News

The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Dr. Sona Aronian Book Prizes for Excellence in Armenian Studies: Prof. Tamar M. Boyadjian for The City Lament: Jerusalem Across the Medieval Mediterranean (Cornell Univ. Press) and Prof. Jennifer M. Dixon for Dark Pasts: Changing the State’s Story in Turkey and Japan (Cornell Univ. Press); and Prof. Peter Balakian and Aram Arkun for the translation of Krikor Balakian’s The Ruins of Ani (Rutgers Univ. Press). NAASR’s Aronian Book Prizes were established in 2014 by the late Dr. Aronian and Dr. Geoffrey Gibbs,...

Hand carved in high relief, in dark walnut from Yeghegnadzor, Armenia and standing just over 8 feet in height, NAASR's exterior front door features artist Mels Yeghiazaryan's interpretations of traditional Armenian decorative motifs in meticulous detail. This stunning work of art, gift of K. George and Carolann S. Najarian, MD, invites one to open the door to learning and community. Mels Yeghiazaryan explains that the ornamentation and designs incorporated in NAASR's front door are derived from biological and geometrical elements that have inspired the development and blossoming of the old Armenian miniature art that reached its peak in the 13th and 14th...

Have you wondered about the meaning of the exquisite Eternity sculpture created by acclaimed artist Michael Aram and featured in the Eternity Garden in front of NAASR's new building? Cast and fabricated in bronze, this site specific 7 foot by 7 foot sculpture was a gift of the artist on the occasion of the opening of the NAASR Vartan Gregorian Building in November 2019. The Eternity sculpture is Michael Aram's interpretation of a traditional Armenian symbol of eternity as manifested in ancient Armenian architecture, sculpture, and manuscripts. The "Arevakhatch," or "solar cross" has been prevalent in Armenian culture since medieval times, and...

What a spectacular year NAASR has had — opening our magnificent new Vartan Gregorian Building with elements of Armenian culture and history incorporated into every aspect, and hosting a sold-out crowd of nearly 500 at our inspiring 65th Anniversary Gala! We thank the entire worldwide community for making this dream a reality in 2019 and look forward to an even more active 2020!  We count on you to keep the momentum going in NAASR’s exciting new era. Please donate today to advance Armenian Studies and build a global community for the next generation.

World-renowned opera singer Isabel Bayrakdarian will perform songs of Gomidas and Sayat Nova at the sold-out Gala of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, MA, on Saturday, November 2, 2019. A versatile opera singer, and concert and recording artist, Ms. Bayrakdarian has performed to great acclaim with the premier orchestras of the world and will be celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Gomidas (1869–1935), the priest, musicologist, and choirmaster, with her performance at the NAASR Gala. Accompanying her will be the Borromeo String Quartet, one of the most important string quartets of our...