DONORS OF RECORD-BREAKING CLEATS FOR ARTSAKH REVEALED!

Cleats Donated to Armenian Museum of America

Berj Najarian of the New England Patriots (center) presented the cleats to Michele Kolligian and Bob Khederian at Gillette Stadium

For WBZ-TV coverage of this story, please click here.

The #PeaceForArmenians cleats that broke NFL records have made the news again as the winning bidders on January 6, 2021 were revealed to be Michele Kolligian and Bob Khederian of Boston. Kolligian and Khederian were on a mission to acquire these cleats, not for themselves, but to support the Armenia Fund and to bring awareness that another genocide is taking place in Artsakh. POW’s remain imprisoned by Azerbaijan and innocent Armenian civilians are being tortured and killed and displaced from their homeland, and these atrocities have not been widely reported in the news.

 Kolligian, President of the Board of Trustees of the Armenian Museum of America, and Khederian, Vice President, are donating the cleats to the Museum. The dynamic duo have devoted their time and effort to keep the Museum in the forefront of the Armenian and non-Armenian communities. Proud and committed to the Armenian Museum’s mission, this recent gesture speaks to their generosity and passion for their Armenian heritage and the legacy left behind by the Museum’s founders 50 years ago.

 While the auction was going on, they knew they were up against another determined bidder. At one point they were about to put a pause on their bidding but with less than three minutes left to go they entered one final bid of $40,300, which sealed the deal! “It felt like we had just won the Armenian Super Bowl,” said Kolligian and Khederian.

 “It was an exciting campaign and a record for the NFL’s charitable campaign. We give credit and our sincere thanks to Berj Najarian and the Patriots Family for making this campaign a success in raising awareness about Artsakh,” said Kolligian. “In the end what made us most proud was to support the ongoing humanitarian efforts in Armenia and Artsakh and to be able to give the cleats a permanent and prominent place in the collection of the Armenian Museum. The icing on the cake is that the cleats will remain in New England, home to the Patriots! The cleats will be featured in a Family Case in the Museum and we will be using them in a creative way to raise additional funds for the children of Artsakh whose lives have been drastically impacted by this war.”

The Armenian-themed cleats were created by Armenian-American Berj Najarian, who is the Director of Football/Head Coach Administration for the New England Patriots. The NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” campaign was initiated in 2016 as a way for players to use their voices and their influence to build support for social causes.

“The entire experience went above and beyond my expectations and was incredible and humbling to be a part of this. I was just the middleman for the extreme generosity and was thrilled to learn that Michele and Bob were the winners,” Najarian recalled.

When the war in Artsakh broke out again on September 27, the typically quiet and behind-the-scenes Najarian realized he had to speak up, and he started a campaign using Instagram. One of the first videos he posted was of his boss, Coach Bill Belichick, expressing concern about human rights abuses being committed against Armenians in Artsakh.

Soon thereafter, Najarian announced the auction of the one-of-a-kind cleats--which would close on Armenian Christmas--designed by Massachusetts-based artist Joseph Ventura. The shoes featured a church, khachkar cross-stone, Mount Ararat, and the tricolors of the Armenian flag and were worn by Najarian on the field during three Patriots games. The shoes became a cultural phenomenon and broke NFL records for attracting the most bids in the “My Cause My Cleats” campaign, even surpassing cleats auctioned by all-star quarterback Tom Brady.

The Patriots are a tight-knit team, even described as a family by team captain Matthew Slater, who posted words of support for Armenians on social media along with linebacker Chase Winovich, wide receiver Julian Edelman, defensive back Devin McCourty, and even ex-Patriots star Tom Brady.

While Coach Belichick has supported the Armenians before, notably by wearing an Armenian pin during a visit to the White House in recognition of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, the awareness around Artsakh started when Najarian made a presentation about his heritage and the history of the Armenians as part of the team’s internal social justice campaign. In preparation for this talk and his social media postings, Najarian reached out to the Armenian Museum of America for resources and advice.

“I’m fortunate and thankful to work for the Kraft Family and Coach Belichick, and to be around the players. It was a collective effort of rallying around each other. It was special. I’m already looking for what’s next. There is a lot more work to be done for Armenia,” Najarian said.

The Armenian Museum issued a statement after the war, along with other influential organizations such as the Getty Museum and The MET. “We are concerned about the Armenian monuments, artifacts, and buildings that are now threatened in areas under Azerbaijani control,” noted the statement. “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.”

Armenian Museum of America Statement on Artsakh Cultural Heritage

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

Jason Sohigian Joins Armenian Museum of America as Executive Director

Armenian Museum of America Executive Director Jason Sohigian (Photograph by Tamar Barsamian) 

WATERTOWN, MA--After a lengthy search period, the Armenian Museum of America has recently hired Jason Sohigian as the organization’s Executive Director. 

Jason has degrees from Clark University and Harvard University Extension School, and he is well-known locally, nationally, and internationally for his volunteerism and professional work. He has appeared on numerous panels and was featured as speaker at one of the prestigious TEDx events in Yerevan.

Jason served as Editor of the Armenian Weekly newspaper, and most recently as Deputy Director of the Armenia Tree Project. His work at ATP over the past 15 years focused on development, marketing, and environmental sustainability.

“As a leader in the non-profit sector, Jason has led many efforts here in the US as well as in Armenia to help organizations expand and promote their mission,” says Michele Kolligian, President of the Board of Directors. “Jason is a very passionate and proud Armenian with a strong interest in our heritage and rich history. Among other things, his knowledge will play a vital part in our efforts to present the Museum’s incredible coin collection donated to us by the late Paul and Vickie Bedoukian, and their son, Dr. Robert and his wife Gail.”  

In 2015, Jason co-founded the Armenian Numismatic and Antiquities Society, which has held several “antiques roadshow” type events, published a journal/newsletter, and developed a website and social media presence for collectors, historians, and enthusiasts. 

“To say these are unprecedented times has become a real understatement these days, especially for our community. On top of a global pandemic, we are following an ongoing war in Artsakh every day,” notes Sohigian. “Nevertheless, the Museum has been updating its exhibitions and expanding its virtual offerings. As a living museum, we are more than just a collection of artifacts. Our goal is to increase our membership and continue to curate exhibitions and programs as we celebrate our 50th anniversary in the coming year. We will offer something for everyone.”

Jason lives in Watertown with his wife Vicki and their two children.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jason to the Armenian Museum and wish him all the best in his position as Executive Director,” adds Kolligian. “Our goal is to raise the profile of the Museum through exhibitions, public programming, and expanding partnerships. We hope to see more visitors to the Museum in the near future when the pandemic subsides and it safe to resume normal operations. In the meantime, we wish everyone good health and well-being, and wish the same for our Armenian brothers and sisters in Artsakh.”

Founded in 1971, the Armenian Museum of America has grown into a major repository for all forms of material culture that illustrate the creative endeavors of the Armenian people over the centuries. Today, the collections hold more than 20,000 artifacts including 5,000 ancient and medieval coins, over 3,000 textiles and 180 Armenian inscribed rugs, and an extensive collection of Urartian and religious artifacts, ceramics, medieval illuminations, and contemporary art. The Library houses archival materials, more than 27,000 titles, and an oral history collection.

The Museum has the largest and most diverse collection of Armenian objects outside of the Republic of Armenia.

The Armenian Museum Congratulates Dr. Taner Akçam!

The Armenian Museum of America is proud to announce that its Academic Advisor to the Board, Dr. Taner Akcam, has been recognized internationally for his book Killing Orders: Talat Pasha’s Telegrams and Armenian Genocide.

Wednesday night at a dinner in Paris hosted by the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations in France, French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Dr. Akçam for his achievement and for his position against Armenian Genocide denial. According to the French president, Akcam’s book constitutes “the scientific establishment of clear intentionality of organized crime.” “You brought out what some wanted to plunge into oblivion, Genocide denial,” said Macron. “It is an essential stone in this deeply political debate with the Turkish leaders,” he added. Dr. Akçam is the Robert Aram, Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University. 

The Board of Trustees of the Armenian Museum of America congratulates Dr. Akçam and expresses its gratitude for his passionate and tireless work and commitment to bringing worldwide recognition of the Armenian Genocide. 

Sincerely, 

Michele M. Kolligian
President

The Armenian Museum Awarded Dadourian Foundation Grant

The Armenian Museum of America is proud to announce that we have been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Dadourian Foundation to support Armenian musical performances in 2020. The Dadourian Foundation has been the largest champion of the musical programming events here at the Museum for the past several years.

Thanks to their continued generosity we have been able to host numerous concerts with artists from the Composers Union of Armenia, launch a successful Jazz Night Series and enliven our galleries with performances by musicians playing traditional Armenian instruments such as the oud and the duduk. 

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and Staff, we wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Dadourian foundation for their trust and support of our mission to present Armenian culture to our membership and the community at-large.

We look forward to continuing and expanding our musical programming at the Armenian Museum during 2020. Stay tuned for this Spring’s musical programming updates!