Category: 2021

TUMO will participate in the Venice Architecture Biennale, with its own pavilion at the Arsenal, the main area at the Biennale, from May to November 2021. The Venice Biennale is one of the world’s largest architectural exhibitions. It is attended by some of the world’s most innovative architectural firms, and some of its most renowned scholars. The title of the 17th International Architecture Biennale is “How Will We Live Together?”.

TUMO’s “Learning to Learn Together” installation at the Biennale will explore the future of learning and showcase the international network of TUMOs. The installation is based on a forest of computer-generated “lifelines” that give voice to teenagers from Yerevan and Stepanakert to Berlin and Beirut. The participants of the exhibition will be able to “enter into a dialogue” with TUMO students and learn about their daily life, as well as their dreams and aspirations.

This year, the Biennale will focus on the new challenges currently facing the world, especially those related to architecture, and will propose solutions to these challenges. For this reason, the list of participants is as comprehensive as possible, including not only the entire architectural community, universities and major studios, but also artists, politicians, and journalists. This year’s Biennale curator is Hashim Sarkis, Dean of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“We need a new spatial contract. In the context of widening political divides and growing economic inequalities, we call on architects to imagine spaces in which we can generously live together,” said Sarkis in an opening statement for the Biennale.

The Architecture Biennale, which is being held one year late due to the pandemic, is part of the Art Biennale founded in 1895. The main purpose of the Biennale, held every two years since 1980, is to offer architectural solutions to societal and technological problems. Despite the Bienniale’s international orientation, it also allows architects from around the world to present new projects of local significance. This year, 112 projects from 46 different countries will be presented at the Biennale. The Biennale is divided into two main sections: The permanent pavilion in the Biennale Gardens as well as the Arsenal, which hosts projects from numerous nations under one roof.

As part of its new policy to strengthen ties with academic institutions in Armenia, the Society for Armenian Studies signed an Agreement on Cooperation on January 13 with the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation. The Agreement aims at cooperating on different academic projects that would be beneficial to both parties and advance the field of Armenian Genocide studies.

The scope of the cooperation includes, but is not limited to, exchange of mutual information on academic activities carried out by both parties; exchange and loans of books relevant to both parties; exchange of knowledge and expertise with respect to Armenian Genocide; sharing of advice, educational consultation, and research about the Armenian Genocide study and research; cooperation through local and international conferences and symposia to advance the field of genocide studies in general and Armenian Genocide studies in particular; mutual cooperation to educate the general public about the Armenian Genocide; and close cooperation and coordination between the “Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies” published by the prestigious Brill publishing house and the “International Journal of Armenia Genocide Studies,” “Ts’eghaspanagitakan Handes,” both published by the AGMI.

Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Director of Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Fresno, will serve as the liaison on behalf of the SAS while Dr. Edita Gzoyan, Deputy Scientific Director of The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation and the editor of IJAGS will serve on behalf of the AGMI.

Commenting on the Agreement, SAS President Bedross Der Matossian said, “We are looking forward to cooperate with The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation on academic issues pertaining to genocide studies in general and the Armenian Genocide in particular. This is part of our new policy to strengthen ties with different academic institutions in Armenia. This cooperation will be mutually beneficial to all of us. The Society for Armenian Studies has members whose research deals with the Armenian Genocide. Through harnessing the existing potential of scholars from both bodies, the field of the Armenian Genocide Studies will advance in the right direction.”

Professor Harutyun Marutyan, Director of The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation, welcomed the Cooperation Agreement stating, “The challenges facing researchers in the field of Armenian Studies in the 21st century require new, modern approaches and the consolidation of Armenian potential. The shaping of the Armenian factor in the field of humanities, taking world experience into account, is one of the priorities of our time. The study and popularization of Armenian history, culture and the issues of the Armenian Genocide are among the imperatives for both the AGMI and SAS. We are sure that the goals and intentions mentioned in the Cooperation Agreement, signed between the two institutions, will be realized and will contribute to the expansion of ties between researchers on both sides and the development of Armenian Studies in general.”

The SAS, founded in 1974, is the international professional association representing scholars and teachers in the field of Armenian Studies. The aim of the SAS is to promote the study of Armenian culture and society, including history, language, literature, and social, political, and economic questions.

If you are interested in contributing to the activities of SAS please contact Prof. Bedross Der Matossian at [email protected].

Information about the SAS can be found on its website at societyforarmenianstudies.com or by following the SAS on its Facebook page, @societyforarmenianstudies.

KAPAN, Armenia—Hye Hopes officially launched their remote learning program in the Kapan region of Armenia on January 18. After three months of planning and fundraising, the Hye Hopes team is now in Armenia and on the ground. Administrators and officials of School N1 and N3 of the Kapan region welcomed the Hye Hopes team and thanked them for their efforts to bring remote learning to the displaced students of Artsakh.

