Korean Cultural Center receives Humanities grant
The Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, amid the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, is proud to announce it is the recipient of a $600,000 National Endowment for the Humanities Infrastructure and Capacity Building Grant.
The grant will support the construction of KCCoC's new 17,841-square-foot, 430-seat public programming space, the Bisco Presentation Hall.
With the steady support of its community, KCCoC continues to make 2020, which marks the 10th anniversary of its founding, an exceptional year through meaningful organizational progress and development. As it strives to provide programming that uplifts the Korean and Korean American experience, the KCCoC looks forward to the opening of Bisco Presentation Hall, a space that will embrace diversity and inclusion.
The support of the National Endowment for the Humanities is significant, as it recognizes the value of the work conducted by the KCCoC in highlighting Korean history, culture and heritage, as well as the often underrecognized contribution of Korean Americans to the American Midwest.
Matching support for the National Endowment for the Humanities award comes from the Bisco Charitable Foundation, which has committed $1.5 million, as well as the KCCoC's directors and project sponsors, who have committed $1 million to date to support the construction project, which is currently in the planning and design stages.
Groundbreaking is scheduled to take place in fall 2021, with completion in fall 2022.
The Bisco Presentation Hall Construction Project will transform KCCoC's current museum and gallery spaces from an approximately 13,364 square foot footprint into a 17,841-square-foot facility that will seat 430 people. It will contain a presentation space with a stage and A/V system.
Movable chairs will accommodate theater-style seating and an open floor plan will allow for conferences and similar events. Bisco Presentation Hall will also contain a large, modern kitchen, allowing KCCoC to offer classes and demonstrations. Movable walls will maximize versatility and multi-functionality, allowing for multiple activities to take place simultaneously.
Along with the two existing 200-person capacity presentation spaces, Bisco Presentation Hall will provide KCCoC capacity to present a broad range of activities. It will feature a modern design informed by traditional Korean aesthetics, typified by an emphasis on wood and natural finishes, resulting in a progressive, inviting environment.
In addition to the Bisco Presentation Hall project, new National Endowment for the Humanities Infrastructure and Capacity Building Grants, which leverage federal funds to incentivize private investment in the nation's cultural institutions, will support efforts including the creation of a Yoknapatawpha Humanities Center in Oxford, Mississippi; ADA-compliant accessibility and site improvement at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Connecticut; and digital infrastructure upgrades to the "Freedom on the Move" database of fugitive slave advertisements from 18th- and 19th-century U.S. newspapers at Cornell University.
For information, visit www.neh.gov/news/neh-announces-33-million-213-humanities-projects-nationwide.
The Korean Cultural Center of Chicago is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization with a mission to promote and organize Korean cultural, arts, educational, and community-building activities.
The KCCoC is the Midwest's top destination for people who want to learn about Korea and the Chicago Korean American experience through programs that encourage cross-cultural understanding and embrace and empower all people.
Located in Wheeling, KCCoC offers year-round exhibitions, classes, performances and many other activities designed to celebrate Korean culture, traditions and history.
For information, visit www.kccoc.org.