On Saturday, May 30, the tapestry-covered walls of Sonia’s Market and Deli became a backdrop for paintings, prints and drawings as a community art showcase transformed the neighborhood market into an intimate gallery.
Local Armenian artists Camille Gregorian, Ani Jermakian, and Sophie Hajinian displayed their creative works for around 35 attendees at Sonia’s original Park Avenue location.
The exhibition featured a diverse range of art crafted by three unique artists.
Gregorian’s colorful, intuitive approach to art demonstrates her sophisticated exploration of tension on the canvas. An alumna of Cranston High School East, she says she always dreamed of pursuing art, but her art teacher there told her she wasn’t talented enough to go to the Rhode Island School of Design when she graduated. With a laugh, she says in retrospect she agrees with her former teacher’s assessment.
After years spent working in local hospitals as a clinical social worker, Gregorian is now working part-time while developing her artistic voice in abstract art. She said she hopes her work communicates joy, passion and mystery while sometimes evoking “a connection to the Armenian world.” Though her paintings are not always explicitly tied to her heritage, she said photographs of Armenian churches, tapestries and historic sites often inspire her. “It’s kind of in your DNA,” she said
Jermakian, of Springfield, Massachusetts, is passionate about inspiring new generations and uses bold, thought-provoking prints and paintings to raise awareness about Armenian history.
As an elementary art teacher, Jermakian spends much of the year focused on her students’ creativity, leaving little time for her own work.
“I really don’t get many chances to work on my own art,” she says. Her goal through her work is to tell people “about the Armenian people and their history,” she says. “But I also hope they’re inspired to tell their own story.”
Fourteen-year-old Hajinian, a freshman at La Salle Academy, showcases her hyper-realistic portraits, traditional Armenian jewelry and other pieces and mediums that highlight her Armenian heritage. Several of the pieces on display were drawn during a trip to Armenia, where she says a summer heat wave kept her indoors and inspired her to create.
Guests enjoyed some of Sonia’s small bites, including a local favorite – Sonia’s hummus, while admiring artwork around the store.
“I think it’s a really great opportunity for local people to come and learn a little bit, get some great food and meet some new people,” says Gregory Demetrakas of Cranston, who attended the event in support of his cousin, artist Ani Jermakian.
Several pieces from the exhibition will remain on display at Sonia’s for the next month, giving customers an opportunity to support local artists while experiencing a small piece of Rhode Island’s Armenian community.
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