Jieun Beth Kim (MFA in Studio Art, 2013) has been appointed as the new Exhibit Coordinator at the City of Austin’s Central Library. She will be managing 2700 square feet of gallery space and collaborate with outside stakeholders on visual arts related projects. In her new position, she hopes to establish meaningful relationship with community leaders, art organizations, educational institutions and a diverse set of members and artists to implement programming that is relevant to the Austin community. We talked to Kim about the future of visual arts in the Central Library, and how her time at UT Austin prepared her for her current job.
As of now, what do you hope to accomplish in bringing more visual art to the library? How do you hope to use the gallery space?
Jieun Beth Kim: It is my goal to support the growth of our visual art community by increasing exhibition programs through collaborations with institutions, artists, curators and art educators. I want to bring programs that represent diverse artists, of differing identities, that are in wide range of stages in their careers. This will include a variety of art mediums and means of expression. It is my intention to present exhibitions that are relevant to our community: challenging with different perspectives, inspiring with innovative experiences, educating with new ideas and creating empathy within our audiences.
In your opinion, why exhibit art in libraries? Why is this space important and what does it bring to the community?
Visiting the library is a very common ritual for many people across the community, attracting people from very diverse backgrounds. The Central Library attracts average of 2000~4000 people during the weekdays and double the number on weekends. Having a beautifully designed gallery space of 2700 square ft. that was created specifically to showcase the visual arts, the Central Library Gallery is an ideal place and space to communicate to large audiences. I believe experiencing the visual arts can benefit all ages, across cultures. It stimulates imagination, promotes creative thinking and encourages empathy, all of which are things that we need more of in our society at this time. So, being in the intimate setting of a library is an opportunity to introduce the benefits of the visual arts to the public, even though they, perhaps, may have initially come for a different purpose.
How has your MFA influenced your career path?
The MFA program at UT Austin helped me hone my skills in communicating abstract ideas while creating clear intention for any situation that has enabled me to connect to a diverse range of people with different communication styles, to work together for common goals.