제 10 호 Sangmyung University Museum – Displays the History of Sangmyung and Korean Historical Items
Kicker: SM News
Sangmyung University Museum – Displays the History of Sangmyung and Korean Historical Items
By Seo-Won Hong, Cub-Reporter
May 17, 2021 was the 84th anniversary of Sangmyung Academy and the 56th anniversary of the founding Sangmyung University. To celebrate this anniversary, I visited the Sangmyung University Museum to learn about the history of Sangmyung. The museum is located at Pyeongchang-dong in the Jongno District. I will introduce exhibitions related to the history of Sangmyung University and other current exhibitions.
<Sangmyung University History Gallery>
The Sangmyung university history gallery which is on the first floor displays about Sangmyung such as the history of Sangmyung, education purpose, goals and symbol.
<Students Studied in Sangmyung Women’s College of Education>
On December 2nd 1937, Dr. Bae Sang-myung established the Sangmyung High School of Performance Arts based on the philosophy of national education. The school was founded with the goal of raising ethnic woman leaders in the Japanese colonial period. Sangmyung school was established in 1945 and later the school became a college. Sangmyung Women’s College of Education was established in 1965 and construction of the new school building in Hongji-dong began on May 17th. The day was designated as the anniversary of the founding Sangmyung University. The school was an education institution only for women. Back then, the society was male-centric and women didn’t have a chance to access education. Dr. Bae Sang-myung wanted that not only men but also women could gain access to education, so she founded the school for women.
<Students of the Department of Home Economics>
There were three departments, Home Economic’s Education, Art Education, and Physical Education. There is a meaningful reason why these three departments existed. The Departments of Home Economic’s Education originated from the Sangmyung High School of Performance Arts. Creativity is important in art and art education enhances an individual’s creativity. Furthermore, the Department of Physical Education existed because a healthy body is one of the most important things.
<The view of the Cheonan campus in 1983 and in the present>
The school was elevated to Sangmyung Women’s University in 1983 and the Cheonan campus was opened in 1985. Later in 1996, the school became Sangmyung University for both men and women.
<Displayed history of Sangmyung’s symbol>
In the museum, we can see the history of the symbol, student clubs, and student council. The museum displays materials donated by seniors so we can see school life in the past.
The Sangmyung University Museum displays a wood artworks exhibition in the special exhibition gallery as well as European ceramics in the permanent exhibition gallery. The museum displays historical and cultural items from prehistory to the Joseon Dynasty in the donations gallery. The wood artworks exhibition is held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Sangmyung University celebrated its 84th anniversary on May 14, 2021 with a minimum number of people because of the pandemic situation. Visiting Sangmyung University Museum will be a good experience to students who wants to celebrate our school anniversary. Furthermore, the museum displays different types of exhibitions, so I recommend to visit the museum.
