The Met’s president highlights Armenian culture at special luncheon

December 20, 2018 By administrator

The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) recently hosted a luncheon at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, which featured remarks by The Met’s President and CEO Daniel H. Weiss, “Armenia!” exhibit curator Dr. Helen Evans, and Armenia’s newly appointed Ambassador to the United States, the Honorable Varuzhan Nersesyan.

Following the luncheon, guests were given a special tour of the “Armenia!” exhibition by the catalogue contributor Dr. Rachel Goshgarian, who is also an intern alumna of the Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program.

“On behalf of the Armenian Assembly of America, we extend our deep appreciation to Met President and CEO Daniel Weiss, exhibit curator Dr. Helen Evans, and Ambassador Nersesyan for their insightful remarks. It was a fantastic afternoon, and we would especially like to thank Dr. Rachel Goshgarian for leading the tours, going above and beyond to explain the importance of each artifact,” stated Assembly Board Member Alex Karapetian, who spearheaded the event. “We strongly encourage everyone to attend with family and friends. It is truly amazing,” he added.

Met President Weiss thanked the guests for attending the exhibit, noting Dr. Evans’ hard work and dedication which made the “Armenia!” exhibition the success that it is today. To date, The Met recorded over 152,000 visitors to the “Armenia!” exhibit, with even more views on its website which features an interactive map of Armenians in the Medieval World. The interactive map will remain accessible to the public even after the “Armenia!” exhibit concludes on January 13th.

Dr. Evans addressed the audience with her overarching goal of the exhibit. She explained her hope for the larger public – those who do not know what or where Armenia is – to leave The Met more interested in Armenia and its culture. And, thanks to her efforts, Dr. Evans’ goal has been a success. She told the guests at the luncheon that people are leaving more fascinated with Armenia and want to learn more. She also noted that almost every University in the area is featuring a class on The Met’s “Armenia!” exhibit, including her own course at Columbia University as the Nikit and Eleanora Ordjanian Visiting Professor, called “Origins of Armenian Art: Creating An Identity.”

The “Armenia!” exhibit features more than 140 objects, including opulent gilded reliquaries, richly illuminated manuscripts, rare textiles, cross stones (khachkars), precious liturgical furnishings, church models, and printed books – most of which are on view in the United States for the first time. It explores the arts and culture of the Armenians from their conversion to Christianity in the early 4th century through their leading role on international trade routes in the 17th century.

Here’s How Kim Kardashian’s Armenian Culture Still Influences Her Life

March 16, 2018 By administrator

Kim Kardashian’s Armenian Culture Still Influences Her

By Emy LaCroix,

Our queen Kim Kardashian may have been born and raised in SoCal, but she still has Armenian blood running through her veins. The reality star has been super outspoken about how important her Armenian culture is to her, and no matter how famous she’s gotten, she’s never lost sight of who she really is.

When it came to celebrating her birthday in October 2017, Kim gathered all of her family and friends at Carousel in LA. The Armenian restaurant has been a favorite of her family’s since she was a little girl, and she was thrilled to receive an “Armenian style” white cake with her photo on it for the special occasion.

However, being Armenian is more than just enjoying the food to Kim. In 2016 she wrote an open letter in TIME magazine to raise awareness for the Armenian genocide. “When we grew up, all my father did was talk about our heritage,” she explained. “It was such a big part of our life: We’d eat Armenian food, we would listen to stories — my dad was really outspoken about our history.” That history included her great-great-grandparents leaving Armenia before the 1915 war. “Had they not escaped, we wouldn’t be here,” she wrote.

Kim and her sisters actually went to Armenia in 2015 to visit with their cousins and bring awareness to their country’s struggles. “An emotional day at the genocide museum,” she tweeted, along with a photo of herself at the museum. She and Khloe also visited the Dzidzernagapert Armenian Genocide monument’s eternal flame, and left flowers to honor the fallen. “My sister and I are trying to bring awareness not only to our Armenian genocide but genocides and human slaughter, in general,” said Khloe. “Knowledge is power!” We love how the Kardashians never lose sight of who they are!

Source: http://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/kim-kardashian-armenian-156064

Ruth Thomasian: Project SAVE helps Armenian culture connect to its roots

February 15, 2018 By administrator

Ruth Thomasian

Nonprofit has collected 45,000 photographs of Armenian culture.

With no homeland, a genocide, and a lack of information, how can a culture be remembered?

Ruth Thomasian was asking those questions of her Armenian heritage in the 1970s, wondering about that part of her identity and the people that came before her.

She found out the village where her family was from the village of Anchertee which is Armenian for “without water” in the state of Arabkir. Living in “Water town” now the history comes full circle, Thomasian says.

