Month: August 2019

LOS ANGELES—Tufenkian Fine Arts is honored to present “Vahe Berberian: A Kiss is not Lip Service,” a new exhibition featuring selected works by Vahe Berberian. The opening reception will be held on Friday, September 13, beginning at 7 p.m. The show will remain on view through October 25. The gallery is located at 216 S Louise St, Glendale, CA 91205.

This will be Berberian’s first solo exhibition at Tufenkian Fine Arts. The multifaceted artist, who has become a household name with his monologues, plays and novels, says he is his own ruthless critic, and it took him a while to finally feel satisfied with the work he is exhibiting. “Almost all of these pieces have more than a dozen layers to them. I paint over and over again until I give the piece enough texture to have its own history. I stop only when I realize that I can’t touch the piece any more.” “A Kiss is Not Lip Service,” will feature over 40 of Berberian’s recent and never before seen works on canvas, paper and assemblages. “I have been preparing for this exhibition for the past five years and, honestly, I haven’t been this excited for a long time,” said Vahe Berberian about his upcoming exhibition.

“Vahe and I have been talking about a new exhibition for a while, and we are thrilled to finally see this major exhibition come to fruition. About two years ago, together we decided that Tufenkian Fine Arts should be Vahe’s home, and we are honored to represent him,” noted Gallery Director Caroline Lais-Tufenkian. “Vahe has produced so much work over the past few years—it was a challenge selecting work for this exhibition. We selected a number of impressive works that we are certain you will appreciate,” she concluded. Visit us to see a wide range of whimsical, poetic, and charming work in various dimensions and colors suitable for all art lovers.
The exhibition will have a 62-page monograph, with an essay by Los Angeles based artist and writer Kireilyn Barber, a statement by Vahe Berberian, a foreword by Caroline Lais-Tufenkian, and over 60 color images. The monograph will be released and available for purchase at the opening.

Tufenkian and Berberian have collaborated on three exhibitions prior to “A Kiss is Not Lip Service,” and their friendship has deep roots. We look forward to welcoming you to experience Vahe Berberian’s powerful personal work.

Tufenkian Fine Arts, located in Glendale, California, is an art gallery dedicated to presenting exemplary modern and contemporary artists. The gallery’s TFA Project Space displays the work of emerging contemporary artists. We connect audiences to outstanding exhibitions and events fostering an appreciation for contemporary visual art.

Gallery Hours:
Tuesday thru Friday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: By appointment

For more information, call 818.288.4635, or visit the gallery’s website. Follow Tufenkian Fine Art on Facebook and Instagram for updates about the gallery, new works, artist updates, and exhibition dates.

YEREVAN—Armenia Tree Project and the American University of Armenia Acopian Center for the Environment, co-organizers of an upcoming global forestry conference in Yerevan, Armenia, are proud to announce that the event’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Anthony S. Davis, Interim Dean and Professor at the College of Forestry at Oregon State University. The three-day conference will bring leading minds in forestry to Armenia’s capital for discussion, education, and networking.

Dr. Davis will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural Forest Summit: Global Action and Armenia on Tuesday, October 22, and will urge participants to consider the opportunities—in Armenia and around the world—to use science-based practices in advancing forest restoration, conservation, and management for multiple values. His background in working at the local level to develop the finest practices in seedling production, tree planting, and long-term management builds on a global suite of experiences that can inform management and policy decisions in Armenia’s forest sector.

“It’s with great enthusiasm that I prepare to share my learnings and experience with the attendees of the inaugural Forest Summit,” stated Davis, who has been working on forest restoration and tree planting with several organizations in Armenia, including ATP. “It’s an honor to be able to share my passion with so many like-minded professionals, and to do it in a country that has made a commitment to double its forest cover by 2050. This conference comes at a critical time for forest health worldwide. More than ever we are cognizant of the wide-ranging values forests provide—as a sink for carbon, a source of renewable materials, and habitat for critical wildlife including the Caucasian Leopard. I look forward to participating in this dialogue,” he concluded.

Dr. Davis serves as the Chief Executive of the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, which is broadly recognized as one of the world’s leading forestry research, teaching, and extension institutions. Under his leadership, the Corvallis, Oregon-based College of Forestry crafts research projects with various constituencies around the globe to expand forest-driven economies, steward forest resources, and to translate new discoveries into tools and techniques that can be used to advance livelihoods and sustain ecosystems.

With three days of discussion and collaborative dialogue on the conservation and reforestation efforts much needed in Armenia and countries across the world, Forest Summit: Global Action and Armenia will offer field visits to Dilijan National Park and ATP’s reforestation nursery and forest plantings in Margahovit Village, as well as social and networking opportunities.

In addition to hosting the conference in October, Armenia Tree Project will celebrate the planting of its six millionth tree in Armenia this fall. For more information about the conference, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, or Armenia Tree Project, please visit the website.

The AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, a research center of the American University of Armenia, promotes the protection and restoration of the natural environment through research, education, and community outreach. The AUA Acopian Center’s focus areas include sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity and conservation, greening the built environment, clean energy, and energy efficiency, as well as information technology and the environment. Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values. For more information, visit the website.

