Studying 서예 (Calligraphy) in Jeonju with 산민

The following is information I received from a local expat, Philip, who has participated in a Calligraphy school in Jeonju for about a year.

Location

The place I go to is called 산민 서실. 산민 is the ‘pen name’ of the teacher. He’s been teaching for about 30 to 40 years and comes across as a really calm, lovely guy. The 서실 is on the fourth floor of 모닝 타워; very close to the train station Home Plus.

http://maps.naver.com/local/siteview.nhn?code=17471211

Membership

Membership at the 서실 is W100,000 per calendar month plus materials (a brush when you start and ink and a stack of paper as needed – the paper is around W10,000 per time). It’s open between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday, usually with a 30 minute break when everyone goes for lunch.

It’s busiest in the afternoons, fairly quiet in the mornings. The teacher is there most of the time, but another lady runs the administration side of things. The vast majority of members are retired folk (or getting close to that stage). Anyone considering joining up will need at least a basic grasp of Korean.

Instruction is individual, you just go whenever you want to during the week and when the teacher thinks you’re getting good enough at the last characters you learned he will teach you some more. At the beginning though all you’ll do is paint straight lines, parallel lines, right angle lines then curved lines for about a month or two until you’ve become proficient in the subtleties of the brushstrokes.

The Teacher

1. Pen name: 산민 (山民)
2. Real name: 이용 (李鏞)
3. Website: http://www.sanmin.co.kr/profile/profile_kor.asp
4. Second profile page: Jeonju Cultural Foundation
5. Began teaching at Jeonju University in 1987

As you can see from his website, 산민 has published numerous books, been featured in quite a few news articles, and had some of his work featured at the Jeonju Sori Cultural Center.

Quick Info

• Teacher:  산민 (山民)
• Address: 전북 전주시 덕진구 인후동 2가 1574-5 모닝타워 4층 완석재 (산민서실)
• Phone: 063-243-4509
• Class Fees: 100,000W / mth + material fees
• Time: M-F 9am-4pm

Anyone who is interested in learning 서예 would do well to look this gentleman up. He has a depth of knowledge and experience that spans decades.

Interested in 서예? Or know of another master + studio (in Jeonju or out of Jeonju)? Leave us a Comment or drop us a message to let us know all about it!

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