Armenian American Museum

Last updated
Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California
Armenian American Museum
Interactive fullscreen map
Established2014
Location Glendale, California
Coordinates 34°08′36″N118°15′16″W / 34.14332°N 118.25456°W / 34.14332; -118.25456
TypeHistory and culture of Armenian Americans
Public transit access LAMetroLogo.svg Metro
BSicon BUS3.svg Broadway/Brand (2027)
Bus-logo.svg 92 Bus-logo.svg 94 Bus-logo.svg 180 Bus-logo.svg 501 Bus-logo.svg 603
Glendale Beeline
Bus-logo.svg 1 Bus-logo.svg 3 Bus-logo.svg 4 Bus-logo.svg 5 Bus-logo.svg 6 Bus-logo.svg 11
Website

The Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California is an upcoming museum in Glendale, California, United States, and dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Armenian Americans. The museum, which is expected to open in the summer of 2024, intends to explore Armenian history along with Armenian American contemporary culture.

Contents

History

Early years

In 2014, during planning of commemorations for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee – Western USA (AGCC – WUSA) met with officials from the city of Glendale, California to discuss the establishment of a museum. [1]

In 2015, the museum's board of trustees was established, entrusting the governance of the project to ten Armenian American cultural, philanthropic, and religious non-profit organizations. The Board of Trustees includes the Armenian Catholic Eparchy, Armenian Cultural Foundation, Armenian Evangelical Union of North America, Armenian General Benevolent Union Western District, Armenian Missionary Association of America, Armenian Relief Society Western USA, Nor Or Charitable Foundation, Nor Serount Cultural Association, Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America and Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. [2]

Site selection and museum design

In 2015, four museum designs, by Yazdani Studio of Cannon Design, Belzberg Architects, Frederick Fisher and Partners, and Alajajian-Marcoosi Architects, were shortlisted. [3]

California Assemblymember Laura Friedman secured $3 million in the 2017-2018 State Budget signed by Governor Jerry Brown. [4]

In 2018, the Glendale City Council approved the design of the museum and directed City Staff to negotiate the final Ground Lease Agreement for museum's site at Central Park. [5]

In 2019, the Glendale City Council approved schematic designs for an $18.5-million makeover of the city's Central Park. The park is being reconfigured by the city to accommodate the museum. [6]

California Senator Anthony Portantino, who has been collaborating with the Governor Gavin Newsom’s office to educate state officials and colleagues on the historic significance of the project, thanked the Governor for signing California's 2022-2023 State Budget, which allocates $10 million in new funding for the museum. [7]

Construction

A ceremonial groundbreaking was held in July 2021. [8] In November 2022, the museum celebrated the completion of the first phase of construction, featuring the parking garage and building foundation. [9] Structural steel fabrication commenced in December 2023, [10] and the first structural steel beams were erected in January 2024. [11]

In October 2024, the museum held a festival at the neighboring Glendale Central Library, featuring musicians including Tigran Asatryan and Joseph Krikorian. Mayor Elen Asatryan delivered remarks reaffirming the City of Glendale’s long-standing partnership with the museum, noting the importance of such an institution in fostering education, unity, and cultural pride. [12]

Architecture

The nearly 60,000-square-foot museum was designed by Glendale’s Alajajian-Marcoosi Architects. The heavily engraved facade simultaneously references both Mount Ararat, as well as the Verdugo Mountains surrounding the city of Glendale. The two-story museum will include an indoor auditorium and a demonstration kitchen. [13]

Plaza

The backside of the museum is designed to open onto a new central plaza designed by SWA Group. The plaza will connect the museum with the Downtown Central Library, the City's adult recreation center, the Museum of Neon Art, and a series of parks, play areas, and pedestrianized streets. [14]

Exhibits

During the museum's acquisition of exhibits, Executive Chairman Berdj Karapetian stated that “The Armenian culture and history will be the main focus, but we are also planning to present other nations living in California. The Armenian American Museum is going to be a center presenting the Armenian identity and an important circle of cultural cooperation.” [15]

The museum's Permanent Exhibition Committee includes scholars from UCLA Armenian Studies, the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, CSUN Armenian Studies, and the USC Shoah Foundation. [16] The Schematic Design phase of the Permanent Exhibition is led by exhibition design firm Gallagher & Associates. [17]

Permanent exhibition

Ottoman military forces march Armenian men from Kharput to an execution site outside the city (March-June 1915). Marcharmenians.jpg
Ottoman military forces march Armenian men from Kharput to an execution site outside the city (March-June 1915).

