23/12/07 2nd Annual Gallery Stroll Armenian Museum of America
Armenian Museum of America
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Member reception, gallery stroll, fund raising event, yes, but more than that… an intergenerational gathering of, no other way to say this, members of a group that has suffered the scourge of genocide and has been flourishing for generations in Watertown Massachusetts, home to the largest populations of Armenian Americans east of the Mississippi River.
Seasonal and Christmas songs played with elegant style by pianist Levon Hovsepian echoed resonantly throughout the gallery rooms on the third floor.
Pride. Resilience. Community…. emotions not found on the music scale, resonate deeper. Founding members opened this museum in 1985, transferring artifacts from a small parish house in Belmont to this sleek modern building that anchors Watertown Square.
https://www.armenianmuseum.org/history
After 125 members socialized and enjoyed a generous spread of hors oeuvres, Executive Director Jason Sohigian and Board President Michele Koligian warmly welcomed 125 guests and members. Many of the teenagers and pre-teens may have been experiencing their first occasion of cultural cohesion in this museum that celebrates their culture.
Guests had a chance to meet and chat wth Ara Oshagan, whose “Disrupted, Borders” installation appears in the gallery.
What happened next will not be forgotten any time soon by anyone present.
“Do you know any Armenian songs?” Berj Chekijian asked pianist Levon Hovsepian.
Moments later, Chekijian’s rich baritone revived an Armenian folk song, a moment that captured past present and future and belongs in its own archive in the museum.
The fund-raising event was successful.
Berj Chekjian's spontaneous solo? Priceless.
Download IMG_9197
Pianist Levon Hovsepian
Elegant piano stylings by Pianist Levon Hovsepian
Welcome remarks by Board President Michele Koligian
and Executive Director Jason Sohijian
Artist Ara Oshagan and board members
Family heirloom necklace displayed by a member
As in this photo in the museum, the audience was multi-generational
The sleek Museum that anchors Watertown Square was designed by Ben Thompson who also designed the Design Research Building on Brattle Street in Cambridge, MA, is an example of Brutalist style buildings in Boston.
Photos and video by museum member Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
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