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500 YEARS OF ARMENIAN PRINTING CELEBRATED IN THE US
by Lilly Torosyan
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/09/11/500-years-of-armenian-printing-celebrated-in-the-us/
September 11, 2012
Special Issue: Celebrating 500 Years of Armenian Printing
The Armenian Weekly, Sept. 1, 2012
(Download article in PDF)
"To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of
understanding" (Proverbs 1:2). These were the first words translated
into Armenian upon the creation of the Armenian alphabet in the early
5th century by St. Mesrob Mashdots. This year marks UNESCO's selection
of Yerevan as the World Book Capital of 2012, corresponding with the
500thanniversary of the first printed book in Armenian. The Library of
Congress in Washington, D.C. has inaugurated an exhibition-which runs
from April 19 to September 26-that features 76 items from Armenian
print throughout the centuries.
A scene from the Library of Congress exhibit Curator Dr. Levon Avdoyan
authored the 100-page illustrated catalogue titled "To Know Wisdom
and Instruction: 500 Years of Armenian Printing," which describes
the items on display at the Library of Congress. He stresses that
although the celebration of the anniversary is important, its main
goal is to illustrate the ancient literary tradition of the Armenian
people. "We did not plan a beautiful exhibit, although there is
plenty of beauty in it. We designed the exhibition to educate in a
non-didactic way about all aspects of that tradition-including its
musical extension." The presentation, he added, "was fashioned to
showcase the growth of the Armenian-language collections from some
7,000 items in 1992 to an estimated 45,000 today."
The exhibition at the Library of Congress, through its various books,
poems, and maps, represents large elements of Armenian history and
culture since the 14th century. Avdoyan's dedication to the exhibition
has been instrumental in both its inception and continuation over the
past several months. Two smaller exhibitions in the Greater Boston area
also celebrated the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing this year.
Harvard University, with the assistance of several Armenian
organizations such as the National Association for Armenian Studies
and Research (NAASR) and the Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF),
held its own exhibit in April featuring the first Armenian printed
book, Urbatagirk("Book of Fridays") by Jacob the Sinner. The director
of NAASR, Marc Mamigonian, considers the exhibition both celebratory
and educational. "The primary mission of the exhibition was to educate
Harvard students who might otherwise be unaware of Armenian history and
culture. Thus, the exhibition covered a lot of ground in a relatively
succinct manner. I think the celebratory aspect of the exhibition is
implied-we did not set out to make this a 'hooray for the Armenians'
exhibition, but the texts and materials included testify to a book
culture of which Armenians can be proud."
An item from the Library of Congress exhibit As the principle organizer
of the event, Prof. James Russell of Harvard University reached out
to Armenian groups in the area, as well as his colleagues at Boston
University and Tufts for cooperation. This milestone is an opportunity
for Armenians and non-Armenians to appreciate the antiquity and
perseverance of the Armenian alphabet, he says.
"The Armenian alphabet was essential to the survival of the Armenian
language, culture, and tradition. I think this story of cultural
survival against unbelievable odds should be of interest to any
person aware that cultural diversity is as vital as biodiversity,
not only to the quality of life, but to life itself," notes Russell,
who holds the Mashtots Chair in Armenian Studies. He is very pleased
with the popularity of the Harvard exhibit, and hopes for similar
presentations that raise interest in the culture of Armenian print.
Shortly after the conclusion of the exhibit at Harvard, another opened
at the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) in Watertown,
featuring a larger collection of books on display, which will be shown
through November 30. This exhibition focuses on similar aspects of
the occasion, such as the creation of the Armenian alphabet, and the
subsequent development of Armenian printing over the centuries. Many
questions are addressed about Armenian history and the legacy of
the manuscripts.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a day-long symposium at ALMA
on Sat., Sept. 15.
Another exhibit will be opened in Michigan. on Oct. 18 with a keynote
lecture by Levon Avdoyan. The exhibit is jointly organized by the
Armenian Research Center-Dearborn and the Alex Manoogian Museum at
the St John's Armenian Church in Southfield, Mich. The first leg
of the exhibit will be in the Mardigian Library at University of
Michigan-Dearborn (Oct. 18 to mid-November), after which the exhibit
will move to the Manoogian Museum (Dec. 11 to early January).
by Lilly Torosyan
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/09/11/500-years-of-armenian-printing-celebrated-in-the-us/
September 11, 2012
Special Issue: Celebrating 500 Years of Armenian Printing
The Armenian Weekly, Sept. 1, 2012
(Download article in PDF)
"To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of
understanding" (Proverbs 1:2). These were the first words translated
into Armenian upon the creation of the Armenian alphabet in the early
5th century by St. Mesrob Mashdots. This year marks UNESCO's selection
of Yerevan as the World Book Capital of 2012, corresponding with the
500thanniversary of the first printed book in Armenian. The Library of
Congress in Washington, D.C. has inaugurated an exhibition-which runs
from April 19 to September 26-that features 76 items from Armenian
print throughout the centuries.
A scene from the Library of Congress exhibit Curator Dr. Levon Avdoyan
authored the 100-page illustrated catalogue titled "To Know Wisdom
and Instruction: 500 Years of Armenian Printing," which describes
the items on display at the Library of Congress. He stresses that
although the celebration of the anniversary is important, its main
goal is to illustrate the ancient literary tradition of the Armenian
people. "We did not plan a beautiful exhibit, although there is
plenty of beauty in it. We designed the exhibition to educate in a
non-didactic way about all aspects of that tradition-including its
musical extension." The presentation, he added, "was fashioned to
showcase the growth of the Armenian-language collections from some
7,000 items in 1992 to an estimated 45,000 today."
The exhibition at the Library of Congress, through its various books,
poems, and maps, represents large elements of Armenian history and
culture since the 14th century. Avdoyan's dedication to the exhibition
has been instrumental in both its inception and continuation over the
past several months. Two smaller exhibitions in the Greater Boston area
also celebrated the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing this year.
Harvard University, with the assistance of several Armenian
organizations such as the National Association for Armenian Studies
and Research (NAASR) and the Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF),
held its own exhibit in April featuring the first Armenian printed
book, Urbatagirk("Book of Fridays") by Jacob the Sinner. The director
of NAASR, Marc Mamigonian, considers the exhibition both celebratory
and educational. "The primary mission of the exhibition was to educate
Harvard students who might otherwise be unaware of Armenian history and
culture. Thus, the exhibition covered a lot of ground in a relatively
succinct manner. I think the celebratory aspect of the exhibition is
implied-we did not set out to make this a 'hooray for the Armenians'
exhibition, but the texts and materials included testify to a book
culture of which Armenians can be proud."
An item from the Library of Congress exhibit As the principle organizer
of the event, Prof. James Russell of Harvard University reached out
to Armenian groups in the area, as well as his colleagues at Boston
University and Tufts for cooperation. This milestone is an opportunity
for Armenians and non-Armenians to appreciate the antiquity and
perseverance of the Armenian alphabet, he says.
"The Armenian alphabet was essential to the survival of the Armenian
language, culture, and tradition. I think this story of cultural
survival against unbelievable odds should be of interest to any
person aware that cultural diversity is as vital as biodiversity,
not only to the quality of life, but to life itself," notes Russell,
who holds the Mashtots Chair in Armenian Studies. He is very pleased
with the popularity of the Harvard exhibit, and hopes for similar
presentations that raise interest in the culture of Armenian print.
Shortly after the conclusion of the exhibit at Harvard, another opened
at the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) in Watertown,
featuring a larger collection of books on display, which will be shown
through November 30. This exhibition focuses on similar aspects of
the occasion, such as the creation of the Armenian alphabet, and the
subsequent development of Armenian printing over the centuries. Many
questions are addressed about Armenian history and the legacy of
the manuscripts.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a day-long symposium at ALMA
on Sat., Sept. 15.
Another exhibit will be opened in Michigan. on Oct. 18 with a keynote
lecture by Levon Avdoyan. The exhibit is jointly organized by the
Armenian Research Center-Dearborn and the Alex Manoogian Museum at
the St John's Armenian Church in Southfield, Mich. The first leg
of the exhibit will be in the Mardigian Library at University of
Michigan-Dearborn (Oct. 18 to mid-November), after which the exhibit
will move to the Manoogian Museum (Dec. 11 to early January).