For more information on the Wonju Hanji Festival :

- Korea Tourism Organization : http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=790317

- Festival Website : http://wonjuhanji.co.kr/new/main.php (in Korean only)

HanjiNaty at the Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival 2014!

 

What a thrill to announce that Hanji Naty will be participating in the 18th Edition of the Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival !

The Festival will be held for four days, from May 3 to May 6, 2014, in the area surrounding the Hanji Industry Support Center in the city of Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do province.

In the past editions, the Hanji Festival was held from Thursday to Sunday; this year, the Festival has decided to make the event coincide with a nice 4-day weekend, made possible by the alignment of the stars and the national Holidays! Children's Day being on May 5 (Monday) and Buddha's birthday on May 6 (Tuesday), Korean citizens will enjoy a long weekend at the beginning of May, when the weather is usually the finest on the peninsula.

From Visitor to Seller

I have been an enthusiastic visitor of the Hanji Festival for many years. I would never miss it for the world! (You can read here my blog post on the 2013 Edition of the Festival). This year I have decided to take a leap of faith and take part in the Festival as a Hanji Seller! It is a gigantic challenge for me, but I am ready to do everything it takes to be successful !

In my booth I plan on selling a wide range of Hanji creations, including earrings, hair accessories, plates, boxes, chests, tissue cases, coasters, magnets, etc.

I am very curious and excited to see what the Korean visitors will think of my work, as it is quite unusual and different from the traditional Hanji crafts you can see in Korea. Will they like the bold colors and the daring designs? Will they find my Hanji jewelry and accessories attractive, or simply weird?

A foreign gal in a very Korean Festival

I won't lie : I'm pretty nervous about the whole adventure. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that I will be most likely the only non-Korean person having a seller's booth at the Festival this year and, quite possibly, ever! I expect to draw a lot of attention, and let's hope it will be for my craft and my creations rather than for my Western face!

One thing that worries me is the fact that my Korean language skills are not good enough to fully explain my crafts to my potential customers and visitors. I am also very concerned about the fact that Korean visitors might feel shy, embarrassed or even scared to approach my booth because they don't feel confident enough with their own English skills! I am hoping to have some help from dear Korean friends who could spend a little time with me in my booth and help me communicate better with my visitors and possible customers!

I am also expecting to be photographed and filmed quite a bit! As a foreigner in South Korea (especially when you are out of metropolitan centers such as Seoul or Busan) I am already used to have my picture taken when I attend any kind of festival or event... But I know that this time it will most likely be a bigger deal, and I can expect to end up in the newspaper or in a news spot on Korean TV!... I will make sure to wear my brightest smile (and a decent outfit!) for the four days of the Festival!

Getting ready for the big Weekend!

Ever since I received the confirmation that I will have my own booth at the Festival, I have been working quite hard to prepare this big 4-day event. I honestly don't know what to expect, and I want to be as well prepared as possible! In the next few weeks I will be sharing my process (and my progress!) with you! Don't worry : I'll make sure to keep you posted!

* * * * *

To learn more about the Festival :

★ Official Website (in Korean only) : 
http://jhanji.or.kr/

★ Korea Tourism Association page on the Festival : 
http://bit.ly/KaS1FB

★ Festival Facebook Event page : 
https://www.facebook.com/events/191179781002235/

The 2013 Wonju Hanji Festival

The 2013 Wonju Hanji Festival

What? There's another Hanji center in Korea?

Really? Jeonju is not the sole and unbeatable Queen City of Hanji?...

Yes. It's true.
Let me spell it out for you : W-O-N-J-U.

Nice spacious site, with creative atmosphere

On a chilly Saturday morning my husband and I left Iksan to go explore the city of Wonju, in the province of Gangwon-do (northeastern corner of South Korea). We hit the road at 5:30am, expecting that our journey to Gangwon-do would take five hours or more. Surprisingly, barely two and a half hours later we were arriving in Wonju.

The Festival site was very spacious, unfolding all over the parking area and lawn of the very nice and modern Hanji Theme Park Center.

Hundreds of lanterns, made by Korean school students, were hung all around the perimeter of the Festival site. The long strings of colorful lanterns gave a wonderful feel of craftiness to the site, and really created atmosphere. I also suspect that the presence of those lanterns naturally increased the flow of visitors, as the little Hanji creators were probably eager to show their work to their parents or relatives. That's a very smart PR move!

Visitors could make their own sheet
of Hanji paper

Japanese Master demonstration
the art of paper-making

A lot of attention was paid to make the Hanji paper itself the true star of the Festival. Several Hanji making stations were set up in the center of the site, so people could experiment first hand with the paper making process.

Six tubs with different colors of mulberry pulp were set up for the visitors to try making their own sheet of Hanji paper.

The mulberry pulp is soaked,
then beaten

The raw materials and traditional tools were also on display, so people could really get a good idea on how the paper is made, from start to finish. They could see the mulberry pulp at different stages in the process, the large wooden tub where the pulp is stored and the shallow bamboo or wooden baskets used to create every single sheet of Hanji paper.

