Glendale: Atrocity on exhibit in ‘Armenia: An Open Wound’ #ArmenianGenocide

April 21, 2016 By administrator

Glendale city officials and community leaders recently unveiled an exhibition at the Brand Library and Art Center that explores the history of the Armenian people as well as the context and aftermath of the Armenian Genocide.

“Armenia: An Open Wound,” which opened Saturday to a crowd of about 500 attendees, runs Tuesdays through Saturdays until June 11. Admission is free.

The exhibition — presented by the city’s Library, Arts and Culture Department in partnership with the Armenian American Museum — takes between 30 to 45 minutes to walk through. It comes to Glendale after a one-year run in Mexico City’s Museum of Memory and Tolerance, where it was created.

Visitors start “Armenia: An Open Wound” in a room dedicated to the history and origins of Armenia. It includes a scale replica of Ani, a medieval Armenian community, now in ruins, in present-day Turkey.

The second area delves into the atrocities, including targeted massacres, committed against the Armenian people from approximately 1821 to 1918.

The subsequent section, called the Blood and Sand Memorial, includes a life-size photo of Tsitsernakaberd, an Armenian Genocide memorial erected in Yerevan. Hundreds of flowers were placed in front of the Tsitsernakaberd photo Saturday.

The center of the photo has also been cut out, allowing visitors to pass through it and into a separate room behind that transports them into the Deir ez-Zor desert in Syria. The room, which has dirt on the ground, features 360-degree photos of the barren landscape. Playing in the background is music featuring the duduk, an Armenian woodwind instrument.

The Deir ez-Zor scene commemorates and symbolizes the harsh journeys imposed upon the Armenian people, who were forced to leave their ancestral homeland, organizers say. It also shows how isolated they became and even where they died, hence the name “blood and sand,” said Tigranna Zakaryan, community outreach director for the Armenian American Museum.

“Armenia: An Open Wound ” will have personal meaning to almost every Armenian, added Zaven Kazazian, a member of the museum’s executive committee. Recalling the exhibition’s name, he said that chapter in Armenia’s history is still an “open wound” because the Turks have never admitted “that they committed these atrocities.”

Cathy Billings, senior library, arts and culture supervisor for the Brand Library, said the galleries have never shown an exhibition of such scale before. Walls had to be built quickly to create the narrative path in time for the opening on Saturday.

“It’s totally new for us,” she said.

“Armenia: An Open Wound” includes free special events on particular topics, the first of which will be from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. Titled “Global Realities, Local Perspectives,” it will feature refugee-rights professionals talking about humanitarian assistance.

For more information about the exhibition, visit www.armenianamericanmuseum.org or call the Brand Library at (818) 548-2051.

The Brand Library and Art Center is located at 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale.

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Bradley Zint, bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @BradleyZint

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Armenian Genocide documentary to premiere Thursday in Glendale

Russia: Putin, Sargsyan to unveil exclusive Armenian exhibit in Moscow

March 3, 2016 By administrator

207385 President Serzh Sargsyan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will participate in the March 10 opening of the exhibition “Armenia: Legend of Existence” at Moscow State Historical Museum.

The event will for the first time unveil over 160 unique exhibits from three top Armenian museums – History Museum, Museums of Holy Echmiadzin, and Matenadaran, the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts – to broad Russian audiences.

According to a statement on the Moscow museum’s website, the exhibition will feature a rich collection of artifacts found on the territory of modern Armenia and covering the entire history of its people, as well as Urartian monuments and religious items from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

An important part of the exposition is ancient manuscripts, representing the spiritual and cultural heritage of Armenia, currently kept in Matenadaran.

ANCA-WR’s ‘America We Thank You’ Exhibit to Debut at Los Angeles Public Library

February 23, 2015 By administrator

The ‘America We Thank You’ exhibit to debut at LA Public Library on March 6

LA Mayor Eric Garecetti and Councilman Paul Krekorian are Co-sponsors of exhibit, which will kick off March 6 with opening reception

GLENDALE—The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region’s “America We Thank You (AWTY): An Armenian Tribute to Near East Relief” committee invites the community to attend its opening reception on Friday, March 6, 2015 at 6:30pm in the Rotunda of the Los Angeles Public Library’s Central Branch to celebrate the premiere of and be the first to view the ‘America We Thank You’ Travel Exhibit, which spotlights the unprecedented humanitarian efforts of the Near East Relief (NER) from 1915-1930. The Exhibit and opening reception is co-sponsored by Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian and the Los Angeles Public Library.

The ‘America We Thank You’ Exhibit, co-curated with NER successor, Near East Foundation, will be housed at the Library’s Atrium from March 7 through April 30 and highlights the outpouring of generosity by the American people and government during and in the immediate aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, under the auspices of the NER. The NER’s efforts manifested into an international endeavor for the rescue and rehabilitation of hundreds of thousands of Armenian Genocide survivors.

“It is an honor to feature the story of NER, which represents a magnanimous yet unfortunately oft-forgotten chapter in American history. As descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors who were saved and sustained through an American led campaign that ultimately spanned the globe, it is our duty to not only bestow our gratitude and appreciation, but to share this story with the world,” remarked AWTY co-chairperson Vanna Kitsinian, Esq.

“We are privileged to partner with the historic Los Angeles Public Library to showcase our visually compelling Exhibit and are extremely grateful for their support alongside that of Mayor Garcetti, and Councilmember Krekorian for co-sponsoring our Exhibit and our opening reception on March 6,” acknowledged AWTY co-chairperson Hermineh Papakhanians.

The Exhibit, with its 28 color panels measuring an impressive six feet by three feet, is comprised of high-quality scans of official correspondence, biographies of missionaries and relief workers who lived, volunteered and served on the ground, as well as treasured archival photographs, some of which have only recently been accessed and offer new insight to NER’s impactful legacy in saving a people under the threat of total annihilation.

“One the eve of the Armenian Genocide Centennial, as we remember and honor the martyred lives of our 1.5 million ancestors who suffered the perils of forced deportation and tragic death, we also pay special tribute to all those who heard the Armenian pleas for help, and responded swiftly and generously on an unprecedented and almost unimaginable scale. On behalf of every Armenian life NER rescued, we collectively echo, “America, We Thank You,” expressed ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan.

Admission to the reception is open to all and free of charge, though space is limited and guests are encouraged to RSVP online by February 27 by visiting www.ancawr.org/AWTYExhibit The Central Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library is located at 630 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles CA 90071. Those who wish to view the Exhibit during March 7 – April 30 should confirm the Library’s hours of operation. The Library is open seven days a week, but hours vary. Admission to view the Exhibit throughout its duration in the Library’s Atrium is free of charge.

To learn more about the mission and activities of “America We Thank You” please visit www.AmericaWeThankYou.org

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.