Based on what she learned about her family and based on her love of history she decided to take on the preservation of Armenian culture herself and created a place where that history could not only be preserved but valued.

She created Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives in 1975.

Thomasian is founder and president of the nonprofit.

“I started it back in 1975 when I, as a young person, was looking for my identity living in New York City,” she said. “I was working in the theater as a costume designer and I got a play to costume and there was no research to show me what people looked like from the homeland.”

More than four decades later, the nonprofit has collected 45,000 photographs and has digitized 8,500 of them since 2009.

“Our mission is to collect these photographs document them and also make them available,” said Tsoleen Sarian, executive director of Project SAVE Armenian Photographs Archives. “We are always growing and looking to help people connect with the photographs and see things they have in common whether its by place or time and the more we collect the richer the tapestry becomes.”

Photos from Project SAVe were part of a Netflix documentary “They Shall Not Perish: The Story of Near East Relief” by George Billard. The documentary featured nine photographs from Project SAVE’s collection that detailed life before and after the genocide of the early twentieth century where approximately a million Armenians were killed.

“It’s intrigued me putting the pieces of the diaspora back together through the photographs,” said Suzanne Adams, archivist, for Project SAVE. Adams has been at the nonprofit for the past 11 years and has helped to digitize the collection to allow the photos to be shared across all mediums.

Collecting is a constant process. Many photos have been found in garage sales and through a variety of donors. There have been 1,550 donors of photos to date.

There is a use for old photos and they matter, Sarian says.

“If they don’t know what to do with photographs if they don’t know the people in the photographs anymore those photographs are very valuable to us,” she said. “We want to collect them the more information someone has the better obviously we want people to know that we collect photographs and we are then able to use them and share them and tell their stories.

“They were important people and even after the genocide even all around the world those people have stories and we want to share them and we can share them if they’re with us,” she added.

Project SAVE can help families connect the dots with their past. Often one photo can help others remember.

“Before it used to be your family’s recollections or stories but now a lot more is available and that’s why I’m interested to is to create this dialogue with people each of us may have a little shred of information but together collectively the whole story comes together,” Sarian said. “And so that’s why it’s important for me to have people talk about this and bring people together about this.”

What started as a personal mission has now taken on a larger meaning, one that Thomasian hope brings a sense of pride and awareness to Armenians seeking more clarity about their history.

“We Armenians have a need–we did not know anything,” she said. “This was one way of finding information that would be otherwise lost we didn’t have a country. If you’re French or Italian you have a country to go to and learn who you are and what your culture is–we didn’t have that. What does it mean to be Armenian? I learned by talking to my surrogate grandparents. All of these photo donors were my elders.

“We had a real deep need emotional need for it so I was willing to spend my time doing it,” she added.

Source: http://watertown.wickedlocal.com/news/20180214/project-save-helps-armenian-culture-connect-to-its-roots

Chennai’s Armenian culture set in stone since 16th Century

February 6, 2018 By administrator

Chennai’s Armenian culture set in stone since 16th Century
Chennai’s Armenian culture

By Thushara Ann Mathew,

CHENNAI: The Aranmanaikaran Street, also known as the Armenian Street is a narrow lane, bustling with shops, shopkeepers, and vehicles, which has been a witness to years of changes in history and culture. But despite all the development in and around the street, what has stayed is a white arch-shaped Armenian church.

The harmonious ringing of bells inside a long, white bell tower welcomes you. This bell which usually rings every Sunday morning, rang on Tuesday to mark the service being offered after more a year. A divine liturgy brings Armenians from across the country and sometimes even from outside India, to come together, deliver their prayers, offerings and to retain the long history of the Armenians in Chennai.

The history of the church dates back to the days of Kojah Petrus Woskan, an Armenian merchant who came to Madras from Manila at a time when the city was like a magnet, because of St Thomas of Cana. “Woskan built the steps of St Thomas Mount church and the Marmalong Bridge. Before he departed, he wrote all of his will to the people of Madras,” said Jude Johnson, the caretaker of the Armenian Church, adding, “You would have noticed the picture of Mother Mary taking Jesus to heaven inside the altar, and it is only in this Armenian Church that you would find such a photo.”

The church, which was built as a wooden structure in 1712, was then reconstructed in stone in 1772. This year, the church had a curtain at the altar to conceal the priest from people, a tradition followed during some parts of the liturgy. Rev Movses Sargysan, pastor and priest from Kolkatta, was seen in a bright traditional cassock and a crown. Accompanying him was a deacon, who said the prayers and songs in Armenian.

At the service was Michael Stephen, one of the last Armenians who lived in Chennai, whose great grandparents came to India in 1810. Michael was a caretaker at the Armenian Church from 1994 to 2004, after which he moved to Kolkatta and then to Bengaluru, where he is now settled with his family. “It was a blessing to have served at the church for 10 years. Attending this service was simply delightful. I’m glad that the priest has agreed to do this every year,” said Michael.