Armenian Genocide

Oral histories, including those of genocide survivors, will be critical to telling the story of Armenians, per Shushan Karapetian, deputy director of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, and a member of the museum's permanent exhibition committee. These accounts will likely include survivor interviews preserved by the USC Shoah Foundation. Sedda Antekelian, an education and outreach specialist with the Shoah Foundation, and another member of the museum's permanent exhibition committee, has stated that oral histories that may be included can give voice to more contemporary issues, like the dual identity of Armenian Americans. [18]

Temporary exhibitions

The temporary exhibition galleries will host exhibitions on diverse cultures, subject matters, and experiences to serve as a multicultural bridge. [19]

Auditorium

The Auditorium will present public programming including performances, lectures, film screenings, and special events. [20]

Learning center

The Learning Center will feature state-of-the-art classrooms and offer educational programs for visitors. [21]

Demonstration kitchen

The Demonstration Kitchen will provide interactive cooking experiences. [22]

Management

Governance

Executive Team

The Executive Team provides leadership, strategic planning, and operational support to advance the mission and vision of the Armenian American Museum. [23]

  • Berdj Karapetian (executive chairman)
  • Zaven Kazazian (executive vice chairman)

Board of trustees

The Armenian American Museum's board of trustees is composed of ten Armenian American cultural, philanthropic, and religious non-profit organizations who have united in common cause for a landmark center that will serve the entire community. [24]

Community Involvement

Young Leaders Council

In 2022, the museum launched its Young Professionals Committee to promote the mission of the museum and to connect young professionals. [25] The committee was later renamed the Young Leaders Council. [26] In 2024, the group started a speaker series which features prominent members of the Armenian American community. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Gehry</span> Canadian-American architect (born 1929)

Frank Owen Gehry is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glendale, California</span> City in California, United States

Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the 4th-most populous city in Los Angeles County and the 24th-most populous city in California. It is located about 10 miles (16 km) north of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Armenia, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States

Little Armenia is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, California. It is named after the Armenians who escaped genocide and made their way to Los Angeles during the early part of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Neon Art</span> Art museum in Glendale, California

The Museum of Neon Art (MONA) is an institution that exists to encourage learning and curiosity through the preservation, collection, and interpretation of neon art. The first museum devoted to art that incorporates neon lighting, it exclusively exhibits art in electric media, including kinetic art and outstanding examples of historic neon signs. The collection includes neon signs from the Brown Derby and Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USC Pacific Asia Museum</span> United States historic place

USC Pacific Asia Museum is an Asian art museum located at 46 N. Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armenian Americans</span> Americans of Armenian birth or descent

Armenian Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have total or partial Armenian ancestry. They form the second largest community of the Armenian diaspora after Armenians in Russia. The first major wave of Armenian immigration to the United States took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thousands of Armenians settled in the United States following the alleged Hamidian massacres of the mid-1890s, the alleged Adana massacre of 1909, and the alleged Armenian genocide of 1915–1918 in the Ottoman Empire. Since the 1950s many Armenians from the Middle East migrated to the United States as a result of political instability in the region. It accelerated in the late 1980s and has continued after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 due to socio-economic and political reasons. The Los Angeles area has the largest Armenian population in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armenian National Committee of America</span> Armenian advocacy non-profit organization

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is an Armenian American grassroots organization. Its headquarters is in Washington, D.C., and it has regional offices in Glendale, California, and Watertown, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Armenian sentiment</span> Strong aversion and prejudice against Armenians

Anti-Armenian sentiment, also known as anti-Armenianism and Armenophobia, is a diverse spectrum of negative feelings, dislikes, fears, aversion, racism, derision and/or prejudice towards Armenians, Armenia, and Armenian culture.

Douglas Greenberg is professor emeritus of history at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Previously, he was executive dean of the School of Arts and Sciences (2008–2012) at Rutgers. In the past, he served as a professor of history at the University of Southern California, executive director of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, and president of the Chicago Historical Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Garapedian</span> Armenian-American documentary filmmaker

Carla Garapedian is a filmmaker, director, writer and broadcaster. She directed Children of the Secret State about North Korea and was an anchor for BBC World News. After leaving BBC World, she directed Dying for the President about Chechnya, Lifting the Veil, about women in Afghanistan, Iran Undercover and My Friend the Mercenary about the coup in Equatorial Guinea. Her feature, Screamers, was theatrically released in the U.S. in December 2006 and early 2007, and was on Newsweek's pick of non-fiction films for 2006/7. The Independent called it "powerful" and Larry King for CNN described it as "a brilliant film. Everyone should see it." The New York Times deemed it "invigorating and articulate," while the Los Angeles Times called it "eye-opening." "Carla Garapedian is a screamer, too," said the Washington Post.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard G. Hovannisian</span> American historian (1932–2023)

Richard Gable Hovannisian was an American historian and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is known mainly for his four-volume history of the First Republic of Armenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Portantino</span> American politician (born 1961)

Anthony J. Portantino is an American politician currently serving in the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represents the 25th Senate District which encompasses portions of the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. Portantino was a member of the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2012, representing the 44th Assembly District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum</span> Holocaust / human rights museum in Dallas, TX

The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is a history education museum in Dallas, Texas, in the West End Historic District at the southeast corner of N. Houston Street and Ross Avenue. Its mission is to teach the history of the Holocaust and advance human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference. It features climate-controlled archives and a research library to expand education.

