The Armenian Museum of America regrets the loss of life, injuries, and displacement of Armenians from Artsakh caused by the resumption of war on September 27, 2020. In the aftermath of the war, we express our solidarity with colleagues in the scholarly and cultural heritage community around the world, who are calling attention to the threat of cultural genocide and ethnic cleansing in Artsakh.
We are concerned about the Armenian monuments, artifacts, and buildings that are now threatened in areas under Azerbaijani control. We have witnessed the erasure of the Armenian presence in Nakhichevan in recent decades, and Azerbaijan has even resorted to widespread historical revisionism within the past month.
Armenians contributed widely to the development of civilization and culture in the region from ancient pre-Christian sites to medieval monasteries that are awe-inspiring wonders of the world. This is a part of Armenia’s heritage, but it is also a part of the world’s rich culture.
The Armenian Museum of America has doubled down on its mission to protect, preserve, and share Armenia’s heritage so it will forever endure. In our role as a living museum, we are responding with a renewed focus on two areas:
1) New exhibitions documenting our rich cultural heritage, and
2) Safekeeping items of national importance in perpetuity
We stand ready to assist our colleagues and compatriots guarding Armenia’s patrimony and to curate programs so people of all ethnic backgrounds can learn more about our contributions to the cultural fabric of the world.
About the Armenian Museum of America
The Armenian Museum of America is the largest Armenian Museum in the Diaspora. It has grown into a major repository for all forms of Armenian material culture that illustrate the creative endeavors of the Armenian people over the centuries. Today, the Museum’s collections hold more than 25,000 artifacts including 5,000 ancient and medieval Armenian coins, 1,000 stamps and maps, 30,000 books, 3,000 textiles and 180 Armenian inscribed rugs, and an extensive collection of Urartian and religious artifacts, ceramics, medieval illuminations, and various other objects. The collection includes historically significant objects, including five of the Armenian Bibles printed in Amsterdam in 1666.
Armenian Museum of America
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
www.armenianmuseum.org