The church was initially built on a cemetery, and has buried the souls of 350 Armenians in its space. A small building next to the bell tower, which used to be a mortuary earlier, is the parish office today. “The last burial was done in 1855. After that we were given a place near the Central Railway Station” he said.
The bell tower is said to be the only church in south India to have six bells. Each bell is a different size and weighs up to 150 kg. One of them has inscriptions in Tamil.

Susan Reuben, warden, Armenian church, Kolkatta, attended the service. She said, “I was here last year too and it feels good to be back. It’s important to retain our culture.”

Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2018/feb/06/chennais-armenian-culture-set-in-stone-since-16th-century-1769390.html

Jewish Armenologist Michael Stone on Armenian culture and unique archaeological discoveries Video

June 12, 2017 By administrator

Michael Stone on Armenian culture

Author Nvard Chalikyan

“When I was doing my PhD I started to learn Armenian. I [also] learned to have great affection for the Armenian people and its creativity. I liked it… I learned to value the music and art through my wife”, – says in the video interview to ScholArm Dr. Michael Stone professor of Armenian studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem who has devoted many years of his life to studying Armenian history and culture; he has authored over 40 books and 400 articles, most of which are on Armenian topics.

He has done many studies of stories related to the Bible in Armenian, about which he says,
“There is an enormous literature of Armenian biblical stories that are not in the Bible but are told retelling the Bible stories. I have recently published a book in Yerevan of texts of this sort, published by Matenadaran [Armenian manuscript museum]”.

Apart from being a scholar and historian Dr. Stone is also a poet and has translated a good deal of medieval Armenian poetry into English, including such work as Adamgirk of Armenian philosopher Arakel Syunetsi.
Dr. Stone also has a great interest in Armenian epigraphy and has himself made discoveries of old Armenian inscriptions.

“I had the great fortune in the late 1970s and early 1980s to work in the Sinai desert. We did find extremely old Armenian inscriptions, not just on Mount Sinai but also in various stopping places in the desert. They were dated archeologically probably between 430 and 440, which means they were written in all likelihood when St. Mesrop Mashtots was still alive”, – he says.

On the pages of one of his books he shows the oldest Armenian writing (inscription) which is an Armenian name written in Armenian alphabet.

“[Those who wrote these names] were in Nazareth, in the Church of Annunciation; then they went to Mount Sinai and wrote their names in both places. The Latins built a new basilica and they found stones underneath, below a mosaic floor that was damaged in an earthquake. We know that there was an earthquake in the middle of the fifth century, in the year 447; so anything under that floor is older than 447. This was quite an extraordinary discovery”, – he says, adding that the director of the archaeological institute of the Armenian academy told him they didn’t have anything of this age.

He has also discovered a special dialect of Armenian that was spoken by the people in Jerusalem who were called gaghatsiner – old Armenian families.

Dr. Stone also speaks about the discovery of a Jewish cemetery in Armenia. Near the village of Yeghegis together with the primate of Vayots Dzor Bishop Abraham Mikirdichian they discovered a cemetery which had inscriptions in Hebrew and Aramaic dating back to the 13th century.

“So there was a Jewish community in Yeghegis for at least 100 years who were buried and who were rich enough to leave gravestones, like the family Orbelian cemetery… This is important, for [we discovered that] there was a Jewish settlement in Armenia in the 13th century. Those people came from Iran… We know from Stepanos Orbelian that there were also Jews in Kapan. So there is a lot of evidence”, – he says. They are currently preparing a book on the history of Jews in Armenia together with philologist Aram Topchyan.
Speaking about the Armenian Genocide Dr. Stone says, “I as a human being am profoundly committed to recognition and restitution of the Armenian Genocide… [The recognition of the Armenian Genocide] is important for any human being first of all. Second, I think we underwent the same thing… It was Genocide and we should recognize it – it is just a moral imperative… When you think of the riches that the people had produced… I was in Istanbul (Constantinople we say) some years ago, and I saw the chemaran [academy] in which the great Armenian linguist Acharyan studied. It was a great culture – music, food, language and dialects”.

There are Armenian classes currently held in Hebrew University of Jerusalem; the program has about 30 students. Dr. Stone used to teach Armenian and also Medieval Armenian, and though he has retired he still continues to teach Grabar (Classical Armenian) for advanced students. His former student currently teaches Armenian as well. In the university they commemorate the date of the Armenian Genocide as an official university function.

They also often invite visiting professors of Armenian studies from abroad, among them Theo Van Lint (professor of Armenian literature at Oxford) and others.

Dr. Stone has been to Armenia for many times and visits annually to continue his work.