Vartkes Boghos Yeghiayan was an Armenian-American attorney specializing in international law. He was known for launching several lawsuits against insurance companies for insurance policies issued to Armenians in the early 20th century during the time of the Armenian genocide.

USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education, formerly Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making audio-visual interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust a compelling voice for education and action. It was established by Steven Spielberg in 1994, one year after completing his Academy Award-winning film Schindler's List. In January 2006, the foundation partnered with and relocated to the University of Southern California (USC) and was renamed the USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education. In March 2019, the institute opened their new global headquarters on USC's campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Caruso</span> American businessman, developer, politician, and philanthropist (born 1959)

Rick Joseph Caruso is an American billionaire businessman. The founder and former chief executive officer of Caruso, an American real-estate company, he is also the chair of the board of trustees at the University of Southern California. Caruso was previously the president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, a member of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, and was the runner-up to Karen Bass in the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election.

The Los Angeles metropolitan area has a significant Armenian American population. As of 1990, this single area holds the largest Armenian American community in the United States as well as the largest population of Armenians in the world outside Armenia.

Farrah Karapetian is an American visual artist. She works primarily in cameraless photography, incorporating multiple mediums in her process including sculpture, theatre, drawing, creative nonfiction, and social practice. She is especially known for her work that "marries two traditions in photography — that of the staged picture and of the image made without a camera." Recurrent concerns include the agency of the individual versus that of authority and the role of the body in determining that agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GALAS LGBTQ+ Armenian Society</span> LGBTQIA+ rights non-governmental organization

GALAS LGBTQ+ Armenian Society is one of the first LGBTQIA+ rights non-governmental organizations founded by Armenian Americans. GALAS was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in West Hollywood, California. Its mission is to serve and support the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals of Armenian descent, to promote their human rights protection, and to advocate for the change of public policy around LGBTQ+ issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elen Asatryan</span> Armenian-American politician (born 1983)

Elen Asatryan is an Armenian-American politician who is a Councilmember and the current mayor of Glendale, California.

References

  1. "Centennial Committee Begins Process for Building Museum in California". 8 October 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  2. "Armenian American Museum announces historic groundbreaking in summer 2021". Armenian Weekly . 26 January 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  3. Sam Lubell (April 30, 2015). "Shortlist announced for Armenian American Museum to rise on this site in Glendale, California". The Architect's Newspaper . Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  4. "California Assembly Member Friedman Welcomes Armenian Genocide Museum Funding". Armenian National Committee of America . 16 June 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  5. Steven Sharp (April 14, 2018). "Glendale City Council Approves Armenian American Museum Design". Urbanize LA . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  6. Steven Sharp (4 June 2019). "Renderings Revealed for $18.5-Million Makeover of Glendale's Central Park". Urbanize LA . Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  7. "Gov. Newsom Signs Budget With $10 Million For Armenian American Museum". Armenian Weekly . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  8. Steven Sharp (7 July 2021). "Armenian American Museum to break ground on July 11". Urbanize LA. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  9. "First Phase of Armenian American Museum Construction Completed". Asbarez . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  10. "Armenian American Museum Kicks Off Next Construction Stage". Glendale News-Press . January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  11. Steven Sharp (January 26, 2024). "Steel beams arrive at Glendale's Armenian American Museum". Urbanize LA. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  12. "Armenian American Museum Festival Attracts More Than 4,000 Guests For A Vibrant Celebration". Massis Post . October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  13. Jonathan Hilburg (25 April 2018). "Armenian American Museum moves forward after Glendale City Council vote" . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  14. Antonio Pacheco (December 18, 2017). "Renderings revealed for Armenian American Museum in L.A." The Architect's Newspaper . Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  15. "Armenian American Museum being built in Glendale starts process of acquiring exhibits". Armenpress . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  16. "Permanent Exhibition Committee" . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  17. "Armenian American Museum Commences Permanent Exhibition Schematic Design". June 22, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  18. Leslie Berestein Rojas (20 April 2022). "Here's An Early Look At LA's Future Armenian American Museum". LAist . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  19. "Programming" . Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  20. "Programming" . Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  21. "Programming" . Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  22. "Programming" . Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  23. "Executive Team" . Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  24. "Board of Trustees" . Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  25. "Armenian American Museum Launches Young Professionals Committee". Asbarez . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  26. "Young Leaders Council" . Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  27. "Leaders Council Launches Speaker Series with ServiceTitan's Vahe Kuzoyan". June 26, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.