1995_03 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper March 1995

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HYE SHARZHOOM
Armenian Action
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March 1995
Vol. 16, No. 3 (49)
Supplement to The Collegian
Celebration Of Armenian Folk Arts
By Dickran Kouymjian
Haig and Isabel Berberian
Professor of Armenian Studies
An overflow crowd swarmed
through the Fresno Metropolitan
Museum on Sunday March 12 for a
reception and program in honor of
the exhibit "In Silver and Threads:
Patterns of Armenian Tradition."
The exhibit which opened on February 17 and will run until June 30,
1995 is located on the second and
third floors of the museum. Featured are the Marash style embroidered textiles of Lily Vorperian of
^os Aiigcies and uk awtai craftsmanship of Karlen Kosaian of
Yerevan, Armenia and his son
Vardan, now settled in Fresno.
The special reception for the
artists was organized by the Armenian Studies Program of Fresno
State and the Fresno Arts Council,
which mounted the exhibit under
the supervision of Amy Kitchener,
Folk Arts Coordinator. The Arme
nian National Committee of Fresno
also sponsored the event with additional support from the Knights of
Vartan, Fresno Lodge and Rev.
Bernard Guekguezian. From 4 to 5
PMareception with hors d'oeuvres,
California wines, and Armenian
sweets allowed 300 hundred guests
to view the joint exhibits in a convivial setting. Many were introduced to the vast Fresno Metropolitan Museum for the first time.
At 5 PM everyone was invited to
the Lyle Auditorium foraprogram,
though many were simply unable
to get after all seats and standing
room was filled. After a short greeting from Dr. Ed Sobey, Director of
the Museum, Amy Kitchener interviewed each of the artists.
Lily Vorperian of Los Angeles is a master embroiderer, especially of the polychrome appliqu6—
stitch known as Marash work. She
was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1919,
three years after her parents fled
the Armenian city of Marash, dur
ing the genocidal atrocities committed by the Young Turks. When
she was 12 she began learning embroidery from the elderly women
who came to her house, a center for
refugee aid and distribution. She is
familiar with 19 regional styles of
Armenian embroidery, but she prefers that of Marash, her parents'
home town. In 1994 she earned the
rare honor of receiving the National Endowment of the Arts'
National Heritage Award. She was
invited to Washington, D.C. along
with ten other honorees who were
given their awards by Hillary
Clinton in person.
Marash embroidery is known
for its tasteful color combinations,
intricate designs, and complex demanding stitchery. While most
women practitioners use ready-
madepatterns orrepeatafew simple
designs, Mrs. Vorperian has taken
the form to new levels by creating
See FOLK ARTS, Page 6
L. to R.: Vartan & Karlen Kosaian, Lily Vorperian, and Richard
Hagopian who were recognized at a reception held at the Fresno
Metropolitan Museum.
"Armenia: Portraits of Survival"
Opening of photo exhibit in conjunction with ASP 9th Annual Banquet
On Saturday, April 1, the Armenian Studies Program and the
Sarkis & Meline" Kalfayan Center
for Armenian Studies, in conjunction with the Henry Madden Library, will host a special opening
reception in the Library for the ex
hibit "Armenia: Portraits of Survival." The reception will be followed by the Ninth Annual Banquet of the Armenian Studies Program. The exhibit will be in the
Library from April 1 until May 19.
Special guest and keynote
speaker will be Professor Donald
Miller, of the School of Religion,
University of Southern California,
whose topic will be 'The Witness
of the Survivors."
"Armenia; Portraits of Survival" is an exhibit of powerful
photographs by Jerry Berndt documenting everyday life in the smallest republic of the former Soviet
Union. It focuses on the experiences of survivorsof the 1988earth-
quake, the refugees and victims of
the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, and
the hopes and anxieties of citizens
who continue to endure numerous
hardships. Mr. Berndt has photographs in the permanent collections
of many prestigious galleries, including the Museum of Modern
Art, New York, and the Museum of
Fine Arts, Boston.
Professor Miller headed the
research team that visited Armenia
to interview the survivors. He provided the introduction for the cata
logue of the exhibit and is planning
a book that will draw on the interview transcripts. He is also the author of Survivors: An Oral History
of the Armenian Genocide (University of California Press,1993).
The reception and exhibit
opening in the Library will be at 6
p.m., followed by the banquet in
the University Restaurant at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the reception and banquet are $40 per person, $25 for
faculty and staff, and $15 for students. Proceeds will benefit the
Library's Armenian Resources.
Fund.
Foradditional information and
reservations, call the Armenian
Studies Program at 278-2669.
Inside Hye Sharzhoom
Katch Vartan p. 2
What you skipped in Armenia p. 3
Bubble gum and Armenia  p. 3
A visit with the Dalai Lama p. 4
Poetry. p .4
Armenian history book review p. 5
News p. 6
Armenia Update p. 7
Photograph by Jerry Berndt