Aimee Lee is one of nine winners of the 2024 Midwest Culture Bearers Award. This award celebrates artisans and folk arts practitioners whose work is rooted in cultural preservation and sharing knowledge with the next generation.
“I practice Korean papermaking and allied crafts: making hanji (Korean paper), jiseung (hanji basketry), joomchi (texturing and fusing hanji), natural dyes, and toolmaking (bamboo screens to make hanji). I share these practices widely in person, in print, and online, to raise awareness and appreciation for Korean paper culture, history, folklore, and global impact.
Born in the US to Korean immigrants, I began to research hanji in 2007 and earned two Fulbright grants and a Kittredge grant for multiple trips to Korea starting in 2008. I studied with national and regional bearers of intangible heritage and conducted my research in Korean. I built and enhanced the first hanji studios in North America, wrote a book about hanji, share print and digital resources about my ongoing research, and teach widely.
I contribute to Korean and American culture by safeguarding Korean papermaking through documentation and practice, while growing an American branch of hanji. Bilingual, I can navigate Korean and American cultures to translate and share hanji with wider audiences, which supports Korean efforts, and am the go-to hanji expert for academic, professional, and private projects. Alongside my students, my multi-faceted work evolves hanji’s future in the US and abroad.”
