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The Armenian Weekly; Volume 73, No. 44; Nov. 3, 2007
Community:
1. Afternoon with Armenian Artists’ Shuts out Rainy Day Chill
By Andy Turpin
2. Bebirian Exhibit Draws 150
By Tom Vartabedian
3. Ubuntu Software Creator Visits St. Stephen’s Technology Open House
4. St. Stephen’s Holds ‘Armenian Culture Day’
***
1. Afternoon with Armenian Artists’ Shuts out Rainy Day Chill
By Andy Turpin
BROOKLINE, Mass. (A.W.)-On Oct. 27, amidst the dreariest of Boston-area
weather and a surge of Red Sox playoff madness, the Church of Our Saviour
and Brookline Creative Saturdays presented "An Afternoon With Armenian
Artists," a gallery exhibition with a poetry reading by renowned poet Diana
Der-Hovanessian.
Der-Hovanessian was Fulbright Professor of American Poetry at Yerevan State
University in 1994 and 1999. She is the author of 22 books of poetry and
translations, and has received awards from the National Endowment for the
Arts, the Poetry Society of America, PEN Columbia Tranlation Center, the
Paterson Poetry Center, PEN New England, the Armenian Writers Union, the
Writers Union of America, the Prairie Schooner, and the American Scholar.
She is president of the New England Poetry Club. Her most recent poetry
collection is The Second Question (Sheep Meadow Press, 2007).
Since August 2007, Brookline Creative Saturdays has offered art workshops
that "encourage individuality and creativity."
Exhibition artist and Brookline Creative Saturdays representative Karine
Kadiyska introduced Der-Hovanessian and Arev Music Ensemble duduk
accompanist Martin Haroutunian.
Der-Hovanessian had returned from Armenia only days before, escorting her
nieces on their first trip to the republic. She said of her nieces’
reactions to Yerevan, "They were startled by how modern a city it was, but
especially by the traffic and the wild drivers."
She noted, "It’s changing very fast. But it is still a city of poets and
poetry. They were surprised at the number of streets named after poets."
Der-Hovanessian beamed, "Poetry is alive and well there. You hear Charents
in popular restaurants."
She quoted Charents from a menu on her visit that read, "I love the
sun-baked taste of Armenian words."
Der-Hovanessian said of ancient Armenian poetry, "The pagan poems praising
the Sun can still be found on tablets of cuneiform."
She added, "They can still be found in our lost lands in Turkey. They
[scholars and/or Turks] call them ‘Hittite’, but we know they’re our
ancestors."
Der-Hovanessian continued, "Even now the light verse and satire [poetry of
Armenia] is based in those 4-line quatrains [formulas with origins in
historic Armenian poetry]."
She then quoted an untitled line from the veteran and republic poet Aram
Sahagian, saying of Armenia, "Our winters are mountain winters. I am from
that ancient race made of mountain clay and earth."
Der-Hovanessian then read an excerpt from her poem, "Tell the Armenian Story
in Black and White": "Tell the Armenian story in black and white please. We’ve
had enough shades of blood and red and purple prose. We’ve had enough amber
sunsets, hennaed tufa, enough golden wheat. Let’s have some rest. Tell the
Armenian story but not the gory past. Let it remain buried with the roots of
poppies on our plains."
>From her most recent poetry antology, The Second Question, she read the
edition’s titular poem, alongside "When God Was a Woman" and "False
Witness."
Following the intitial poetry readings by Der-Hovanessian, the exhibition
artists commented on their displayed works.
Marsha Odabashian said of her paiting, "Song of a Goat," "It’s a genocide
painting."
Artist Ed Tekeian spoke of the influences on his large wooden piece, saying,
"A lot of the influence comes from trips to Africa and Mexico and surfing
culture. On my honeymoon we went to South Africa, Namibia and Botswana."
Sculptor Karine Kadiyska said of her piece "Untitled" of a woman’s face, "I
work from memory. Her facial topography has some slavic feautures due to my
growing up around Moscow."
Light refreshements were served following the exhibition. For more
information on upcoming Brookline Creative Saturdays events, visit
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2. Bebirian Exhibit Draws 150
By Tom Vartabedian
WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)-Helena Bebirian doesn’t bill herself as a
traditional artist, only one who wants to bring a smile to the faces of her
admirers.
There were plenty of smiles to be found during an opening reception of her
work on Oct. 21 at the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA).
Titled "When You Wish Upon A Tree," the exhibit comprised 40 of her most
favorite works done in multi-mediums, along with illustrations that were
showcased.
The exhibit will extend through Nov. 22 with a special reading for children
scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Gallery hours are Thursdays, 6 to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 1 to 5
p.m.; and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bebirian is a children’s book author and illustrator who often works with
collaborator Beth Ann Mammola-Koravos. The two have produced three
high-profile works that have found their way into leading bookstores.
Much of her focus is placed upon whimsical scenes of still life subjects and
common, everyday settings turned into a dazzling array of color.
