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April 3, 2006
ALMA
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA
Contact Person: Mariam Stepanyan
Web: www.almainc.org
Tel: 617.926.2562 ext. 3
Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
ALMA will open an Armenian rug exhibit on April 20.
The Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) will open an
exceptional exhibit of Armenian textiles "Armenian Rugs and Weavings:
Textiles of Hearth and Heart" (Apr 9-Aug 15), which will be showcased in
the Museum's main gallery. This exhibit will feature a wide range of the
weavings from the mountains of Armenia and the Transcaucasus. ALMA will
host the opening reception on Thursday, April 20, 6-9pm.
The museum's holdings include over 20,000 artifacts including coins,
maps, religious art, costumes, ceramics, metalwork, paintings, and
almost 4,000 textiles. The new exhibit will include a dozen rugs
carefully selected from the over 200 Armenian Inscribed Rugs in the
collection, plus a wide range of smaller woven textiles (bread covers,
kilims, bedding boxes, saddlebags, oven covers, salt bags and other
domestic examples) that are not usually seen by the public. When one
hears the term "Armenian weavings", most people think of the striking
oriental rugs, particularly the Kazaks and Karabaghs, which often
overshadow the simpler household pieces.
Many of the textiles to be exhibited are from the museum's new
Offen-Alimian Collection, and will be publicly exhibited for the first
time. The new exhibit will also include a dozen exceptional works on
loan from the Armenian Rug Society (ARS). The ARS is a national
association of collectors and connoisseurs of Armenian rugs, an ancient
tradition that is too often overshadowed by the extensive weavings of
neighboring Turkey and Iran. The ARS participation will allow the museum
to highlight several genres of Armenian rugs outside of the museum's own
holdings, to allow visitors to familiarize themselves with the wide
range of Armenian weavings. The ARS rugs are all from private
collections, and rarely seen by the public. ARS members, loaning rugs
for the ALMA exhibit will be arriving for the opening reception at the
Museum.
Although many people erroneously believe that "oriental rugs" are
strictly an "Islamic art", knotted rug making is also practiced by some
Christian and Jewish groups, including the Christian Armenians (the
museum also includes many examples of the ancient religious arts of
Armenia). Indeed, some scholars believe that the rug weaving traditions
of the Armenians predate the emergence of Islam, and that oriental rug
weaving was originally was a "Christian art", later adopted by Muslims.
Aside from the exceptional rugs, the exhibit will also examine some of
these conflicting theories on the role of the Armenians in both rug
production and distribution (e.g. the stereotype of the "Armenian rug
merchant").
In conjunction with the weaving exhibit, Dr. Lucy Der Manuelian, noted
authority and expert on Armenian art, will deliver a lecture at the
opening reception at 8:00 pm entitled "Diamonds, Dragons and Crosses:
The Story of Armenian Rug Weaving", which will examine the links between
the Armenian folk art traditions and the elite art of architecture and
illuminations. All Armenian arts are interrelated, rooted in and drawing
upon the same ancient artistic motifs for their inspiration. Dr. Der
Manuelian is professor of Armenian Art at Tufts University, and longtime
trustee of the museum.
Aside from the rug exhibits, the museum visitor will also find several
related exhibits in the smaller galleries, including "Undercover:
Armenian Textiles of the Bedroom and Bath". The museum is the largest
Armenian museum in the world, outside of the Republic of Armenia, and is
the largest ethnic museum in Massachusetts.
ALMA is located at 65 Main Street, Watertown, MA (at the intersection of
Rt. 16 and Rt. 20), just outside of Boston. The new museum hours are:
Thursday 6-9 p.m., Friday and Sunday 1-5 p.m., and Saturday 10AM-2PM.
To arrange for guided tours call 617-926-2562 or visit the Museum's
website www.almainc.org .
ALMA
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA
Contact Person: Mariam Stepanyan
Web: www.almainc.org
Tel: 617.926.2562 ext. 3
Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
ALMA will open an Armenian rug exhibit on April 20.
The Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) will open an
exceptional exhibit of Armenian textiles "Armenian Rugs and Weavings:
Textiles of Hearth and Heart" (Apr 9-Aug 15), which will be showcased in
the Museum's main gallery. This exhibit will feature a wide range of the
weavings from the mountains of Armenia and the Transcaucasus. ALMA will
host the opening reception on Thursday, April 20, 6-9pm.
The museum's holdings include over 20,000 artifacts including coins,
maps, religious art, costumes, ceramics, metalwork, paintings, and
almost 4,000 textiles. The new exhibit will include a dozen rugs
carefully selected from the over 200 Armenian Inscribed Rugs in the
collection, plus a wide range of smaller woven textiles (bread covers,
kilims, bedding boxes, saddlebags, oven covers, salt bags and other
domestic examples) that are not usually seen by the public. When one
hears the term "Armenian weavings", most people think of the striking
oriental rugs, particularly the Kazaks and Karabaghs, which often
overshadow the simpler household pieces.
Many of the textiles to be exhibited are from the museum's new
Offen-Alimian Collection, and will be publicly exhibited for the first
time. The new exhibit will also include a dozen exceptional works on
loan from the Armenian Rug Society (ARS). The ARS is a national
association of collectors and connoisseurs of Armenian rugs, an ancient
tradition that is too often overshadowed by the extensive weavings of
neighboring Turkey and Iran. The ARS participation will allow the museum
to highlight several genres of Armenian rugs outside of the museum's own
holdings, to allow visitors to familiarize themselves with the wide
range of Armenian weavings. The ARS rugs are all from private
collections, and rarely seen by the public. ARS members, loaning rugs
for the ALMA exhibit will be arriving for the opening reception at the
Museum.
Although many people erroneously believe that "oriental rugs" are
strictly an "Islamic art", knotted rug making is also practiced by some
Christian and Jewish groups, including the Christian Armenians (the
museum also includes many examples of the ancient religious arts of
Armenia). Indeed, some scholars believe that the rug weaving traditions
of the Armenians predate the emergence of Islam, and that oriental rug
weaving was originally was a "Christian art", later adopted by Muslims.
Aside from the exceptional rugs, the exhibit will also examine some of
these conflicting theories on the role of the Armenians in both rug
production and distribution (e.g. the stereotype of the "Armenian rug
merchant").
In conjunction with the weaving exhibit, Dr. Lucy Der Manuelian, noted
authority and expert on Armenian art, will deliver a lecture at the
opening reception at 8:00 pm entitled "Diamonds, Dragons and Crosses:
The Story of Armenian Rug Weaving", which will examine the links between
the Armenian folk art traditions and the elite art of architecture and
illuminations. All Armenian arts are interrelated, rooted in and drawing
upon the same ancient artistic motifs for their inspiration. Dr. Der
Manuelian is professor of Armenian Art at Tufts University, and longtime
trustee of the museum.
Aside from the rug exhibits, the museum visitor will also find several
related exhibits in the smaller galleries, including "Undercover:
Armenian Textiles of the Bedroom and Bath". The museum is the largest
Armenian museum in the world, outside of the Republic of Armenia, and is
the largest ethnic museum in Massachusetts.
ALMA is located at 65 Main Street, Watertown, MA (at the intersection of
Rt. 16 and Rt. 20), just outside of Boston. The new museum hours are:
Thursday 6-9 p.m., Friday and Sunday 1-5 p.m., and Saturday 10AM-2PM.
To arrange for guided tours call 617-926-2562 or visit the Museum's
website www.almainc.org .