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ADG RAISES MORE THAN $17,000 FOR ARTSAKH CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
http://asbarez.com/116387/adg-raises-more-than-17000-for-artsakh-cultural-and-economic-development/
Tuesday, November 19th, 2013
The crowd at JNA Gallery
SANTA MONICA-Nearly 130 people turned out for ARTsakh@Bergamot
Station. The art and music benefit in support of the nonprofit
organization Artsakh Development Group featured art and music by local
Armenian artists and raised more than $17,000 to support projects
underway in Artsakh, commonly known as Nagorno Karabakh Republic
(NKR), including the completion of a feasibility study pioneered
by architect Lilly Djaniants, who is working to develop cultural
tourism sites and a large-scale culture and research center to be
headquartered in Shushi, Artsakh.
Djaniants' ambitious vision for the architectural and cultural
development of Artsakh - which has the support of the prime ministers
of both Armenia and NKR - has inspired ADG's board to provide her
with seed funding as she completes a strategic development plan
that highlights opportunities for cultural, tourism and economic
development, which includes the major cultural and research center in
the heart of Artsakh. ADG is collaborating with this project as part
of its larger mission to repopulate Artsakh and help spur economic
development throughout the country as it recognizes that Artsakh
represents 40 percent of Armenia's land mass.
The artists who exhibited their work: From l to r: Ara Oshagan,
Carla Kulajian Khatchadourian, Harry Vorperian, Ara Tavitian, Gregory
Beylerian, Arpine Shakhbandaryan
Robert Avetisyan, NKR's representative in the United States, offered
his support for the project. "I'm convinced that the organizers
will be effective in presenting the potential and attractiveness
of our country, as well as discussing the range of challenges our
republic still faces, and the goals we've already met since restoring
independence.
Several large donations will support this and other ADG projects. The
Ignatius Foundation and Harry Najarian each contributed $5,000. Dr.
Garo and Sylvie Tertzakian, and Sinan and Angel Sinanian each donated
$1,000. In all, more than $17,000 was raised.
Lilly Djaniants and Taleen Tertzakian at the event.
The plan includes small-scale projects for ecotourism opportunities
at the Tak Jur hot springs in Karvajar, as well as the renovation
of historic structures in Shushi. Ms. Djaniants is conducting a
feasibility study for the development of a larger scale architectural
centerpiece for the arts and academic research. While the larger
project has a long-term 10-year goal, to guarantee its success, small
scale development is necessary now to provide the needed kick starter
to encourage entrepreneurial investment in Artsakh. Attracting a
significant international population through this type of development
will not only impact the local economy, but also inevitably bring
awareness to the region and to the conflict, and establish Artsakh's
presence on a political map.
"ADG believes that in order to maintain this hard-fought and important
piece of land, we need to populate it and boost its economy," ADG
President Taleen Tertzakian said. "How do we do that? We do it through
education and development."
Djaniants, who recently completed her master's degree in architecture
and urban design from Columbia University, has worked as an architect
on site at the construction of the TUMO Center in Yerevan. She
repatriated to Armenia after serving as a Birthright Armenia volunteer
for two months in 2010. Ms. Djaniants was born in Baku and fled
Azerbaijan shortly after the Sumgait massacres. Her family settled
in Gyumri in 1988, just three days before the devastating Spitak
earthquake. They eventually moved to a resettlement camp outside
Echmiadzin until moving to the United States in 1992. Ms. Djaniants
grew up in North Carolina but laid her professional foundations in
New York City, where she worked on multimillion-dollar residential
projects and the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. Ms.
Djaniants first visited Artsakh in 2010 and said that was when she
found her calling.
"As an architect, I could see the urban and infrastructural
interventions that needed to take place," she said. "And though the
government is slowly developing Artsakh, it lacks a comprehensive,
strategic development plan. I realized then (in 2010), the crucial
impact development projects have on this small territory and the
immense contribution I can make."
