AMA to host two exhibits on Armenian Genocide

March 31, 2015 - 13:54 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The opening reception of two new exhibitions, “The Armenian Genocide: A Silent Testimony” and “Along the Trails of the Armenian Orphans,” will take place on April 18 at the American Museum of America (AMA), Watertown, Mass., the Armenian Weekly reports.

“The Armenian Genocide: A Silent Testimony” is a complex interplay of the extremely horrific events of genocide and the artistic expression of the trauma of those events. The various abstract portrayals in the exhibition explore memory and legacy through the personal experiences and emotional responses of the participating artists, and explore the emotional impact of genocide beyond statistics. It will feature contemporary artworks by 26 different artists. The exhibition will be on view through May 17, in the Adele & Haig Der Manuelian Galleries.

“Along the Trails of the Armenian Orphans” tells the story of the humanitarian mission ofNear East Relief using images from the Near East Foundation collection at the Rockefeller Archive Center, restored by the Naregatsi Art Institute (NAI). This rare collection of photographs illustrates the story of Near East Relief, an American-led humanitarian mission that saved thousands of Armenian orphans following the genocide. The exhibition will be on view through May 17 in the Terjenian-Thomas Gallery.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.