Armenia Tree Project, a non-profit program based in Massachusetts and Yerevan, conducts vitally important environmental projects in Armenia’s cities and villages. Since 1994, ATP has made enormous strides in combating desertification in the biologically diverse but threatened Caucasus region. More than 5,700,000 trees have been planted and restored, and hundreds of jobs have been created for Armenians in seasonal tree-related programs. ATP works to further Armenia’s economic and social development by mobilizing resources to fund reforestation. These vital new trees provide food, wood, environmental benefits, and opportunities for economic growth. ATP has a full time staff of over 80 in Armenia. The Yerevan office manages four state-of-the-art tree nurseries and two environmental education centers, partners with villagers to create tree-based micro-enterprise opportunities, creates urban green belts for public use, restores degraded forest lands, and employs hundreds of part-time workers to plant new forests. For more information, visit the website.

CANBERRA, Australia—Senator Eric Abetz – Chair of the Australian Senate’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, Senator Richard Di Natale – the Leader of the Australian Greens, and Glenn Davies – the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, lead a group of seven high-profile additions to the growing distinguished membership of the Australian Friends of Artsakh.

The Armenian National Committee of Australia report that Senators Abetz and Di Natale, as well as Archbishop Davies, have joined as new members of the group, together with the President of New South Wales Legislative Council John Ajaka, the New South Wales Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, City of Willoughby Councilor Stuart Coppock, and City of Ryde Councilor Trenton Brown.

The Australian Friends of Artsakh was launched last month by the ANC-AU, with an announcement dubbed #MOVINGMOUNTAINS during the visit by a high-profile delegation from the Republic of Artsakh, led by Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan.

Among the inaugural 40 signatories were Federal Ministers and Parliamentarians, a State Premier and fellow State Parliamentarians, a Mayor and Councilors, academics, thought leaders, and heads of several religious and community institutions—all pledging solidarity to the rights to self-determination of the Armenians of the Republic of Artsakh.

The new additions mean the group now has 47 prominent Australians as signatories.

“Senator Abetz, Senator Di Natale, Archbishop Davies, Mr. Ajaka, Mr. Dominello, Mr. Coppock and Mr. Brown are all welcome additions to the Australian Friends of Artsakh,” stated ANC-AU Executive Director Haig Kayserian.

“The petro-dictatorship of Azerbaijan, who denies the indigenous Armenians of Artsakh their basic human right to self-determination and independence on their ancestral lands, resorted to propaganda and bullying tactics to try and prevent our leaders from joining in solidarity with this issue,” added Kayserian, referring to official complaints from Baku to Canberra trying to bring Australian leaders into line with the Department of Foreign Affairs’ pro-Azerbaijani position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Kayserian said: “This high-profile expansion of the Australian Friends of Artsakh shows that the currency of truth and justice wins over the unwelcome interference by a foreign dictatorship into the internal affairs of Australia’s sovereign democracy.”

Senators Abetz and Di Natale join a strong Federal Parliamentary contingent of signatories to the Australian Friends of Artsakh, which includes Australia’s Communications Minister and Member of Parliament Paul Fletcher, Assistant Treasurer and Member of Parliament Michael Sukkar, Shadow Home Affairs Minister Senator Kristina Keneally and Shadow Agriculture & Resources Minister and Member of Parliament Joel Fitzgibbon.

Fitzgibbon is the co-convener of the Armenia-Australia Inter-Parliamentary Union along with the Chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Health, Aged Care & Sport and Member of Parliament Trent Zimmerman, who also joined the Australian Friends of Artsakh, along with fellow Chairs of Federal Parliamentary Committees including John Alexander, Julian Leeser, Jason Falinski and Tim Wilson, who is the only Member of Australia’s Federal Parliament with Armenian heritage. Newly elected Federal Parliamentarian Josh Burns is also a friend of Artsakh.

President of the Legislative Council John Ajaka and Minister for Customer Service and Member of Parliament Victor Dominello join Member of Parliament Gladys Berejiklian—the Premier of Australia’s largest state of New South Wales on the list of State Parliamentarians among the Australian Friends of Artsakh, which also includes Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly Jonathan O’Dea Member of Parliament and his fellow convener of the NSW Armenia-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group, Shadow Treasurer Walt Secord, Member of Legislative Council.

Member of Parliament Dr. Hugh McDermott and Member of Legislative Council Rev. Fred Nile are also among the current NSW parliamentarians in the group, along with former state political representatives, including Marie Ficarra and Amanda Fazio.

Councilors Coppock and Brown join fellow Local Government representatives who were among the inaugural signatories to the Australian Friends of Artsakh, including Mayor Jerome Laxale, Councilors Sarkis Yedelian and Jordan Lane – from the City of Ryde, and Councilors Hugh Eriksson, Brendan Zhu, Angelo Rozos and Lynne Saville – from the City of Willoughby.