With 17 international volunteer teachers, four teacher aids from Armenia, and 48 students working together virtually, Hye Hopes launched their remote learning instruction programs. Students and their families are enthusiastic and grateful for the opportunity to participate in this unique learning opportunity. Currently, classes range from Math, English, Science, Physics, Art, and Coding. Classes are taught virtually by volunteer instructors from around the world via laptops, which have been generously donated by individuals and organizations from throughout the Armenian Diaspora. “It’s important for Armenians around the world to come together for our kids,” said founder Greg Krikorian.

Hye Hope’s goal is to expand the program to provide remote learning opportunities to more displaced students and provide each student with a laptop to work independently while adhering to health and safety guidelines. The students are excited to use this technology and the teachers are excited for this opportunity. Hye Hopes is building a bridge in learning and educational resources between Armenia and its diaspora. More funds are needed to improve conditions in the classrooms for the displaced students. To donate or for more information on volunteering as a teacher please visit the Hye Hopes website. Let’s build the future together as one!

LOS ANGELES—Today, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Kathryn Barger to donate electrical safety analyzers and portable medical devices no longer needed by the County to the Biomedical Engineering Committee of Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America.

This donation, which is part of an equipment replacement process at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, will include 12 Medtester 5000c Electrical Safety Analyzers previously used as part of routine maintenance for biomedical electrical equipment and 27 GE Dinamap portable medical devices used to track a patient’s vital functions. Biomedical Engineering Committee of Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America (BECAESA) provides support and assistance to organizations and entities throughout Armenia to improve the health and welfare of its citizens and visitors.

“I am pleased to be able to facilitate this donation and help support the work of the Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America to promote health and well-being of the Armenian Community,” said Supervisor Barger. “This is a creative way to ensure that surplus equipment within Los Angeles County finds a new home and new purpose by organizations in need of such items.”

Supervisor Barger represents the largest concentration of Armenian-Americans in the county.

A copy of the motion can be found here.

Fresno Republican is Longstanding Congressional Champion of Artsakh

WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America warmly welcomes David Valadao (D-CA) – a longstanding legislative champion of Artsakh and Armenian issues on Capitol Hill – as incoming Co-Chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.

“The ANCA welcomes Congressman Valadao’s leadership on the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, remarked ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian. “The fact the Congressman Valadao was named to the powerful House Committee on Appropriations earlier this month – which controls all federal spending – will make him an even more important ally for the U.S. humanitarian aid package we are seeking to secure for the heroic people of Artsakh,” the ANCA Chairman added.

In a statement issued earlier today, Rep. Valadao cited the importance of strengthening the U.S.-Armenia-Artsakh relationship.  “Armenia is a nation so many of my constituents know and love,” said Congressman Valadao. “During my time in Congress, I introduced several resolutions formally recognizing the Ottoman Empire’s deportation and extermination of over two million Armenian people and, after years of Armenian-American advocacy for this cause, the House and the Senate finally passed H.Res. 296, Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide. However, my fight on behalf of my Armenian-American constituents must continue. Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh recently faced attacks from Azerbaijani forces in violation of their decade-old ceasefire agreement. This kind of aggression is unacceptable and must end immediately. I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress on this issue and other issues of importance to the Armenian-American community as co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. We must continue to advocate for the Armenian people and encourage the new Administration to maintain and strengthen relationships between the United States, Armenia, and Artsakh.”

Congressional Armenian Caucus Founding Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) welcomed Rep. Valadao to the Caucus leadership.  In a statement released along with Rep. Valadao earlier today, Rep. Pallone noted, “The Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues has always operated in a bipartisan fashion, and I know our current co-chairs will continue this tradition. I’m confident we will work together to ensure the United States strengthens its relationship with Armenia and supports its young, democratically elected government that was shaken by last year’s devastating aggression by Azeri and Turkish forces in the region. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Caucus to ensure the incoming Secretaries of State and Defense are focused on reassessing our strategic relationships in the Caucasus region, upholding the principle of human rights, and holding bad actors like Turkish President Erdogan accountable.”

Congressman Valadao, who returned to Congress this year after a tightly contested election against incumbent TJ Cox, has a long history of championing issues of special concern to Armenians and our allies in Fresno and across California’s Central Valley. In 2017, he traveled to Artsakh, over objections from the State Department, and spearheaded passage of the Valadao Amendment appropriating life-saving humanitarian aid to de-mine Artsakh. Upon his return to the U.S. House, he was appointed to a post on the influential Appropriations Committee.

The ANCA has launched a national campaign to encourage U.S. Representatives to engage and support the work of the Armenian Caucus. Take action at www.anca.org/Caucus to ask your legislator to join this bipartisan legislative working group. If they are already a member, your letter will share your thanks for their participation. Rep. Valadao joins Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), and Adam Schiff (D-CA) in the leadership of the Armenian Caucus.

The ANCA spearheaded the bipartisan Congressional launch of the U.S. aid program to Artsakh in the FY98 foreign aid bill and has actively supported transformative projects providing maternal healthcare, clean drinking water, and mine clearance.

The 21st District of California represented by Congressman Valadao is centered in the San Joaquin Valley, home to tens of thousands of Armenian Americans, including many leaders in the region’s thriving agriculture sector.