Dispatch State of Professionals for International Cultural Exchange in 2013

The “NEXT Project to Dispatch International Cultural Exchange Experts by Region” is a program designed to cultivate cultural exchange and develop resources in the emerging markets in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, excluding the already robust markets in Europe and North America. An additional aim is to bolster the Korean Culture Centers’ (KCC) art and culture projects by reinforcing them with trained professionals. The KCC is a government organization, whose main function is to serve as the base from which Korean culture may be promoted, and to strengthen art and culture projects in regions that lack experts in those respective fields. The staff membersit sends, may in turn, study the state of affairs in culture and the arts in such countries, and benefit from the opportunity to become regional specialists.

The staff members currently posted in the total of ten countries involved in the project stay in their positions for a period of four to ten months, during which they work as a manager for the Culture Center and research trends in the cultural scene of their countries. They coordinate events, festivals, and other programs affiliated with cultural spaces, and the results of their investigations will be shared externally through the online platform of the Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS). Each of them were selected in a public contest held in July 2013, fulfill KCC requirements of at least three-year experience of planning performance and visual arts, and are subsidized for return flight tickets and living expenses during their stay.

Examples of Research in Culture and Arts Conducted in Concerned Countries

After the sent professionals spend a certain amount of time settling down, they the n assess the needs of the respective KCC, align them up with their areas of interest, and subsequently conduct research into the culture and arts situation of their countries. Such data will be used by not only the KCC, but by the Korean domestic scene in related fields as well.

After the sent professionals spend a certain amount of time settling down, they the n assess the needs of the respective KCC, align them up with their areas of interest, and subsequently conduct research into the culture and arts situation of their countries. Such data will be used by not only the KCC, but by the Korean domestic scene in related fields as well.

The NEXT Project to Dispatch International Cultural Exchange Experts by Region works to alleviate the staff shortage problem in KCCs around the world, provide participants the experience of working with a government institute and learning the administrative ropes, and devise various effective ways for cultural exchange. In addition, the participants are provided with the support to understand the culture and arts realities of their country, build networks and collaborate with local and Korean artists. Thus, the greatest achievement of the program could be described as the fostering of regional experts with real field experience.