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ART CENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN
Teri Bond - Director, Communications
1700 Lida Street, Pasadena CA 91103
O. 626.396.2385
M. 310-738-2077
Email: [email protected]
Today, Sunday, April 21st at 1 p.m., we are presenting the concept
designs for the proposed Armenian Genocide Memorial to a small group
of interested people on the Hillside campus at the L.A. Times Media
Center, Art Center College of Design , 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena CA
91103 .
We will be presenting the design concept and screening a video about
the project. All of the members of the design team will be attending
and available for interviews.
As you know, this Wednesday (April 24th) is the anniversary of the
Genocide and there are several events planned around it.
Our original (January 29th) announcement about the winning design is
below.
Art Center College of Design Student
Wins Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Competition
Public Artwork Designed by Catherine Menard Will Be
Completed in Time for 100th Anniversary Commemorations in 2015
January 29, 2013, Pasadena, Calif. - Today Art Center College of
Design and the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee (PASAGMC)
jointly announced the winning design concept for a new memorial whose
planned dedication in 2015 will coincide with 100th anniversary
commemorations of the Armenian Genocide. The concept by Art Center
Environmental Design student Catherine Menard was developed in 2012 as
part of the College's social impact design program, Designmatters. The
proposed site for the public artwork is Memorial Park in the City of
Pasadena.
Menard's concept was one of 17 submissions the committee received, and
one of three finalists chosen by an independent panel of judges in
December. The three-judge panel included Stefanos Polyzoides, a
principal of Moule & Polyzoides, Architects and Urbanists; Ruben
Amirian, an architect/artist who has served on the design review board
and historic commission in Glendale; and Neshan Peroomian, a
contractor and prominent Armenian-American community leader.
In all, six Environmental Design students at Art Center developed
memorial proposals last fall during an intensive Design Topic Studio
class and submitted them to the competition. Two of the students -
Menard and her classmate J.D. Clark - were selected as finalists, a
particularly impressive achievement in a field of competitors that
included many seasoned professionals.
Earlier this month, Board members of PASAGMC voted unanimously to move
forward with Menard's proposal.
`This was a competitive process, and we considered a number of very
fine proposals,' says Committee Chair William M. Paparian, Esq., an
attorney and former Mayor of Pasadena. `But our final decision was
unanimous. We were deeply impressed by Catherine, who developed and
presented an emotionally compelling design for a historical event that
she initially knew nothing about. We hope that this memorial will
inspire a similar emotional connection in those who encounter it, for
generations to come.'
`With tremendous pride, we congratulate Catherine Menard on her
creative and inspiring memorial design that will have profound and
lasting impact in the community,' says Art Center President Lorne
M. Buchman. `The extraordinary talent and commitment of our students
and faculty continue to find meaningful expression locally and
globally through a remarkable range of social impact projects.'
Greater Los Angeles is home to the largest population of Armenians in
the United States, many descended from families persecuted and killed
between 1915 and 1921.
Menard, 26, is a seventh-term Environmental Design major at Art Center
and expects to graduate this year. Of French Cajun heritage, she was
born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and moved with her family to Los Angeles
at age four. She currently resides in Pasadena.
`I'm a Southern California girl with a Southern heart,' she says with
a smile.
Initially invited to join the project by Environmental Design
Professor James Meraz, Menard came into it with little knowledge of
Armenian history. `But I have always felt drawn to history and
heritage,' she says, `drawn to anything with any semblance of
meaning.'
Menard immersed herself in accounts of the Armenian Genocide as well
as the recent history of memorial art, including the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, designed by Maya Lin who, like
Menard, was a student at the time she won the competition.
`It all started to permeate my mind and my heart,' says Menard. `At
first I felt unworthy - who am I to respond to such loss? But art
lends itself to the deepest, darkest parts of human experience. It can
create sympathy, empathy, understanding. I wanted to pair this horror
with something uplifting and beautiful, to create a way to remember. I
developed three different ideas and settled on the one that I felt
most terrified and most moved by.'
The central feature of Menard's minimalist design - a carved-stone
basin of water straddled by a tripod arrangement of three columns
leaning into one another - is a single drop of water that falls from
the highest point every three seconds, each `teardrop' representing
one life lost. Over the course of one year, 1.5 million tears will
fall into the pool, the estimated number of victims of the Armenian
Genocide.
