The Charles B. Wang Center was bursting with culture, creativity and enlightenment on March 9, as it celebrated the opening of its Spring 2026 exhibition, Sacred Paper: Korean Ritual Arts, on view through May 24.
Featuring music, dance, food and fun, the “main event” was a look into how and why mulberry paper in Korea can be magically transformed into extraordinary works of art, important reminders of historical mysticism, significant parts of spiritual and ritual practices, as well as for everyday household uses, through drawings and through intricate cutting and precise folding.
Things kicked off in the Wang Center Theatre, where campus and local community members learned about the cultural context of the ubiquitous use of Korean paper from renowned expert and Museum of Natural History curator Laurel Kendall. She shared tantalizing examples of Korean paper art along with stories of shamans, funeral ceremonies and ritual offerings to the Gods, saying, at one point, “These paper cuts, like the paper cuts you see out in the gallery, these invitations to the presence in the central Korean tradition, they’re thin and evanescent. They’re burned as a final act of cleansing at the end of the ritual unless, of course, they’re scooped up and carefully preserved by a collector.”
Kendall shared that her own fascination with this art form was sparked in the early 1970s when the aspiring anthropologist discovered that while women had a “difficult, secondary status” in South Korea, shaman rituals and principles elevated them to God-like status.
From there, campus faculty and staff who came as part of a special Club Red social event had the opportunity to experience Korean culture up close and personal while mingling with coworkers and friends in the Wang Center’s Skylight Gallery. Acclaimed Korean paper artist Heera Shin presented a ritual segment from “Byeolsingut” dance-drama performance together with dancer Hyemi Park and janggu drummer Jiyong Jung.
“Byeolsingut is a village ritual from Korea’s East Coast, performed to ensure communal peace, protection and prosperity,” said Wang Center Director of Asian Art and Culture Jinyoung Jin. “The ritual space is traditionally decorated with colorful paper flowers offered to the deities, symbolizing prayers for well-being and good fortune.”
Click here to read the full story from Ellen Cooke, and see photos from the event.
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