Modern and contemporary history explored through ‘cement’... Hanyang University Museum wins top global university museum award

[Financial News] Hanyang University Museum has received the highest honor in the global university museum field for a special exhibition that reinterpreted Korea’s modern and contemporary history through cement, an ordinary building material.
Hanyang University Museum announced on the 19th that it had received the ‘2026 UMAC Award of Excellence’ for its ‘CEMENT: MOMENT’ project. The award ceremony took place on the 14th at the annual meeting of the International Committee for University Museums and Collections, held at the University of Patras in Greece. The committee is part of the International Council of Museums.
The International Committee for University Museums and Collections Award is an international prize presented after an overall assessment of innovation and excellence, potential for the work to be adopted by other museums, and its impact on local communities, among other criteria, across university museums worldwide and projects that make use of their collections. This year, Hanyang University Museum took the top prize among three finalist projects, which included entries from City University of Hong Kong and Lahore College for Women University in Pakistan.
The winning ‘CEMENT: MOMENT’ was a project carried out in 2024 that viewed cement not simply as a building material, but as a lens through which to see changes in Korean society. Using cement as its theme, it explored 100 years of Korea’s modern and contemporary history, from the exploitation of resources during Japanese colonial rule to postwar reconstruction and rapid urbanization.
A key feature was its expansion beyond the display of historical materials to include contemporary art, engineering research, and community participation programs. Working with a range of partners, including the Korea Cement Association, the Seongdong Cultural Foundation, social enterprises, and artists, the museum presented a new role for university museums as a link between academia, industry, art, and local communities.
The exhibition also drew a strong audience. A total of 41,572 people visited the museum, and ‘Flowing Concrete,’ a winning entry in a student competition, was made into a physical structure and installed at the museum entrance. The museum also published a 241-page archival catalog documenting the project’s process and outcomes. Local tour programs involving foreign visitors and people with developmental disabilities continue to operate even after the project ended.
Building on these achievements, Hanyang University Museum has received a series of awards recognizing its planning and results, including the Korean Association of University Museums’ 2024 University Museum of the Year Award and the 2025 academic award from the National Museum of Korea Association, followed by this international prize.
Hanyang University Museum Director An Shin-won said, “I’m pleased that our effort to revisit the role of university museums through a material like cement, which is close to our lives but often goes unnoticed, has been recognized by colleagues around the world.” An added, “This award belongs to all the experts and artists who worked with us, our partner organizations, and the Seongdong-gu community.”

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter