Full-day conference that brings together a diverse group of experts to delve into the rich Armenian cultural heritage of the South Caucasus and Eastern Turkey.
Saturday, February 8, 2025
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM (Pacific Time)
Fowler Museum, Lenart Auditorium
Los Angeles, CA 90024
The event will feature discussions on the current state of these heritage sites, their preservation efforts, and initiatives to monitor, document, and protect them amidst a challenging geopolitical landscape. Experts will also explore the future of cultural heritage studies, offering valuable insights and strategies for safeguarding this vital legacy.
This event is cohosted by the Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA and the Fowler Museum at UCLA.
Agenda
| 08:00AM - 09:00AM |
Coffee and Registration |
09:00AM - 09:30AM
|
Welcome & Opening Remarks |
| |
Ann Karagozian, Director, UCLA Promise Armenian Institute |
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Amy Landau, Director of Education and Interpretation, UCLA Fowler Museum |
| 09:30AM - 10:15AM |
Keynote Address |
| |
Ann Karagozian, Director, UCLA Promise Armenian Institute, Introduction |
| |
Lori Khatchadourian, Associate Professor, Cornell University; co-founder and co-director, Caucasus Heritage Watch Cornell University |
| 10:15AM - 11:15AM |
Session 1: Cultural Heritage Destruction and Documentation in the South Caucasus |
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Kristine Martirosyan Olshansky, Director of the Research Program in Armenian Archaeology and Ethnography, UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, Moderator |
| |
Hamlet Petrosyan, Head of Department of Cultural Studies, Yerevan State University; Head of Artsakh Cultural Heritage Research Group, Head of Dvin Archaeological Expedition; Institute of Archaeology & Ethnography, Academy of Sciences of Armenia |
| |
Nzhdeh Yeranyan, Deputy Scientific Director, History Museum of Armenia; Lecturer, Department of Cultural Studies, Yerevan State University |
| 11:15AM - 12:00PM |
Keynote Address |
| |
Hannah Garry, Executive Director of The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law, Introduction |
| |
Yeghishe Kirakosyan, Representative on International Legal Matters of Republic of Armenia |
| 12:00PM - 12:25PM |
Musical Offering by UCLA Armenian Music Program |
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Antranig Kzirian on the Oud |
| 12:25PM - 01:30PM |
Lunch |
01:30PM - 02:50PM
|
Session 2: Cultural Heritage Destruction and Documentation in Historic Western Armenia/Present day Turkey |
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Anna Aleksanyan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Armenian Genocide Research Program at UCLA PAI, Moderator |
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Delal Dink, Vice President, Hrant Dink Foundation |
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Heghnar Watenpaugh, Professor, UC Davis |
| |
Ara Sarafian, Executive Director, Gomidas Institute (London) |
| 02:50PM - 04:30PM |
Session 3: Practical Solutions for Cultural Heritage Protection/Preservation |
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Peter Cowe, Narekatsi Professor of Armenian Studies, UCLA, Moderator |
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Simon Maghakyan, Research Associate/Gulbenkian Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford
|
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Taner Akcam, Director of the Armenian Genocide Research Program at Promise Armenian Institute, UCLA
|
| |
Ruzanna Tsaturyan, Researcher, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, National Academy of Sciences, Armenia; Lecturer, Faculty of History, Yerevan State University, Armenia |
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Marc Mamigonian, Director of Academic Affairs, NAASR |
| 04:30PM - 05:50PM |
Session 4: Roundtable Discussion on The Future of Armenian Heritage Studies |
| |
Melissa Bilal, Promise Chair in Armenian Music, Arts, and Culture; Director of Armenian Music Program; Assistant Professor, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, Moderator |
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Nelli Sargsyan, Professor, Emerson College |
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Tamar Shirinian, Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| |
Anoush Suni, Postdoctoral Fellow, Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA |
| 05:50PM - 07:00PM |
Reception |
Visitor self-service, Pay-By-Plate parking available at UCLA Parking Structure 4.
- Enter UCLA campus Lot 4 from Sunset Blvd. at Westwood Plaza and turn left into the Pay-By-Plate area of the lot.
- Automated pay stations in Pay-By-Plate accept $1 and $5 bills and credit cards.
The parking fee is a maximum of $14 for the whole day.
- The Fowler is visible to your left when you ascend from the elevator or stairs.
Please note: This event will be photographed and recorded for documentation and distribution. All audience members agree to the possibility of appearing in these photographs and recordings by virtue of attending the event or participating in the event.
Sponsor(s): Armenian Studies Research and Outreach Program, Center for Near Eastern Studies, Fowler Museum at UCLA, Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History, Narekatsi Chair in Armenian Studies, Promise Chair in Armenian Music, Arts, and Culture, Promise Institute for Human Rights, UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, National Association for Armenian Studies and Research NAASR, Ararat-Eskijian Museum, UCLA Armenian Students' Association