`It was an honor to lead this most extraordinary challenge,' says
Meraz. `In just seven weeks - half the time of our typical studio -
our students worked passionately to design a memorial that has the
power to provoke an emotional and contemplative response to a horrific
event. In turn, this educational experience has given them new
perspective, with compassion, sensitivity, remembrance and hope for
the human condition.'
Polyzoides, one of the competition jurors, will work with Menard to
bring her concept to fruition. An associate professor of architecture
emeritus at the University of Southern California, he is an architect,
urbanist and partner of Moule & Polyzoides, a Pasadena practice that
has completed many distinguished projects locally, in other parts of
the U.S. and abroad.
`All of the Art Center student submissions were extremely well done
and stood out for their seriousness. But Catherine's design struck the
perfect balance between abstract and representational,' says
Polyzoides. `It's very beautiful, very poetic, and I want to make sure
that it's as well constructed as it was conceived.'
Although he was the only non-Armenian juror, Polyzoides has many
Armenian friends and the history of the Armenian Genocide has personal
resonance for him. `My grandparents were from Istanbul and I grew up
in Greece,' he recalls. `For as long as I can remember, I heard about
the actions taken by the Ottoman Turkish government against the
Armenian minority. It was devastating.'
Details regarding the project's budget and construction will be
developed over the next several months, with official groundbreaking
anticipated in 2014 and dedication of the completed memorial on April
24, 2015.
PHOTOS:
Caption: Art Center College of Design student Catherine Menard, winner
of the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Competition, presents her
proposal. Credit: Courtesy Art Center College of Design/Alex Aristei
http://www2.artcenter.edu/designoffice/Catherine-Menard-presents-design.jpeg
Caption: Art Center College of Design student Catherine Menard, winner
of the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Competiton. Credit: Image
courtesy Art Center College of Design/Alex Aristei
http://www2.artcenter.edu/designoffice/Catherine-Menard.jpeg
* * *
About Art Center College of Design
Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, Art Center
College of
Design
is a global leader in art and design education. Art Center offers
undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide variety of art and design
disciplines, as well as public programs for all ages and levels of
experience. Renowned for its ties to industry and professional rigor,
Art Center is also
the first design school to receive the United Nations'
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status, providing students with
opportunities to create design-based solutions for humanitarian and
nonprofit agencies around the world. During the College's 80-year
history, Art Center's alumni have had a profound impact on popular
culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.
From: A. Papazian
Teri Bond - Director, Communications
1700 Lida Street, Pasadena CA 91103
O. 626.396.2385
M. 310-738-2077
Email: [email protected]
Today, Sunday, April 21st at 1 p.m., we are presenting the concept
designs for the proposed Armenian Genocide Memorial to a small group
of interested people on the Hillside campus at the L.A. Times Media
Center, Art Center College of Design , 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena CA
91103 .
We will be presenting the design concept and screening a video about
the project. All of the members of the design team will be attending
and available for interviews.
As you know, this Wednesday (April 24th) is the anniversary of the
Genocide and there are several events planned around it.
Our original (January 29th) announcement about the winning design is
below.
Art Center College of Design Student
Wins Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Competition
Public Artwork Designed by Catherine Menard Will Be
Completed in Time for 100th Anniversary Commemorations in 2015
January 29, 2013, Pasadena, Calif. - Today Art Center College of
Design and the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee (PASAGMC)
jointly announced the winning design concept for a new memorial whose
planned dedication in 2015 will coincide with 100th anniversary
commemorations of the Armenian Genocide. The concept by Art Center
Environmental Design student Catherine Menard was developed in 2012 as
part of the College's social impact design program, Designmatters. The
proposed site for the public artwork is Memorial Park in the City of
Pasadena.
Menard's concept was one of 17 submissions the committee received, and
one of three finalists chosen by an independent panel of judges in
December. The three-judge panel included Stefanos Polyzoides, a
principal of Moule & Polyzoides, Architects and Urbanists; Ruben
Amirian, an architect/artist who has served on the design review board
and historic commission in Glendale; and Neshan Peroomian, a
contractor and prominent Armenian-American community leader.
In all, six Environmental Design students at Art Center developed
memorial proposals last fall during an intensive Design Topic Studio
class and submitted them to the competition. Two of the students -
Menard and her classmate J.D. Clark - were selected as finalists, a
particularly impressive achievement in a field of competitors that
included many seasoned professionals.
Earlier this month, Board members of PASAGMC voted unanimously to move
forward with Menard's proposal.
