WGBH, The Hidden Map, and Armenian Museum of America Team Up for Special Broadcasts

Executive Director Jason Sohigian and Filmmaker Ani Hovannisian filming the WGBH segments in the Armenian Museum galleries

WATERTOWN, MA--Following its popular nationwide premiere on PBS, the award-winning documentary The Hidden Map has been scheduled to air again in several cities from Los Angeles to Boston during the network’s August pledge drive.

Especially noteworthy is Boston’s novel approach to telling the Armenian story. Recognizing its vibrant Armenian community, WGBH made the important decision to spend an entire day recording studio breaks for the upcoming broadcasts at the Armenian Museum of America.

Collaborating with filmmaker Ani Hovannisian and the Museum’s Executive Director Jason Sohigian, the WGBH team created a program that celebrates Armenian heritage, history, and resilience, featuring lively exchanges and museum treasures to accompany the film. They hope to engage their diverse viewership with the 90-minute program which will premiere on the main channel GBH2 on August 15 at 7:30 pm.

Boston GBH2 Special-Event Premiere of The Hidden Map:

Monday, August 15 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, August 21 at 5:00 pm

If viewers miss the primary showings, they can also watch on GBH44:

Thursday, August 18 at 12:00 pm
Saturday, August 20 at 6:00 pm

August airdates and times in other PBS markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno, Cleveland, and Arizona are available by checking the Hidden Map website.

The Hidden Map takes viewers on a daring journey with Hovannisian, a granddaughter of Genocide survivors, as she ventures to the lost ancestral Armenian homeland to uncover the forbidden past. A chance meeting with a Scottish explorer leads to a joint odyssey beneath the surface of modern-day Turkey, where the duo discovers sacred relics and silenced voices.

“It’s a huge exhale,” said Hovannisian, “to know that PBS has taken the Armenian story and championed the truth by sharing The Hidden Map with viewers. They do it because viewers are responding. It’s a team effort, just as it is our collective story. So, it was especially exciting to film studio breaks with WGBH hosts in the Armenian Museum of America where thousands of years of Armenian creation and rebirth go hand in hand with the film.”

Sohigian added, “It was an honor to host WGBH at the Armenian Museum for their pledge drive. We’ve watched Ani’s documentary every time it has aired on PBS, and look forward to these special broadcasts, especially as the museum and film reflect many of the same themes, namely the survival and resilience of the Armenian people. We are here to share that history and culture with the world.”

Viewers who pledge a nominal amount in support of PBS will help ensure additional airings on a national stage and receive premiums including hand-crocheted dolls made by women in Armenia and free passes to the Armenian Museum of America.

Online Concert to Feature an Exclusive Performance by the Komitas Quartet

WATERTOWN, MA--The Armenian Museum of America recently announced its 11th Online Concert featuring an exclusive performance by the Komitas Quartet of Yerevan. The concert will be shown online on Sunday, August 14 at 1:00 pm EST (10:00 am PST and 9:00 pm in Yerevan).

Founded in 1924, the Komitas Quartet is the oldest-established string quartet still performing today. The group is named after Komitas, who had a formidable impact on Armenian music at the turn of the 20th century.

From its early days, the Komitas Quartet was inspired by a variety of composers including Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Ravel, Debussy, Borodin, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev.

Arrangements of Komitas' songs are a vital part of the repertoire of the Quartet, thus giving the world a chance to listen to the rich diversity of Armenian music.

The Komitas Quartet has performed with world-famous musicians including Emil Gilels, Dmitri Shostakovich, Victor Merzhanov, and Itzhak Perlman. The Quartet has played all over the world, in countries including Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Japan, Canada, and the USA.

This concert will be recorded in Armenia exclusively for the Armenian Museum of America, and it is produced by Daniel Ayriyan. The performers are Eduard Tadevosyan (violin), Syuzi Yeritsyan (violin), Alexander Kosemyan (viola), and Anzhela Sargsyan (cello).

The Online Concert series is free thanks to a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation. Preregistration is not required. The link will be available on the Museum’s Facebook page, YouTube Channel, and website www.ArmenianMuseum.org.

Watertown Cable Access TV Covers “On the Edge” Exhibit

The Watertown Weekly News Broadcast recently featured our new contemporary art exhibition and interviewed collector Joan Agajanian Quinn of Los Angeles. Joan explained that the “On the Edge” exhibition was proposed by the Museum’s President Michele Kolligian. The idea was to bring the community together, to enjoy the artists that contributed to the collection, and to educate the public. “This show has something for everyone,” explains Executive Director Jason Sohigian. “The collection is diverse, it is large, and it is exciting for Watertown.”

The exhibition of 125 contemporary works by artists including John Altoon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Charles Garabedian, Frank Gehry, and David Hockney runs through Nov. 30.

WBZ’s Jordan Rich Covers ‘On the Edge’ Exhibit

"The critics are raving about On the Edge, an art exhibit featuring Los Angeles art from the 70's through the 90's," says WBZ's Jordan Rich. Jordan has been a staple in the Boston broadcasting industry as the host of WBZ AM 1030 Radio's The Jordan Rich Show. Listen here to the "New England Weekend" program with Jordan and Armenian Museum of America Executive Director Jason Sohigian as they discuss this landmark exhibit.

Our galleries in Boston/Watertown are open Thursday thru Sunday from 12-6.

This photograph of Andy Warhol with Joan Agajanian Quinn was taken in Texas in 1975, courtesy of the Joan Quinn Archives.

Boston Globe: A Lively West Coast Collection Lands in Watertown

From left: Thomas Ammann, Joan Agajanian Quinn, and Andy Warhol, 1979. Courtesy of the Joan Quinn Archives.

WATERTOWN, MA --Collectors have nothing to declare except their sensibility. Many, perhaps most, don’t have one. Joan Agajanian Quinn definitely does. Getting a handle on it is among the pleasures offered by “On the Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970s-1990s from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection.” The show runs through Nov. 30 at the Armenian Museum of America.

On display are 125 works with more than 75 artists represented. Some of them you’ve likely heard of: Lynda Benglis, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Helmut Newton, Andy Warhol. Others you’ve also likely heard of have a particular association with Southern California: Ed Ruscha, David Hockney, Frank Gehry (a chair and “fish” lamp).

The title speaks to the Quinns’ tastes. What they collected wasn’t Old Masters or mainstream Modernists. They went in for contemporary artists, and not necessarily ones who would become established. Patrons as well as collectors, the Quinns weren’t placing bets. They were satisfying urges and unconcerned with conventions. The Quinns didn’t collect as an investment or for status. They collected things they wanted to own and live with.