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WHITE HOUSE WILL PUBLICLY DISPLAY THE 'ARMENIAN ORPHAN RUG'
Boston Globe, MA
Oct 16 2014
By Noah Bierman
WASHINGTON -- The White House announced this week that it will publicly
display the "Armenian Orphan Rug," made by survivors of the Armenian
genocide on Nov. 18-23, at the White House Visitor Center.
Display of the rug, also called the Ghazir Rug, has been an emotionally
and politically important issue for many in the Armenian community.
Continue reading below
The White House, which has the 11.5 feet by 19-feet rug in storage,
had blocked showing the rug at the Smithsonian for an event scheduled
last December, but agreed in April to arrange a public display.
Several members of Congress, including Senator Edward J. Markey, the
Massachusetts Democrat, wrote letters to President Obama late last
year, urging him to display it in public. The rug, which contains 4
million knots and took 18 months to complete, was a gift to President
Calvin Coolidge in 1925 to recognize American assistance to orphans
who survived the genocide.
The issue is sensitive because Turkey, a US ally, refuses to recognize
the genocide. Relations between the two countries have been tested
lately as the Obama administration has urged Turkey to assist in
battling forces of the so-called Islamic State across the border
in Syria.
The rug will be part of an exhibit called "Thank you to the United
States: Three Gifts to Presidents in Gratitude for American Generosity
Abroad." The exhibit will also include a Sèvres vase donated to
America after World War I and a more recent gift, "Flowering Branches
in Lucite," sent to Obama from Japan in thanks for help given after
the 2010 tsunami.
Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America,
called the rug "a treasured piece of American history" in a statement
praising the White House.
Markey also issued a statement praising the display.
"The Armenian Orphan Rug is an important piece of our history. Its
display serves not just as a reminder of the horrors of the Armenian
Genocide but also of the longstanding friendship between the Armenian
and American people," Markey said.
The White House Visitor Center is located at 1450 Pennsylvania Ave.,
near the Executive Mansion.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2014/10/16/armenian-orphan-rug-made-genocide-survivors-displayed-white-house-visitor-center-november/nfC4kOsTnng7awq7l29c2O/story.html
Boston Globe, MA
Oct 16 2014
By Noah Bierman
WASHINGTON -- The White House announced this week that it will publicly
display the "Armenian Orphan Rug," made by survivors of the Armenian
genocide on Nov. 18-23, at the White House Visitor Center.
Display of the rug, also called the Ghazir Rug, has been an emotionally
and politically important issue for many in the Armenian community.
Continue reading below
The White House, which has the 11.5 feet by 19-feet rug in storage,
had blocked showing the rug at the Smithsonian for an event scheduled
last December, but agreed in April to arrange a public display.
Several members of Congress, including Senator Edward J. Markey, the
Massachusetts Democrat, wrote letters to President Obama late last
year, urging him to display it in public. The rug, which contains 4
million knots and took 18 months to complete, was a gift to President
Calvin Coolidge in 1925 to recognize American assistance to orphans
who survived the genocide.
The issue is sensitive because Turkey, a US ally, refuses to recognize
the genocide. Relations between the two countries have been tested
lately as the Obama administration has urged Turkey to assist in
battling forces of the so-called Islamic State across the border
in Syria.
The rug will be part of an exhibit called "Thank you to the United
States: Three Gifts to Presidents in Gratitude for American Generosity
Abroad." The exhibit will also include a Sèvres vase donated to
America after World War I and a more recent gift, "Flowering Branches
in Lucite," sent to Obama from Japan in thanks for help given after
the 2010 tsunami.
Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America,
called the rug "a treasured piece of American history" in a statement
praising the White House.
Markey also issued a statement praising the display.
"The Armenian Orphan Rug is an important piece of our history. Its
display serves not just as a reminder of the horrors of the Armenian
Genocide but also of the longstanding friendship between the Armenian
and American people," Markey said.
The White House Visitor Center is located at 1450 Pennsylvania Ave.,
near the Executive Mansion.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2014/10/16/armenian-orphan-rug-made-genocide-survivors-displayed-white-house-visitor-center-november/nfC4kOsTnng7awq7l29c2O/story.html