U-M Nam Center for Korean Studies

08/28/2026

08/19/2026

📣 Korea Week 2026 Announcement ✨

🗓️ September 28 – October 4
📍 Ann Arbor District Library
🔗 https://aadl.org/koreaweek

Huge thanks to the Ann Arbor District Library and the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. for bringing Korea Week 2026 to life!

Join us for an exciting week of special programming celebrating the rich history, vibrant culture, and living heritage of Korea. Immerse yourself in hands-on traditions, creative performances, and community events designed for all ages.

Discover the complete schedule and plan your visit: https://aadl.org/koreaweek

07/29/2026

🎟️ TICKET SALES START TOMORROW! 🎟️
https://myumi.ch/WD5Qb

General single tickets for The SeAH Korean Art Song Gala officially go on sale tomorrow, Thursday, July 30, at 10:00 AM EST!

Don't miss this historic event presented as part of the Korean Performing Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan's iconic Hill Auditorium.

- Date: Sunday, September 27, 2026
- Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Location: Hill Auditorium | 825 N. University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI

04/29/2026

🥁 Looking back at our incredible time with 상자루 / Sangjaru last February! 🎶

This past February, we hosted the innovative trio Sangjaru for a residency that explored the boundaries of tradition and modern creativity. Known for their "Korean Gipsy" sound, Sangjaru—whose name combines the Korean words for "box" (sangja) and "sack" (jaru) to symbolize the marriage of fixed tradition with adaptive innovation—blends traditional folk music with gypsy swing, funk, and rock.

During their visit, the group led a high-energy Pungmul masterclass for Sinaboro: Korean Percussive Ensemble and delivered a captivating collaborative performance with Michael Gould, aProfessor of Music at U-M’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance and Director of the Center for World Performance Studies.

Video recorded and edited by HallyUmich (https://www.instagram.com/hallyumich)

#상자루 #남센터

04/24/2026

📺 Screening of , followed by a Q&A with Chien-An Yuan

🗓️ Friday, May 22, 2026
⏱️ 7:00 PM 9:00 PM
📍 CLUSTER Museum (307 N. Main St. Ann Arbor)

The Nam Center for Korean Studies is delighted to sponsor this screening hosted by Cluster museum! Known as the "Father of Video Art," Nam June Paik was a visionary who predicted our hyper-connected world decades before the internet existed. His work blended deep philosophy with playful mischief, famously using everything from magnets to ancient statues to redefine how we interact with screens.

Paik’s journey is a powerful story of resilience. Despite facing years of financial and visa struggles in New York, he stayed true to his avant-garde roots and was eventually welcomed back to Korea as a national hero. This film, Nam June Paik: The Moon is the Oldest TV, captures his electric life through rare archival footage and personal diaries, featuring peers like John Cage and Joseph Beuys.

Join us for this inspiring look at a Korean-American icon, followed by a Q&A with Chien-An Yuan, an Ann Arbor-based interdisciplinary artist, designer, and educator. Yuan is a founding member of the AAPI performance collaborative IS/LAND and runs the record label 1473. His diverse work in sound and visuals has been featured in The New Yorker and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Free and Open to the Public

#백남준

04/22/2026

Recap of our 2026 Korean Cinema NOW!

Video credit: Rachael Kim

04/20/2026

🎶Hapenning this Saturday at 3 pm! ⭐
Step into an intimate journey through the evocative world of Korean art song, where memories of home, love, longing, and hope come to life — revealing the inner landscapes of the human heart and the emotions that connect us all.

For more information, please visit https://ii.umich.edu/ncks/news-events/events.detail.html/147640-21901456.html

#남센터 #조윤조 #가곡

04/20/2026

For all Michigan Pre-Service and In-Service teachers, the 2026 Graphic Novel Teacher Workshop has been rescheduled to June 30, 2026.

📆 Date: June 30, 2026 (9am - 5:30pm)
📍 Location: Weiser Hall 1010, 500 Church St Ann Arbor, MI 48109
☎️ Contact: [email protected]

A workshop for teachers on teaching graphic novels about different regions of the world. Open to K-12 In-Service & Pre-Service Teachers in Michigan.

The workshop will cover:
- History of comics in the United States and the World
- Intro to Comics Studies and using comics in the classroom
- Conversations with scholars and creators
- Teaching guide and other resources for comics at Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and around the country

Benefits for Participants:
Michigan K-12 teachers will receive SCECH hours. Upon completing the program, participants will receive graphic novel books and teaching resources for their usage.

This workshop is organized by the University of Michigan's University of Michigan Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Center for South Asian Studies at U-M, the East Asia National Resource Center (Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan, University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies, and the U-M Nam Center for Korean Studies) and the Asian Studies Center at Michigan State University.

For any questions, please contact Jonathan Valdez at [email protected].

04/18/2026

✨ Highlights from the final screening of our Korean Cinema NOW 2026 series, featuring My Daughter is a Zombie.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to each one of our audience for your love and support for Korean Cinema NOW.

We also extend our sincere thanks to The Michigan & State Theaters - Marquee Arts and Miss Kim/ Kim Ann Arbor for their invaluable partnership.

We look forward to seeing you all again with the Korean Cinema NOW 2027 lineup!

#남센터 #좀비딸

04/15/2026

🎶 Happening Tomorrow!
The Nam center invites you to attend in person celebration for the release of Landfill, the album on piri solo by Sunhong Kim. Kim presents solo piri pieces including Korean folksongs, Arirang, sangnyeongsan puri, and electronic piece composed by Julie Zhu. Issued by 1473 collection in Bandcamp, the album was recorded at the Duderstadt Library studio at the University of Michigan.