1981_12 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper December 1981

              Page 12
Hye Sharzhoom
December 1981
Reflections Cont. from page 11
With the catalogue in hand and following the exhibit as it was originally
designed to be set up, one can read about each monument and find the caption
for each photo. The catalogue is reprinted in the language of the country in
which the exhibit is going to tour; thus far there have been Italian, French,
German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and now English versions. If the information in this book was actually printed on each of the boards, it would require
texts in seven languages or seven separate sets of exhibits, making it confusing
or financially prohibitive. However, future mounters of the exhibit should think
carefully of preparing themselves a general introduction which would be printed
large on one of the blank panels at the beginning of the exhibit. This is absolutely essential and an oversight of the organizers. Furthermore, the monuments are really not individually numbered either on the panels or in the catalogue proper, so quick reference is not easy.
Another problem is the lack in the catalogue of an over-view of Armenian
architecture. The catalogue begins with a nice survey of the history of Armenia,
but lacks an appreciation of Armenian architecture in its ensemble. I had
realized this during the mounting of the exhibit in Beirut in 1973 and in that year
prepared a general introduction to Armenian architecture. For the Fresno
showing of the exhibit, it was decided to revise, update, and change that essay.
This was printed in the form of a sixteen page Guide to the exhibit and to it was
appended a current bibliography of the major works on Armenian architecture.
The whole was illustrated by ground plans and old engravings. This guide was
given free to those who bought the catalogue or sold for one dollar. Copies are
still available at $2.00 (postage included) by writing to the Armenian Studies
Program; some catalogue are also available at $5.50 (postage included).
In Fresno there was an eager, if small, number of individuals who were
waiting for the exhibit. Since 19771 have been offering annually a regular three
credit course in the history and development of Armenian architecture, as well
as a one credit Saturday course from time to time designed to provide an intensive pair of seven hour sessions on the subject. Former students were eager
to see in a different format monuments that they had studies in detail. In
anticipation of the exhibit both of the architecture courses were offered this
fall semester. The one credit Saturday course held during two Saturdays of
the exhibit and in the lecture hall next to the gallery gave forty students the
unique chance of learning about the monuments through slides and lectures
and then being able to walk around them. It was a creative and very efficacious
pedagogic experience.
The ambiance was reinforced by intentionally involving segments of the
community which would normally be neglected. I insisted on bringing to the
exhibit by bus, residents of the California Armenian Home for the Aged, and
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Residents of the California Armenian Home For The Aged attend the exhibit
though logistically very difficult, one group did spend a memorable morning
with these monuments. Because almost all of them were born in Armenia before
the massacres, I provided them a special guided explanation in Armenian.
The second group was the other side of the age spectrum, children from the
Armenian Sunday schools and the Armenian Day School. Though the overall
response of Armenian church parishes was not encouraging (there was not a
single church that asked for a tour for adults and only one - Pilgrim Armenian
Congregational church bulletin advertised this exhibit of Armenian church
architecture), Pilgrim Armenian Congregational did send a large group of
children accompanied by an equally large group of their parents and teachers.
The Armenian Day School also brought a large group of its students. In both
cases the ages averaged between four and fourteen. I gave special talks directed
to the five and six year old and at times to the early teenagers. Most parents
would not expect their children to absorb anything from such a sophisticated and
complicated exhibit, but in truth, the children's minds were readier to receive
bask information and their curiosity was far superior than those of the average
adult. Children can be given a strong sense of the importance of art, of what it
is, of how to read a simple church plan, of simple and even complex techniques
of stone construction, through the exhibit. It is unnecessary that they retain a
single church name for them to come out with a strong sense of architecture.
Other groups from various schools in the Fresno Unified School district visited
the exhibit because from the beginning the school district was notified about the
exhibit. These groups were always provided with a guide to explain the exhibit,
if not myself, then by one of the students studying Armenian architecture.
All in all it was one of the best attended campus exhibits of recent years.
Some of the photographic material and videotapes made during its display
will be used in future years for the teaching of Armenian architecture.
A group of children listen attentively to Dr. Kouymjian' s explanations.
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Such a large exhibit could not have taken place, let alone been successful,
without the cooperation of many, many people and groups. Prof. William
Minschew has to be thanked not only for acquiring a sense of the exhibit and
mounting it splendidly, but for his daily concern with the impression it was
making. He also made the process of mounting it almost fun. My students, not
only in the architecture courses, but also from the Armenian language course
and from the Armenian Students Organization must be thanked for removing
the entire two tons of the exhibit from its packing case and re-packing it in
perfect order when the exhibit ended. In mounting the exhibit, Minschew and I
were helped by Jirair Hovsepian and Cynthia Avakian, and the exhibit was
entirely dismantled by the students, especially my Thursday night William
Saroyan theatre class, which worked from 10 P.M. to after midnight to get it
down.
Ms. Christine Pahigian who until the end of October was coordinator of the
exhibit at Columbia University, must be praised for her nearly daily concern
with the arrival and mounting of the exhibit and her many oral and written
suggestions.
Special thanks must be given to Arlene Srabian who prepared the opening
reception of cheeses, grapes, Armenian bread and wine; to Jay Khushigian
for lending his stereo system for the duration of the show; and to various
students and community adults for helping with everything.
The exhibit was sponsored by the Armenian Studies Program, but could not
have been realized without a substantial contribution from the Associated
Students of CSUF through a Student Senate appropriation to the Armenian
Students Organization. The rest of the expenses were covered by two generous
contributions from the Armenian Alumni Association of CSUF, and the United
Armenian Commemorative Committee. Richard Pandukt, President, and Allan
Jendian, General Chairman, respectively of these organizations, also helped out
at the opening reception and in many other ways.
Yet it was all not enough. Is it conceivable that a Greek anywhere in the
world would not know what the Parthenon or the church of Haghia Sophia looked
like and where they were? For the history of world architecture, the churches of
Etchmiadzin, Hripsime, Zvartnots, Aght'amar, and Ani are all nearly as important and yet how many Armenians know what any of these look like? Perhaps
it is too early for us, perhaps we must wait a few more decades when these
monuments find their way into the standard books on the history of architecture
for the Armenians themselves to be sufficiently motivated to take advantage of
such exhibits organized by fellow Armenians of their own community. The day
will surely come when the Armenian will finally learn (ironically from the non-
Armenian) to have a deeper respect for her or his own culture, but isn't it too
bad that so many Armenians in the Fresno area will have to wait for the second
coming of the exhibit instead of having celebrated its first appearance in
their city?