News

Staff Report There is an exciting new exhibit to see this year at the Fresno County Historical Museum, featuring the works of one of Fresno’s most iconic artists, Varaz Samuelian. On Saturday, September 3, a special preview of the exhibit was held and attracted a crowd of hundreds. This was the first time some of Varaz’s paintings had ever been ...

Lena Maranian Adishian, for copies of Impact of an Ancient Nation: Bridging the Past, Present, and Future with 100+ Facts about Armenia and the Armenians (The 100 Years, 100 Facts Project, 2016), 140 pp., in English, and with lavish photographs. Created by Lena Maranian Adishian and written by Nareg Seferian. The book brings to life historical episodes, notable individuals, diaspora ...

Staff Report Dr. Hrag Papazian has been named as the 19th Henry S. Khanzadian Kazan Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies at Fresno State for the Fall 2022 semester. The Kazan Visiting Professorship was established in Fall of 2000. Dr. Papazian graduated from the Social Anthropology MPhil program at the University of Oxford, and then continued with his DPhil studies at ...

Eddy Thurber Staff Writer Editor’s note: Five students from Fresno State are studying in Yerevan, Armenia this fall, thanks to the generosity of the Kashian Family Foundation. The students are studying for a semester at the American University of Armenia (AUA), where they have the opportunity to learn both in the classrooms as well as from their rich environment in ...

Staff Report Oud master Richard Hagopian was one of five musicians inducted into the Valley Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony held at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater on Wednesday, September 21. The 2022 class of inductees included Hagopian, Gene Bluestein, The Fresno Musical Club, Alan and Faye Harkins, and Ray Camacho. Biographical and historical notes were presented about each ...

Natalie Agazarian Staff Writer The Adana Massacres of 1909 “were caused by a range of complex, intersecting factors that were deeply rooted in the shifting local and national ground of political and socioeconomic life,” stated Dr. Bedross Der Matossian discussing his new book The Horrors of Adana: Revolution and Violence in the Early Twentieth Century. Dr. Der Matossian, Associate Professor ...

Christine Pambukyan Staff Writer “Armen Ohanian seemed [to be] one of the rare personalities not only in Armenian history but also… in women’s history,” exclaimed Artsvi Bakhchinyan during a lecture describing the life of Ohanian, a “dancer of the Armenian diaspora.” On Saturday, September 17, 2022, Vartan Matossian and Artsvi Bakhchinyan discussed their new publication in a lecture titled “A ...

Tatiana Samouie Biology Minor in Armenian Studies   What encouraged you to take an Armenian Studies course? Through my involvement in the Armenian community, I wanted to learn more about our history, traditions, and heritage in a more academic manner. After taking the first semester of Armenian language, I wanted to continue and to pursue a Minor in Armenian Studies. ...

Michael Mazman Staff Writer On Wednesday, April 6, 2022, Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian gave a presentation titled, “The Armenian Genocide: Lessons for the 21st Century” during the 10th Annual Genocide Awareness Week that took place at Arizona State University, April 4-8, 2022. His discussion, which emphasized the lessons learned from studying the Armenian Genocide, was delivered in-person and also livestreamed ...

Christine Pambukyan Staff Writer “Thank you to everyone for coming to our concert. It is our first time in Fresno, and the audience is great so far,” said Boris Allakhverdyan after performing his first piece. On Saturday, April 2, 2022, clarinetist Boris Alkakhverdyan and his wife Alin Allakhverdyan performed as part of the “Celebration of Clarinet Featuring Boris Allakhverdyan & ...