The Transformation of a Vacant Traditional-Market Storefront... Duksung Women’s University Opens Cultural Space ‘Jangmi On’ at Jangmiwon Market

[Financial News] A university has stepped beyond the ivory tower to establish a cultural and arts hub connecting residents and young people in the alleys of a traditional market. It has transformed a neglected vacant storefront into an open space for exhibitions and communication, presenting a model of shared growth designed to revitalize the local commercial district.
Duksung Women’s University announced on the 16th that it will open ‘Jangmi On,’ a local cultural and arts hub inside Jangmiwon Market in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, on the 18th and begin full-scale operations.
The space was formerly an unused facility in the market that had remained vacant for some time following an unpleasant incident. Duksung Women’s University renovated it into a cultural space where residents, merchants, and young people can interact in their daily lives. Rather than limiting its use to one-off events, the university plans to operate it as an on-site collaboration hub offering exhibitions, educational activities, and resident-participation programs on an ongoing basis.
The inaugural event marking the opening of the space is the youth-curated exhibition ‘As You Are, Hello.’ It offers visitors an opportunity to view 12 works from the MMCA Art Bank collection inside the market. Five undergraduate and graduate students from Duksung Women’s University’s art history program led the entire process, from selecting the works and designing the space to managing the exhibition on site.
The exhibition is organized around three themes—‘Hello to Me,’ ‘Hello to You,’ and ‘As You Are, Hello’—and reflects on the meaning of individuals and communities. It will run from the 18th through the 5th of next month, alongside resident-participation workshops for visitors.
The Regional Collaboration Center of Duksung Women’s University’s Anchor Project Group, which spearheaded the initiative, plans to gradually expand the on-site hub model to other regions based on its operational achievements at Jangmiwon Market.

[email protected] Man-gi Kim Reporter