Exhibitions

October 8 – November 16, 2012, at the Mardigian Library, University of Michigan- Dearborn

December 11, 2012 – January 31, 2013, at the Alex and Marie Manoogian Museum, Southfield, MI

Co-sponsor:  The Alex and Marie Manoogian Museum, Southfield, MI

Since the year 2012 marked the 500th anniversary of the printing of the first Armenian-language book, UNESCO had designated Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, as the World Book Capital. To mark this occasion, the ARC joined forces with the Alex and Marie Manoogian Museum in Southfield, MI and organized an exhibition focusing on 500 years of Armenian-language book printing. 

The exhibit opened at both locations with a reception featuring a keynote address by Dr. Levon Avdoyan of the Library of Congress. 115 volumes published between 1513 and 2006 were displayed at the exhibition.

A gratis copy of the exhibition booklet, titled Celebrating the Legacy of Five Centuries of Armenian-Language Book Printing, 1512-2012, highlighting various aspects of Armenian printing, was provided to the visitors to the exhibition in both locations. Copies of the booklet were sent to Armenian libraries worldwide. 

Copies are still available from the ARC upon request.

February 26 – March 26, 2010

Co-sponsors:

Armenian Library and Museum of America
The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery, Mardigian Library
Center for Arab-American Studies

Using photographs, maps, documents, personal accounts, and graphics, the exhibit initiated by the Armenian Library and Museum of America told the story of the Armenian Legion—a foreign unit within the French Army, which fought against the Ottoman Empire during and after World War I. The vivid words of the Legionnaires, interspersed with French official documents and historical texts, helped to form the narrative, placing the account of the Legionnaire movement against the backdrop of the turbulent global conflict in the Middle East.

The primary focus of the Exhibit was on the participation of Armenian-Americans in the Armenian Legion, from its formation in 1916 until its dissolution in 1920.

Viewers learned about the recruitment of soldiers to fight with the Allies in World War I, how these Armenian volunteers trained in Cyprus and fought with British General Edmund Allenby's forces, winning a crucial battle near the village of Ar'ara in Palestine. Their subsequent assignment took them to their ultimate destination, Cilicia (currently, southeastern Turkey), where the Allies had promised the local Armenians autonomy.

For the Dearborn leg of this traveling exhibit, the Armenian Research Center prepared an Annotated Bibliography of Select Books on the Armenian Legion.