Open to artists, arts organizations and creative collectives — one-day immersive workshops brought directly to schools
Applications accepted through June 3; activities planned at elementary and middle schools from July to December
Mapo-gu and the Mapo Cultural Foundation are accepting applications through June 3 for the 2026 Mapo Culture and Arts Education "Imagination Switch" content competition, which aims to bring artistic inspiration into the daily lives of local youth.
The district declared itself an "Education Special District" last October, adopting a vision of building "an education-centered city where all generations grow together." Since then, it has worked to advance arts, culture and physical education projects in partnership with the broader community.
The "Imagination Switch" competition is part of the Mapo Education Cooperation Special District project. It is designed to connect artists with school education, expand cultural arts education opportunities for young people, and — as the name suggests — flip a new switch in their everyday routines.
The competition is open to artists, arts organizations and creative collectives with an interest in or experience with youth arts education. All cultural and artistic genres and formats are eligible.
Entries that break from conventional arts education frameworks will be prioritized. Judges will focus particularly on content that reflects an artist's own creative vision rather than lessons centered on simple skill acquisition.
Around 10 programs will be selected in total.
Selected artists will introduce their content to school representatives through a showcase, then go through a school-matching process before presenting their programs to students at local elementary and middle schools from July through December.
Each program will follow a one-day immersive arts activity format — a workshop of 80 to 90 minutes in which an entire class engages with the artistic experience.
Application and proposal forms are available on the notice board of the Mapo Art Center website. Submissions are accepted by email until midnight on June 3. Final results will be announced in the third week of June.
"In keeping with Mapo's name as an Education Special District, we will continue to expand a wide range of cultural arts education programs so that young people can build their artistic sensibility and creativity," a Mapo-gu official said. "We hope many artists who want to share a special artistic experience with youth will take an interest."
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