`This was a competitive process, and we considered a number of very
fine proposals,' says Committee Chair William M. Paparian, Esq., an
attorney and former Mayor of Pasadena. `But our final decision was
unanimous. We were deeply impressed by Catherine, who developed and
presented an emotionally compelling design for a historical event that
she initially knew nothing about. We hope that this memorial will
inspire a similar emotional connection in those who encounter it, for
generations to come.'
`With tremendous pride, we congratulate Catherine Menard on her
creative and inspiring memorial design that will have profound and
lasting impact in the community,' says Art Center President Lorne
M. Buchman. `The extraordinary talent and commitment of our students
and faculty continue to find meaningful expression locally and
globally through a remarkable range of social impact projects.'
Greater Los Angeles is home to the largest population of Armenians in
the United States, many descended from families persecuted and killed
between 1915 and 1921.
Menard, 26, is a seventh-term Environmental Design major at Art Center
and expects to graduate this year. Of French Cajun heritage, she was
born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and moved with her family to Los Angeles
at age four. She currently resides in Pasadena.
`I'm a Southern California girl with a Southern heart,' she says with
a smile.
Initially invited to join the project by Environmental Design
Professor James Meraz, Menard came into it with little knowledge of
Armenian history. `But I have always felt drawn to history and
heritage,' she says, `drawn to anything with any semblance of
meaning.'
Menard immersed herself in accounts of the Armenian Genocide as well
as the recent history of memorial art, including the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, designed by Maya Lin who, like
Menard, was a student at the time she won the competition.
`It all started to permeate my mind and my heart,' says Menard. `At
first I felt unworthy - who am I to respond to such loss? But art
lends itself to the deepest, darkest parts of human experience. It can
create sympathy, empathy, understanding. I wanted to pair this horror
with something uplifting and beautiful, to create a way to remember. I
developed three different ideas and settled on the one that I felt
most terrified and most moved by.'
The central feature of Menard's minimalist design - a carved-stone
basin of water straddled by a tripod arrangement of three columns
leaning into one another - is a single drop of water that falls from
the highest point every three seconds, each `teardrop' representing
one life lost. Over the course of one year, 1.5 million tears will
fall into the pool, the estimated number of victims of the Armenian
Genocide.
`It was an honor to lead this most extraordinary challenge,' says
Meraz. `In just seven weeks - half the time of our typical studio -
our students worked passionately to design a memorial that has the
power to provoke an emotional and contemplative response to a horrific
event. In turn, this educational experience has given them new
perspective, with compassion, sensitivity, remembrance and hope for
the human condition.'
Polyzoides, one of the competition jurors, will work with Menard to
bring her concept to fruition. An associate professor of architecture
emeritus at the University of Southern California, he is an architect,
urbanist and partner of Moule & Polyzoides, a Pasadena practice that
has completed many distinguished projects locally, in other parts of
the U.S. and abroad.
`All of the Art Center student submissions were extremely well done
and stood out for their seriousness. But Catherine's design struck the
perfect balance between abstract and representational,' says
Polyzoides. `It's very beautiful, very poetic, and I want to make sure
that it's as well constructed as it was conceived.'
Although he was the only non-Armenian juror, Polyzoides has many
Armenian friends and the history of the Armenian Genocide has personal
resonance for him. `My grandparents were from Istanbul and I grew up
in Greece,' he recalls. `For as long as I can remember, I heard about
the actions taken by the Ottoman Turkish government against the
Armenian minority. It was devastating.'
Details regarding the project's budget and construction will be
developed over the next several months, with official groundbreaking
anticipated in 2014 and dedication of the completed memorial on April
24, 2015.
PHOTOS:
Caption: Art Center College of Design student Catherine Menard, winner
of the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Competition, presents her
proposal. Credit: Courtesy Art Center College of Design/Alex Aristei
http://www2.artcenter.edu/designoffice/Catherine-Menard-presents-design.jpeg
Caption: Art Center College of Design student Catherine Menard, winner
of the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Competiton. Credit: Image
courtesy Art Center College of Design/Alex Aristei
http://www2.artcenter.edu/designoffice/Catherine-Menard.jpeg
* * *
About Art Center College of Design
Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, Art Center
College of
Design
is a global leader in art and design education. Art Center offers
undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide variety of art and design
disciplines, as well as public programs for all ages and levels of
experience. Renowned for its ties to industry and professional rigor,
Art Center is also
the first design school to receive the United Nations'
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status, providing students with
opportunities to create design-based solutions for humanitarian and
nonprofit agencies around the world. During the College's 80-year
history, Art Center's alumni have had a profound impact on popular
culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.
From: A. Papazian