In the three years since its founding, ADG has spearheaded educational
initiatives to raise awareness about Artsakh's geopolitical importance,
has sponsored an election observation mission to the most recent
presidential election in Nagorno Karabakh Republic, and is developing a
memorandum of understanding with California State University, Dominguez
Hills (CSUDH) to allow students there to study at the University of
Artsakh for credit, while Artsakh students would be able to travel to
California to complete coursework at CSUDH. To read more about ADG,
go to www.adgus.org.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
http://asbarez.com/116387/adg-raises-more-than-17000-for-artsakh-cultural-and-economic-development/
Tuesday, November 19th, 2013
The crowd at JNA Gallery
SANTA MONICA-Nearly 130 people turned out for ARTsakh@Bergamot
Station. The art and music benefit in support of the nonprofit
organization Artsakh Development Group featured art and music by local
Armenian artists and raised more than $17,000 to support projects
underway in Artsakh, commonly known as Nagorno Karabakh Republic
(NKR), including the completion of a feasibility study pioneered
by architect Lilly Djaniants, who is working to develop cultural
tourism sites and a large-scale culture and research center to be
headquartered in Shushi, Artsakh.
Djaniants' ambitious vision for the architectural and cultural
development of Artsakh - which has the support of the prime ministers
of both Armenia and NKR - has inspired ADG's board to provide her
with seed funding as she completes a strategic development plan
that highlights opportunities for cultural, tourism and economic
development, which includes the major cultural and research center in
the heart of Artsakh. ADG is collaborating with this project as part
of its larger mission to repopulate Artsakh and help spur economic
development throughout the country as it recognizes that Artsakh
represents 40 percent of Armenia's land mass.
The artists who exhibited their work: From l to r: Ara Oshagan,
Carla Kulajian Khatchadourian, Harry Vorperian, Ara Tavitian, Gregory
Beylerian, Arpine Shakhbandaryan
Robert Avetisyan, NKR's representative in the United States, offered
his support for the project. "I'm convinced that the organizers
will be effective in presenting the potential and attractiveness
of our country, as well as discussing the range of challenges our
republic still faces, and the goals we've already met since restoring
independence.
Several large donations will support this and other ADG projects. The
Ignatius Foundation and Harry Najarian each contributed $5,000. Dr.
Garo and Sylvie Tertzakian, and Sinan and Angel Sinanian each donated
$1,000. In all, more than $17,000 was raised.
Lilly Djaniants and Taleen Tertzakian at the event.
The plan includes small-scale projects for ecotourism opportunities
at the Tak Jur hot springs in Karvajar, as well as the renovation
of historic structures in Shushi. Ms. Djaniants is conducting a
feasibility study for the development of a larger scale architectural
centerpiece for the arts and academic research. While the larger
project has a long-term 10-year goal, to guarantee its success, small
scale development is necessary now to provide the needed kick starter
to encourage entrepreneurial investment in Artsakh. Attracting a
significant international population through this type of development
will not only impact the local economy, but also inevitably bring
awareness to the region and to the conflict, and establish Artsakh's
presence on a political map.
"ADG believes that in order to maintain this hard-fought and important
piece of land, we need to populate it and boost its economy," ADG
President Taleen Tertzakian said. "How do we do that? We do it through
education and development."
Djaniants, who recently completed her master's degree in architecture
and urban design from Columbia University, has worked as an architect
on site at the construction of the TUMO Center in Yerevan. She
repatriated to Armenia after serving as a Birthright Armenia volunteer
for two months in 2010. Ms. Djaniants was born in Baku and fled
Azerbaijan shortly after the Sumgait massacres. Her family settled
in Gyumri in 1988, just three days before the devastating Spitak
earthquake. They eventually moved to a resettlement camp outside
Echmiadzin until moving to the United States in 1992. Ms. Djaniants
grew up in North Carolina but laid her professional foundations in
New York City, where she worked on multimillion-dollar residential
projects and the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. Ms.
Djaniants first visited Artsakh in 2010 and said that was when she
found her calling.
"As an architect, I could see the urban and infrastructural
interventions that needed to take place," she said. "And though the
government is slowly developing Artsakh, it lacks a comprehensive,
strategic development plan. I realized then (in 2010), the crucial
impact development projects have on this small territory and the
immense contribution I can make."
In the three years since its founding, ADG has spearheaded educational
initiatives to raise awareness about Artsakh's geopolitical importance,
has sponsored an election observation mission to the most recent
presidential election in Nagorno Karabakh Republic, and is developing a
memorandum of understanding with California State University, Dominguez
Hills (CSUDH) to allow students there to study at the University of
Artsakh for credit, while Artsakh students would be able to travel to
California to complete coursework at CSUDH. To read more about ADG,
go to www.adgus.org.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress