Armenian weaving: Tradition and Innovation
The first exhibition of the year opened at “Albert and Tove Boyajyan” exhibition hall last Friday showcasing the carpet-weaving works of the students of the Faculty of Design and Decorative Applied Arts. The exhibition is entitled “Armenian weaving․ tradition and innovation”.
The day before the opening of the exhibition it was attended by Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Ara Khzmalyan and President of Artists’ Union of Armenia, Suren Safaryan.
The aim of the meeting of SAFAA Rector Aram Isabekyan, Deans- Edik Vardanyan and Avetik Avetisyan, head of Chair of Sculpture Garegin Davtyan was to draw attention to this traditional type of art, handicraft taught at the academy demonstrating this recorded success of students.
In his opening speech, the dean of Design and Decorative Applied Arts faculty Avetik Avetisyan when referring to the rich traditions of Armenian carpet weaving art, highlighted their maintenance which was done by the State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia. He recalled an exhibition of recently rescued pieces of art from Shushi museum, noting that if they weren’t rescued they would have had the same fate as the spiritual architecture and the whole cultural heritage in Artsakh when the enemy continuously tried to own it under the Aghvan name. “We must try to preserve these art traditions and not allow them to be stolen from us. This exhibition is a sort of alarm to the Ministry and Government to pay attention to this branch of our culture and its preservation. This is another war, another fighting in the region to keep the identity, to show and make the world recognize that Armenian people have created culture over the centuries and no one has the right to own it, to steal it.”
In the congratulatory speech the name Hasmik Ghazaryan was especially emphasized- the lecturer, the person whose active and devoted work, love and care and the energy towards the profession and its transmission to students led to such results.
Melanya Badalyan
Translated by Naira Stepanyan