She’s a first-generation Armenian-American with a vast love of multiple
cultures. Her intent is to encourage and connect with the children of the
world to pursue the arts. Her visits to schoolhouses, libraries and
bookstores evolve into enthusiastic conversations with readers young and old
"to maintain that sparkling glitter of hope and dreams."
"My mission is to keep people smiling and fill their hearts with joy when
they view my work," said the North Andover resident. "It’s my passion and I
enjoy sharing it. Our children are of beauty, innocence and love, and may
that always be contagious."
Among those impressed was His Holiness Catholicos Karekin II during a recent
visit to the museum. He got to meet the artist and was impressed with her
work, particularly the Armenian scenes she had produced during a visit to
that country last September with a group from Merrimack Valley.
Several were on hand at Sunday’s reception.
"Her talent is evident from all stages," said her aunt, Rita Sarkisian. "We’re
all very proud of Helen."
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3. Ubuntu Software Creator Visits St. Stephen’s Technology Open House
WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)-On Oct. 31, South African-UK Software tycoon and
former space tourist Mark Shuttleworth paid a visit to St. Stephen’s
Armenian Elementary School on an invitation from school principal Houry
Boyamian and St. Stephen’s computer class teacher Michael Selva.
The invitation was for Shuttleworth to speak and witness the school’s
enthusiastic practical application and implementation of his computer
program, Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning "humanity to others." Ubuntu also
means, "I am what I am because of who we all are." The Ubuntu Linux
distribution, according to Shuttleworth’s website , "brings
the spirit of Ubuntu to the software world."
Similar to the theological concept of agapic love in the Western tradition
of theology, Archbishop Desmond Tutu described ubuntu in the following way:
"A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others,
does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a
proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs to a
greater whole."
The Ubuntu company’s Mission Statement reads: "Ubuntu is Free Software, and
available to you free of charge. It’s also free in the sense of giving you
the rights of Software Freedom. The freedom to run, copy, distribute, study,
share, change and improve the software for any purpose, without paying
licensing fees. The Ubuntu team also believes that Free software should be
free of software licensing charges."
Efforts like Shuttleworth’s in the field of computers may draw similar
connections to programs such as Project Guttenberg in the world of
publishing.
Selva praised the Ubuntu program highly as a teaching tool for children that
presented itself as logistically exemplary for students to learn and type
Armenian letters, saying, "It’s an ongoing journey of discovery. This will
keep the kids busy till June."
Shuttleworth recounted from his own student days, " I started out on LOGO
years ago and it got me interested in figuring things out."
Of his program, and similar computer-based endeavors that encourage freedom
of software and information accessibility in the third-world, Shuttleworth
said, "Your kids are being born into an era where collaborative programs are
the future."
He said, "I think Wikipedia is just the greatest thing we have out there."
Ubuntu primarily targets third-world nations with little or no computer
access for children and citizens, such as Shuttleowrth’s native South
Africa, for its main project zones. Those nations, the Republic of Armenia
included, are deemed the highest priority in working to achieve greater
computer access for low-income regions.
Boyamian said of Shuttleworth and Ubuntu’s works, "Parents want excellence
in education, but our budget is very tight. That is why we are very, very
thankful for the Ubuntu program."
Boyamian presented Shuttleworth with a "thank you" gift basket for his
works. Selva quipped to the British-accented entrepreneur, " A royal thank
you to you for your work. It really is extraordinary."
Shuttleworth thanked his hosts lauding his tour of the school and its
students, saying, "It’s a privilege to come to a school where the lights are
open in all the eyes."
Boyamian announced that upon St. Stephen’s 5th grade annual class trip to
Armenia, students would bring copies of the Ubuntu program to distribute to
needy schools across the Republic.
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4. St. Stephen’s Holds ‘Armenian Culture Day’
WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)-On Oct. 25, the St. Stephen’s Armenian School held
its annual "Armenian Culture Day" for students and parents.
Festivities included a musical presentation by the Boston-area Arev Armenian
Folk Ensemble, a parent-catered luncheon for students to experience true
Armenian cuisine, and a viewing of their peers’ sculpted and drawn exhibits
decorating the school’s halls.
Arev musician Martin Haroutunian spoke to the children in the school
auditorium in between songs, and explained, "I play the shvi. It’s very
similar to the recorder. It’s been around for thousands of years and was
played by shepherds."
Fellow Arev band member John Kozelian then spoke, saying of his own
instrument, "The oud is the grandfather of the guitar." He explained, "The
bigger the sound board, the deeper the sound. In the old days, they played
it with a feather, and the strings used to be gut strings made from nature."
Arev vocalist and St. Stephen’s parent Tamar Melkonian told of the duduk,
saying, "It has a human-like sound quality and often sounds very sad."
Haroutunian said of the group’s name origin, "Arev is the name of the sun.
We used arev because there was a connection to the past and because
Armenians used to worship the sun and nature."
A grandiose and much-enjoyed luncheon followed the band’s presentation, and
teachers accompanied their classes to view their peers’ works exhibited for
the occasion.