2009_03 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper March 2009

              March 2009
Hye Sharzhoom
3
Der Mugrdechian Speaks on "Armenian Art" for Knights of Vartan Banquet
Staff Report
Armenian Studies Program Co-
ordi nator Barlow Der Mugrdechian
was the guest speaker at the 80th
anniversary celebration of the
Daron Lodge of the Knights of
Vartan. The Banquet took place on
Sunday, February 15 in the St. John
Armenian Church Paul Fellowship
Hall.
Special guest atthe Banquet was
Haig K. Deranian, Grand Commander of the Knights of Vartan.
Master of Ceremonies fortheevent
was John Dahlberg, Esq., who
opened the afternoon with his introductory comments, and introduced the various speakers.
Keynote speaker Der
Mugrdechian spoke on "Masterpieces of Armenian Architecture
and Art," illustrated with slides. He
presented two examples from Armenian Architecture and two examples from Armenian Manuscript
painting, to illustrate how Christianity had played an essential role
in the development of Armenian
art.
The Mother Cathedral of Ani
was completed in the early eleventh century in the reign of King
Gagik (the Great) Bagratuni. The
Armenian Catholicossate had ear-
liermoved to Ani, the capital ofthe
kingdom, and was instrumental in
the building of the new church,
now recognized as one of the best
examplesof Armenian architecture.
With its polychromatic tufa stone
exterior and delicate arcades, the
church is a reminder ofthe skill of
Armenian builders.
The Church of the Holy Cross
on the island of Aghtamar is a
unique architectural monument,
constructed in the early 10th century by order of King Gagik
Artsruni. The outside ofthe Church
is decorated with reliefs whose inspiration is from the Old Testament of the Bible. Frescoes with
themes from the New Testament
decorate the interior of the church.
There are no other churches quite
Review: The Repatriate: Love,
Basketball, and the KGB
The Repatriate: Love, Basketball,
and the KGB, by Tom Mooradian.
Seattle, WA: Moreradi ant Publishing, 2008. 459 pages.
Barlow Der Mugrdechian
Advisor
Adventure. Danger. Romance.
From the very first pages, Tom
Mooradian's newly published The
Repatriate attracts the reader's at-
tention. One is a drawn into
Mooradian's unlikely thirteen years
spent in Soviet Armenia, feeling
his initial excitement at the move,
to his bitter disappointment, and
struggle to escape.
The repatriation of Armenians
from the Diaspora to Armenia, in
1946-1947, is a period that has been
little studied. Personal accounts of
the repatriation have been few and
far between.
Tom Mooradian's decision in
November 1947 to join a group of
150 Armenian-American expatriates led him on an unexpected separation of close to thirteen years
from family and fri ends. Mooradian
was a senior in high school when
he made the fateful choice. Trapped
behind the newly descending Iron
Curtain, Mooradian, at age 19, had
to struggle to eke out an existence
with others who shared his same
fate.
Following World War II, Soviet
leaders called for members of the
ethnic republics to return to their
fatherland, to help rebuild the country. In the United States, the Armenian Progressive League spearheaded the effort that only succeeded in bringing about 300 Armenians from America back to
Armenia.
Although he had initially been
inspired to travel to the Soviet Armenia, Mooradian had little idea of
how difficult it would be to leave
Armenia once he arrived there. His
saving grace was an ability to play
basketball, which soon proved to
be a godsend.
Mooradian's decision to leave
the United States for Armenia was
supported by his father only. His
mother and brothers tried to persuade him to not go, but the youthful Mooradian ignored their advice, and embarked on the voyage.
In stark and expressive words,
Mooradian describes life on the
Russian ship Rossia that took him
to Armenia, and the many adventures along the way. He falls in love
with a Jewish girl, but they are
eventually separated as he arrives
in Georgia first, and then Armenia.
Mooradian is filled with self-
doubt as he replays the decision to
travel to Armenia. But his adventures as a member of the Armenian
national basketball team allow him
luxuries that few others would enjoy. He is able to travel to foreign
countries and to make the contacts
that will ultimately lead to his freedom.
