이숙녀 알재단 대표 & 창설자 > 코리안 아메리칸

The AHL Foundation is a non-profit organization formed in 2003 by Sook Nyu Lee Kim to support Korean artists living in the United States and to promote exposure of their work in today’s highly competitive contemporary art world.

In 2004, the AHL Foundation established an annual competition that is open to all artists of Korean ancestry living in the United States. AHL awards four monetary prizes each year and has been mounting bi-annual exhibitions to display the winning works. Since 2008, AHL has advanced to an annual exhibition, and this year, 2010, AHL has expanded its awards to honor five artists, thus broadening their scope of diversity and opportunity.

AHL Foundation, Inc.’s mission is threefold: 1) to seek and identify talented Korean and Korean-American artists in the United States and to promote their work; 2) to provide the artists with a forum to further develop and promote their talents; and 3) to sponsor cultural, educational, and artistic events whose function is to build a wider public awareness of Korean and Korean-American artists.  AHL seeks to accomplish its mission by promoting the work of emerging Korean and Korean-American artists through exhibitions; informing and educating artists on the business side of the art practice; and building a community of supporters and art enthusiasts (made up of Koreans and non-Koreans alike) by fostering an awareness of the artists and their art through the creation of public art, exhibitions, artist studio visits, lectures, workshops, museum tours and art history classes.  All of AHL’s programs are open to the public.

In 2008, AHL launched art history classes in New York. Courses on modern art, western art, traditional and contemporary Korean and Asian art are offered. We also organize gallery tours and studio visits so that the general public can mingle with artists working in NYC. In addition, AHL conducts workshops and seminars on legal, financial, curatorial issues for artists. Consistent with its mission, AHL will continue these activities while always working to improve and enhance the quality of its programs.

Recipients of AHL Visual Arts Competition Award are thriving as leading contemporary artists. Some of their works are acquired by major public institutions.