A museum in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, is transforming from a traditional institution into a community-oriented space that collaborates with local residents to address contemporary issues.
The Silk Museum located in the historical site of Jeong Yak-yong in JoAn-myeon, Namyangju, is evolving beyond the conventional roles of exhibition and scholarly research into a 'Museum Living Lab' that engages with local communities to reflect on today's problems and seek solutions. Central to this transformation is the 'Silk Project,' which aims to resurrect the core values of practicality, utility, and experimentation inherent in Silhak (Practical Learning) using contemporary language. The provocative slogan 'Silhak was originally not in the museum' captures the essence of the project, which reintroduces Silhak to everyday life rather than confining it to museum walls.
Unlike typical public project proposals, the Silk Project embraced community feedback from the planning stage onward. Jin-ah Kim, from the planning and operations team of the museum, initiated outreach by interviewing 27 local activists from JoAn-myeon and Yangseo-myeon to understand their concerns and challenges. This groundwork led to a networking party in January 2025, where over 50 local activists came together, fostering connections that allowed them to discuss critical issues across education, arts, agriculture, and food during subsequent roundtable and imagination meetings. The consensus emerged that rather than grand events, they wanted support for practical, smaller-scale experiments, leading to the design of a 'small experiment support project' with set budgets of approximately 3 million KRW.
As a result of this initiative, ten teams were selected to conduct meaningful experiments in their respective fields. For example, the 'Dumulmuk Farmers’ Market' organized a 'Seasonal Vegetable Side Dish Competition' to surpass the limitations of a market dominated by processed goods. Visitors were given coupons worth 30,000 KRW for just 5,000 KRW to purchase local produce, allowing them to cook firsthand and experience the hard work of farmers. This approach not only elevated the market's value proposition but also led to farmers selling out their entire stock, showcasing the practical impact of community-driven cultural projects.
