Urban Forests Become Havens for Art... ‘2025 Urban Forest Art Therapy’ Expands Nationwide

[Financial News] The ‘2025 Urban Forest Art Therapy’ program will meet citizens in forests, parks, and historic houses across the country.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and Korea Arts & Culture Education Service (KACES), the ‘2025 Urban Forest Art Therapy’ project, designed to support the mental well-being of the public, will be held in eight cities nationwide until November.
Urban Forest Art Therapy is a program that enhances the resilience of individuals and communities by combining nature and art. Experts and institutions in landscaping, ecology, art, and art therapy collaborate to offer a variety of programs in urban forests, parks, and gardens.

The program ‘Meeting Again in the Gaps of Nature’ for those aged 34 and under offers a journey to experience inner healing through literature and nature and to expand social connections. It will be held both online and offline from the 22nd to the 31st.
This five-session program features Hyunwoo Kwon, author of ‘Gap’ and ‘Wagging Its Tail in Delight.’ After meeting online through writing, participants will explore changes of heart at the 3917 Majung Complex Cultural Space in Naju, Jeollanam-do, experiencing its gardens and historic house.
This space is a historic house created by a descendant of Jeong Seok-jin (pen name: Nanpa), a righteous army leader from Naju. It was restored using existing plants and old trees, rather than external resources.
On the 31st, the talk concert ‘Breath; The Landscapes We Meet’ will take place. Author Hyunwoo Kwon and psychiatrist as well as YouTube ‘Doctor Friends’ creator Oh Jin-seung will empathize with young people's anxieties and loneliness, providing a time for self-care.

‘Under the Dangsan Tree at Noon,’ a program for citizens aged 65 and older and citizen gardeners, helps participants regain vitality through music. It will be held from October 21 to November 5 at Pearl in the Forest of Wolasan in Jinju, Gyeongnam.
Pearl in the Forest of Wolasan is a place where citizens joined forces to restore the forest after a massive wildfire in 1995. KACES, together with Jinju City, Jinju Citizen Gardener Association, Forest Healing Instructors, and Forest Interpreters, has designed an art therapy program to care for both the forest and each other.
Led by traditional musician Chu Dahye, with music director Lee Hyang-ha and guitarist Lee Si-moon, the program will present modern interpretations of traditional music and Gyeongsang Province folk songs such as ‘Miryang Arirang’ and ‘Eheori Ssunggeoya.’ All sessions will be filmed and released as a music video.


‘Garden of Quiet Breath,’ where citizens become creators in a city park, will be held from October 28 to November 1 at Dongtan Lake Park in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Inspired by Joseph Beuys’ words, “Everyone is an artist,” this collaborative project invites citizens to build pieces of art and complete a pavilion together.
Programs involving visual, auditory, and hands-on experiences will take place throughout the entire area, from the Waterfront Cultural Plaza to the Metasequoia Trail and Sage’s Garden. Visitors can stroll through the park, reflect on their emotions amid the calming influence of nature and the sensory stimulation of art. Some programs require advance reservations.
Photographer Kyungwoo Chun’s participatory work ‘Listeners of the Forest’ is a project where participants listen to the sounds of the forest and express them through drawings. The sheet music and songs from the workshop ‘Song for Trees,’ held with Hwaseong youth, will be exhibited, allowing citizens to perform and share healing through sound.
Yena Kim, director at Studio Nanadashi, will present an emotion exploration program for adults based on the classic ‘The Snow Queen.’ Participants become ‘emotion travelers’ and explore various feelings in the forest. This program will be offered on the 29th and 30th.

To expand the Urban Forest Art Therapy project model, KACES is collaborating with four arboretums—Sejong National Arboretum, Haeundae Arboretum (Busan), Ulsan Theme Botanic Gardens & Arboretum (Ulsan), and Hwadam Botanic Garden (Gyeonggi)—to develop and operate more in-depth programs. Six artists and fourteen art educators have created art therapy programs tailored to the ecology and local characteristics of each arboretum.
On the 25th, the ‘Healim(林) Forest’ festival for Urban Forest Art Therapy will be held at the festival grounds of Sejong National Arboretum. The event will feature art therapy experiences, talk concerts, and exhibitions with public participation. Local artists from arboretum regions, including Sejong National Arboretum, will share their achievements and case studies.
Chang-joon Park, acting president of KACES, stated, “We have prepared the Urban Forest Art Therapy project to provide opportunities for people to deeply experience art and face their emotions in gardens across the country where they seek peace of mind. We will continue to develop and expand various cultural and art therapy programs so that people can encounter culture and art in their daily lives and care for their inner selves.”

jashin@fnnews.com Shin Jin-a Reporter