There was also a Japanese master who was demonstrating the art of paper making, according to the Japanese tradition. It was fascinating to see him make those perfect silky sheets of paper with incredible ease. Evidently, he manages to make, by hand, up to 200 sheets of paper a day.

Paper + Artists = Amazing Creations

High-quality Hanji paper,
made in Wonju

Among the many vendors on site were several Hanji paper sellers, offering for a very good price the high-quality Hanji made in Wonju. No need to say that I had a blast shopping for new colors and patterns! I was delighted to find some unusual papers, including a wood-grain patterned Hanji.

Square boxes
by Mi-Sook Choi (최미숙)

There were only a few booths displaying the work of Hanji artists, but those who were there had stunning pieces to present.

I had the great pleasure to meet Mi-Sook Choi, a Hanji artist based in Wonju. Her booth was filled with fantastic items, such as boxes, pen holders, lamps, cabinets and other intricate objects.

Cabinet with tiny drawers
by Mi-Sook Choi (최미숙)

Mrs Choi has a workshop and boutique in Wonju. She was very friendly and took the time to explain the different techniques she has developed through the years.

We talked about patterns, color choices and inspiration; it was marvelous to be able to exchange with a person who shares the same passion for Hanji crafts.




I left Mrs Choi's booth excited and reinvigorated. But, a few minutes later, I have to admit that I started to struggle with self-doubt. The view of such stunning work made me feel a little self-conscious, and made me wonder if I would ever reach that level of achievement and craftsmanship. The vibrant color combinations, the sharp cutting work and the delicacy and taste of the pieces I had seen left me humbled... Luckily, in the same time, it gave me the desire to get to work! It gave me ideas, sparked my interest for certain designs or patterns I hadn't really pondered before, and most importantly it got me excited!

Hands-on!

The tiny visitors of the Festival were invited to put
their touch to a very large mural.

A Hanji Festival would not be complete without some hands-on activities. The Wonju Festival offered to visitors to change to make their own sheet of Hanji paper, but also to make different objects using Hanji : containers, jewelry, pinwheels, lamps, etc.

The tiny visitors were also invited to put their own personal touch onto a gigantic mural that was hung by the entrance of the Hanji Theme Park building. I thought it was a very creative way to involve children, without forcing them to sit down at a table for a long period of time.

A clever tool to practice calligraphy :
a practice sheet that erases itself!

Some other traditional Korean crafts, including traditional calligraphy and embroidery, were also present at the Festival. There was even a candle-making workshop.

I had the chance to meet a calligraphy master, who had this magical practice board for sale : when the wet brush touches the paper, it turns black (when in contact with water). Once the paper dries, it returns to its original white color! How clever! It's a wonderful tool for practicing strokes, without wasting precious paper or ink.

Hanji crafts on display
Hanji Theme Park building.

The Hanji Theme Park Center

Irresistible Hanji sheep!
Boutique @ Hanji Theme Park

The Hanji Development Institute, founded in 2001 in Wonju, has the mission to promote the growth of Korean culture and art using Hanji. For this purpose, a very nice and modern Hanji Theme Park was recently built in Wonju. This center is dedicated to Korean Hanji paper, its artists and its promotion around the world. 

A very nice building welcomes visitors with permanent exhibits on the history of Hanji, a nice boutique offering for sale a wide range of Hanji products (including clothes, household items, lamps, cabinets, boxes, coasters, etc.) and several rooms designed to welcome workshops and training sessions. An information counter also offers documentation on the Hanji Theme Park, as well as the Wonju area.

A Hanji wall, inside the Hanji Café.

Hanji cups and bowl,
displayed in the Hanji Café.

There is also a very cozy coffee shop, called Hanji Café, where visitors can enjoy a cold or hot drink, in a very artsy atmosphere. I was particularly impressed with the Hanji brick wall and the beautiful artwork displayed in the Café. Many stylish Hanji items gave charm to the coffee shop (including some Hanji paintings, paper lanterns and paper sculptures). Personally, I think they could take the theme a little further and make sure that the napkin dispensers or the coasters were made of Hanji, so visitors can appreciate the utilitarian objects as well as the pieces of art.

Welcoming Foreign Visitors

I was pleased to see quite a few foreign visitors at the Wonju Festival. I was glad to see that foreigners were showing an interest for this traditional Korean craft that truly owns my heart. I have to salute the Festival's effort to produce a very nice bilingual program : the English texts relating the History of Hanji, the different types of crafts and were very comprehensible and well written.

Unfortunately, I have once again to whine about the fact that the Festival website is solely in Korean, and is difficult to navigate. And why on Earth is the website of the Hanji Development Institute, dedicated to the International promotion of Hanji crafts and artists, only in Korean? Doesn't this defeat the purpose?

* * *

Overall I had a wonderful time at the Wonju Hanji Festival. It was a very pleasant experience, filled with meaningful encounters, inspiring materials and a very friendly atmosphere.

You can be sure that I will be there for next year's edition! I don't think I will be able to participate in the Festival per se (the schedule and distance would make it difficult for me), but I'll surely attend as an enthusiastic visitor and Hanji lover!

Wonju, you've got a new best friend!