Our History
The New York Korean Performing Arts Center (NYKPAC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, cultivating, and sharing traditional Korean culture in North America.
The group consists of professional performers in Korean traditional music and dance from the Korean-American community in the New York area, committed to promoting intercultural understanding and appreciation of Korea’s artistic heritage and history.
Founded in 1986 by Sue Yeon Park as the 'Korean Traditional Arts Community,' the organization received growing community support and, in 1990, changed its name to the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Association (KTPAA). In 1993, KTPAA was formally recognized by the State of New York as a non-profit organization. Since 1998, it has received annual grants from the Folk Arts Program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
In 2010, KTPAA opened a studio (now closed) near Koreatown in midtown Manhattan to strengthen its connection with the local Korean community. The organization officially changed its name to The New York Korean Performing Arts Center (NYKPAC) at that time.
NYKPAC has played a key role in fostering pride in Korean culture among second-generation Korean Americans and Korean adoptees, while also promoting intercultural dialogue with the broader American society.
SUE YEON PARK 박수연 Founder & Artistic Director 2008 NEA National Heritage Fellow
Sue Yeon Park is a distinguished Korean artist who learned traditional dance and music under the guidance of Master Yi Mae-Bang, a Living National Treasure recognized by the Government of Korea. Sue Yeon Park herself has earned the prestigious titles of yisuja, awarded by the Ministry of Culture of South Korea, for achieving the highest level of mastery in salpuri-chum (Shaman ritual dance) and seungmu (Buddhist ritual dance).
In 1982, Sue Yeon Park immigrated to the United States and later founded the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Association (now The New York Korean Performing Arts Center, or NYKPAC, since 2010). Her mission was to teach young people and continue the preservation and performance of Korean music and dance traditions.
Sue Yeon Park’s dedication to the arts has earned her numerous accolades. In 2004, she received the New York State Governor’s Award for Excellence for her outstanding contributions to the presentation and preservation of Korean traditional arts. Four years later, in 2008, she was named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts, recognizing her nearly three-decade-long effort to bring traditional Korean arts to American audiences. She is the first Korean American artist to receive this prestigious honor.
As the leader of her performing group, Sue Yeon Park and her ensemble have performed at numerous festivals and performing arts centers across the United States. She has also been a dedicated instructor at Camp Friendship, an organization in New Jersey serving Korean-born adopted children.
One of her nominators describes her as: "Humble, selfless, poised, and unwavering in her strength of mind to share and teach others about Korean traditional arts."