A photo exhibition dedicated to the Armenian Genocide opened in the Yerevan History Museum on Tuesday, bringing to light the personal tragedies and stories of many survivors.
Entitled “Over 100”, the event is an attempt to display the recollections and evidence preserved 100 years after the tragic crime, said Inna Mkhitaryan, a photographer and documentalist who initiated the project.
“As the Genocide centenary neared, I found myself more deeply immersed in thoughts; so I came up with the idea of this exhibition. Through the 30 photographs on display, I have tried to feature survivors and split families. I also made an attempt to address culture, which too, is of a key significance,” she noted.
Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan, who attended the exhibition, honored Mkhitaryan with an acknowledgement award.
Among the guests was also renowned composer Tigran Mansuryan, who was the hero of one of the photos on display.
Speaking to reporters at the event, the musician emphasized the importance of collecting reminiscences and keeping them in memory as living heritage.
“When we lose memory, that’s the biggest loss after so many losses suffered. Our memory should be responsible for living with the lost [past] and keeping it alive at present. Preserving every single relic is important, be it a piece of painting, music or word,” he added.
Robert Mirak – Genocide Survivors, Community Builders: The Family of John and Artemis Mirak
Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF) Genocide Memories Release Date
ARLINGTON, Mass. – Genocide Survivors, Community Builders: The Family of John and Artemis Mirak is the story of two Armenian orphans taken from their homes in the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide, and lives in New York, where they became a example of courage and success in their non-Armenian community and Armenian.
The family history was written by their eldest son, Dr. Robert Mirak, author of Torn Between Two Lands: Armenians in America, 1890 to World War I (Harvard University Press, 1983). At the center is Zaven Mirakian (now John Mirak), a tireless businessman, ambitious and talented, who started from nothing, builds an impressive and innovative automotive company Mirak Chevrolet and associates, for which he was recognized local and national level. He also enjoyed success in major real estate projects around Boston. It has even devoted his time and resources to a variety of charities since the city of Arlington in favor of Armenian community organizations, as well as hospitals and clinics worldwide. His wife, Artemis (née Aramian) not only helped her husband in his business, but while he was overseas during World War II, it has also raised their four children, encouraging them to pursue studies graduate and succeed.
This book is also a study in terms of acculturation, tracing the evolution of the family, his immigrant origins to the middle and upper class. It highlights the tensions of the second generation, caught between the cultures of the Old World to one side, and the New World on the other. It also shows how children and grandchildren of the founders maintained family service traditions, especially with the Armenian community in the United States and Armenia.
Published by the Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF) in Arlington, this illustrated study is available at the headquarters of the ACF, 441 Mystic St., Arlington, and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), 395 Concord Ave . Belmont (MA).
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Source: http://armenianweekly.com/2014/05/08/acf-releases-genocide-memoir/
Translation: © Georges Festa – 01.2015