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Armenian Museum of America Appoints Jennifer Liston Munson as Executive Director

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Jennifer Liston Munson as Executive Director

The Board of Trustees at the Armenian Museum of America announced on Feb. 28, the appointment of Jennifer Liston Munson as the Armenian Museum’s next Executive Director.

Jennifer’s association with the organization first began in 2011 when she was introduced to the museum by portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh’s widow, Estrellita Karsh. It was at that time that Jennifer, one of the leading professionals from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, along with her colleague Keith Crippen, transformed the first floor of the Museum in preparation for the “Karsh: Celebrating Humanity and Highlights from the Collection” exhibitions.

Following this transformational project, the Executive Committee at the Museum contracted Jennifer for a number of other projects. Her work has always been of the highest caliber and has brought a new level of excellence and awareness to the Armenian Museum. She designed the Simourian Family Galleries which feature the exhibition Objects That Transcend, a display of newly-acquired metalwork, and the Adele and Haig Der Manuelian Contemporary Galleries, where she curated and designed Scars of Silence, an installation of video and photography by Nubar Alexanian that explores the subconscious suppression of loss by three generations of Armenian-Americans. In 2017 she worked with graphic designer Andrew Wollner to create the rebranding and identity program for the museum, which draws from an expressive symbol of eternity carved on a 12th-century Armenian monastery to form a distinctive logo that, combined with the tagline art, culture, & eternity, sets the tone for the reinvention of the museum.

“During Jennifer’s association with the Armenian Museum, she developed a great love and passion for Armenian art, history, and culture. One of her many goals will be to develop programs and exhibitions to expand visibility of the museum to a wider audience within both the Armenian and non-Armenian communities,” the museum’s Board of Trustees said in a statement. “The Board feels extremely fortunate to have someone with her extensive experience and creativity leading the museum at this pivotal time in the organization’s history,” the statement went on.

Liston Munson received her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tufts University, and a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Loughborough College of Art and Design in England. Prior to her work as a senior member of the Exhibitions and Design Department at the MFA, she was a 2001 Traveling Scholar at the MFA. Jennifer maintains a professional art practice. Her work is held in many corporate and private collections.

The Armenian Museum of America houses and preserves objects of art and culture collected from Armenian families and donors from around the world. The museum holds its collection in trust for future generations as objects of witness and survival to serve as a record of Armenian creativity, ingenuity, and wisdom for those who are familiar with Armenian history and culture, as well as for those to whom these objects, manuscripts, and ephemera are a new experience.

Armenian Assembly Co-Chairs Advocate for Key Priorities in Washington, D.C., Rep. Pingree Joins Armenian Caucus

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Armenian Assembly of America Co-Chair Van Krikorian, His Eminence Abp. Vicken Aykazian, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), and Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Co-Chairs Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian, along with Executive Director Bryan Ardouny and Grassroots & Development Associate Mariam Khaloyan, held meetings earlier this month in Washington, D.C. with Members of Congress and the State Department, advocating for priority issues of concern to Armenian Americans.

“As Turkey unfortunately continues to radically distance itself from the West and expands its established pattern of duplicity and unreliability, the United States needs to recalibrate policies, call balls and strikes fairly, strengthen its relationships with Armenia and Artsakh, and establish clarity on Turkey’s responsibilities for failing to implement the Protocols on normalizing relations and opening the border with Armenia. The  U.S. needs to start communicating the consequences of both Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s deep ties to terrorism, interference in U.S. politics, and condemnable actions in Syria and the region, especially as Azerbaijan continues to violate cease-fire agreements as an aggressor to prop up the Aliyev regime,” Assembly Co-Chairs Krikorian and Barsamian said.

While on Capitol Hill, the Assembly met with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA). The Diocesan Legate of the Armenian Church of America, Abp. Vicken Aykazian, joined the Assembly to discuss a broad range of issues, including the plight of Christians in the Middle East and the Artsakh peace process.

During their meeting with Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chair Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), who spoke about his recent visit to Armenia and Artsakh, Barsamian emphasized the importance of seeing firsthand the challenges in the region, especially given Azerbaijan’s ongoing hostile actions and their deadly consequences. Barsamian thanked the Congressman for his leadership in demining efforts in Artsakh, as well as his work to strengthen U.S.-Armenia relations. The Assembly expressed its deep appreciation to Rep. Valadao for spearheading a bipartisan amendment to ensure continued funding for demining projects in Artsakh. The amendment, which called for $1.5 million in funding, was adopted as part of consideration of H.R.3354, which consolidated numerous Fiscal Year 2018 appropriations bills.

Armenian Assembly Co-Chairs likewise discussed U.S.-Armenia relations with various congressional offices, including Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), Rep. Steve King (R-IA), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME).

Thereupon, Congresswoman Pingree agreed to join the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. She serves on the House Appropriations Committee and represents Maine’s first congressional district.

“I am honored to join my colleagues in the Armenian Caucus. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with many Armenian-Americans who live in in my district and I am thrilled to join this Caucus to advance United-States Armenian relations,” Rep. Pingree told the Assembly.

In addition to meetings with Congress, the Assembly also held discussions with U.S. State Department officials with respect to ongoing developments in the region, including the treatment of minority communities in Turkey, the confiscation and physical damage to the Armenian cathedral Surp Giragos in Diyarbakir, and current conditions in Artsakh after Azerbaijan escalated its daily ceasefire violations into outright warfare in April 2016. They also discussed the United States’ reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.