A number of academics and civil society leaders also signed on to support Artsakh, including Professor Peter Stanley, Dr. Sev Ozdowski, Dr. Panayiotis Diamadis, Dr. Brian Owler and Chris Crewther.

Archbishop Glenn Davies joins a series of leaders of communities and churches to join the Australian Friends of Artsakh as signatories.

GLENDALE—Former Glendale Planning Commission chair, Leonard Manoukian, announces his candidacy for City Council for the upcoming March 2020 City elections.

“I’m running to improve our community’s quality of life as much as possible. I believe that the only way to lead is by getting input from the entire community, being transparent and remaining accountable. Local politicians should not try to appeal to interest groups in hopes of short term success. Let’s plan together, work together, and reap the benefits of a better Glendale together,” stated Manoukian.

“Leonard has been an AYSO volunteer for over 15 years. He is a great advocate for our youth and community. I know he’ll bring the same energy to his work on the City Council and make a positive impact for our families in Glendale,” noted Aldo Mascheroni, community leader and volunteer.

Manoukian has been a Glendale resident for over 30 years and has served in a number of local organizations. He was on the Planning Commission for over 11 years and has served on the boards of Boy Scouts of America Verdugo Hills Council, Chamlian Armenian School, and Homenetmen Glendale Chapter, where he has been a member since 1984. Leonard is a member of the Board of Directors of AYSO Region 88. He is an attorney employed by the State of California and practices in Glendale.

“I have known Leonard for nearly 30 years and know his history and work in our community. He is the right candidate to vote for, and someone who’ll give residents a greater voice on the Council,” stated Robert Parseghian, business owner, community leader and volunteer.

“My experience has given me a greater sense of what our city needs and increased my desire to serve it. I hope to introduce myself to as many Glendale residents as possible during this campaign so that we can share our ideas, vision, and plans for our great city,” said Manoukian.

You can read more on Leonard’s candidacy online.

BY LOUISA JANBAZIAN

It’s another new school year. After a two-month break, teachers, students, and parents have enthusiastically returned to their daily lives and challenges at Merdinian School. For the 38th year, by the grace of God, the School opened its doors to Armenian children and embraced them with the promise of a safe environment, where the students will grow up and develop in spirit and mind.

On Wednesday, August 21, at 8 a.m., Merdinian School welcomed 36 full time faculty members and 230 students, who were ready to start the new academic year with renewed energy, goals, and opportunities. As the “First Bell” rang, students, faculty, parents, and board members gathered at the Aram and Anahis D. Boolghoorjian Hall for the Opening Ceremony of the new school year. The program started with National anthems led by music teacher Alice Der Kevorkian, followed by the recitation of Psalm 121 by three 6th grade students led by Religion Department Chair Lena Ekmekjian.

Rev. Serop Megerditchian, Merdinian School Board member and Senior Pastor of the Armenian Cilicia Evangelical Church of Pasadena, CA, addressed the students, parents, and the teachers with the Bible verse “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52), and emphasized that “Merdinian’s students are called upon to develop and grow not only physically, but also in academics, education, wisdom, as well as Christian and Armenian heritage. As such, when they successfully complete their schooling, they will be able to find favor from God and from men.”

Board Vice Chair Rita Meneshian addressed the students, faculty, and parents on behalf of the School Board, and thanked the parents for entrusting their children’s education to Merdinian School.

In her remarks, School Principal Lina Arslanian gladly announced the increase in student numbers and made a quick overview of the summer camp activities, as well as current and new programs to be implemented in the coming school year. These new projects include: the revamping of the technology curriculum and the new Technology Lab equipped with new computers, 3D printers (which were gifts from departing 8th grade students), a Robotics table, and Chromebooks to be used by the 5th through 8th grade students in their classrooms and at home.

After introducing the teaching staff and their responsibilities for the 2019 – 20 academic year, Principal Arslanian concluded her remarks by stating, “We continue to find new ways to live our mission, educate our students, and pursue excellence. Together we are transforming teaching and learning.”

The Opening Ceremony ended with the singing of the Lord’s Prayer, “Hayr Mehr,” and Benediction offered by Rev. Megerditchian.

The Merdinian Preschool held its Opening Ceremony on Monday, August 19. Principal Arslanian welcomed the students and expressed her enthusiasm over the expansion of the Preschool to accommodate 74 preschool students. She thanked the Preschool Director Marijan Kevorkian for her input and valuable leadership and wished the preschool faculty the best for a productive and successful year. Kevorkian, in her turn, welcomed all parents, assuring them that their children at Merdinian Preshool will enjoy loving care in a nurturing environment. The parents then visited the classrooms for an orientation session with their children’s teachers.

Established in 1982 by the Armenian Missionary Association of America and the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America, Merdinian School, located in Sherman Oaks, CA, is the only Armenian Evangelical School in the United States. The School offers a broad-based curriculum that fosters academic excellence, high moral values, and spiritual enrichment in the Armenian Evangelical tradition. Merdinian strives to create a safe and nurturing environment where every student receives personal attention to become a successful and responsible individual. For more information, you may contact the School directly at 818.907.8149.