Mooradian was able to pack a
lifetime of memories in the years
that he lived in Soviet Armenia,
and his eye-witness testimony is a
vivid reminder of what many other
Armenians suffered.
The Repatriate is a must read for
all.
the Wayne State University Press-
http ://wsupress .wayne .edu.
ASP Coordinator Barlow Der Mugrdechian (left) receiving a
book from Banquet Chairman Anton Cingoz at an event
celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the Daron Lodge of the
Knights of Vartan. The Banquet took place at the St. John
Armenian Church in San Francisco,
like Aghtamar, which has been in-     Der Mugrdechian's presentation.
ternationally recognized for its
beauty.
Armenian miniature painting
was the focus of the second part of
The earliest examples of Armenian
miniature painting come from the
famous Etchmiadzin Gospel. Although the Gospel itself is dated to
the ninth century, the final four
paintings in the Gospel have been
dated to the late 6th century or early
7th century: The Annunciation of
theAngel Gabriel toZacharias,The
Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel
to Mar}', The Adoration of the Magi,
and the Baptism of Christ Together
they form a cycle of deep theological importance to the understanding of Armenian orthodoxy. In their
classicizing style they represent a
glimpse at what must have been a
wonderful age of painting.
The final examples of Armenian art presented by Der
Mugrdechian came from the work
of the thirteenth century artistToros
Roslin. His paintings represent the
flourishing of Armenian art in the
period of the Armenian Kingdom
of Cilicia and are considered the
finest in style and execution.
Together these examples provided an insight into the rich cultural heritage of the Armenian
people, and provided a fitting note
to the celebration of the day.
"State of Armenian Studies" Discussed at
Historic University of Michigan Gathering
Staff Report
Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian,
Coordinator of theArmenian Studies Program at Fresno State, and
representing the Society for Armenian Studies, participated in a an
innovative workshop, "The State
of Armenian Studies," at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
September 18-20, 2008.
Over the past forty years there
have been several opportunities for
gatherings to discuss the state of
Armenian Studies and prospects
forthe future. TheArmenian Studies Program at the University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, spearheaded
the new project, inviting representatives of major international Armenian studies institutions and organizations to participate in the
formulation of the plan for action.
The University of Michigan
project aims at producing a first of
its kind comprehensive and global
report on the "State of Armenian
Studies" and making it available to
all concerned by the end of 2009
with the cooperation of organizations, institutions, and scholars in-
volvedinArmenian Studiesworld-
wide.
That report will encompass a
quantitative as well as a qualitative
analysis of the whole array of activities, from existing programs and
their activities, books and articles
published in the last decades, programs and chairs established, to
gaps in knowledge, relationship
between current output and advances in the social sciences and
humanities in general, and future
needs.
To produce that report, the Armenian Studies Program at the
University of Michigan invited an
initial, organizational meeting of
organizations and institutions that
mightcontribute to the planning of
and logistical support to the project
Participating in the first meeting ofthe workshop were representatives ofthe National Academy of
Sciences (Prof. Ruben Safrastyan),
Participants of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, conference on "The State of Armenian Studies."
Yerevan State University (Prof.
Albert Stepanyan), the National
Association for Armenian Studies
and Research (Belmont, Mass.,
Marc Mamigonian), the Society for
Armenian Studies (US, Barlow Der
Mugrdechian), the Society for Armenian Studies (Europe, Seta Claire
Mouradian), the Armenian Research Center, University of Michi
gan-Dearborn (Prof. Ara Sanjian
and Gerald Ottenbreit), and the
Armenian Studies Program at the
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Professors Gerard Libaridian
and Kevork Bardakjian).
Prof. Gerard Libaridian, Director of the Armenian Studies Program at the University of Michigan
is director of the project.
ARMENIAN STUDIES ATA THRESHOLD
Society for Armenian Studies
35th Anniversary Conference
March 26-28, 2009
University of California, Los Angeles
Conference sponsors:
Society for Armenian Studies
UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies
UCLA Center for European and Eurasian Studies
USC Institute of Armenian Studies
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
&
The Armenian Studies Programs of
Armenian Center, Columbia University
Armenian Research Center, University of Michigan-
Dearborn
California State University-Fresno
California State University-Northridge
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor