Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Chris Tozlian
Staff Writer
To say that Dr. Dickran Kouymjian remained busy during his year-long sabbatical would be an understatement. Dr. Kouymjian, Haig & Isabel Berberian Endowed Professor of Armenian Studies, spent the last academic year on foreign soil. By his own admission, he passed most of his time in the libraries of Paris, France, doing the research and scholarship so hard to accomplish when teaching many courses and administrating the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno state.
During Dr. Kouymjian’s absence from CSU Fresno, he visited Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, and Italy, conducting research or presenting scholarly articles. In past articles, Hye Sharzhoom described for its readers some of the various tasks set before the Armenian Studies Program Director: symposiums, awards committees, vast amounts of research, plus much more. And while most Program Directors would leave their position for a year to work abroad, Dr. Kouymjian continued to oversee the administrative duties of the Armenian Studies Program as its coordinator; while on sabbatical, Dr. Kouymjian spent a couple of hours each day dealing with office administration from his home in Paris via the internet.
One little-mentioned work that Dr. Kouymjian has spent years producing is the Album of Armenian Paleography, an exhaustive study of ancient Armenian writing. Dr. Kouymjian recalled the vast time spent checking the various sets of page proofs of the book for bibliographies, ensuring correct Armenian-to-English translations, and reviewing the photographs to be used. Sometimes this took up to an hour per photograph to review. Dr. Kouymjian dedicated much of his time to this folio volume, which was has just been printed. Literally the size of a large photo album, Dr. Kouymjian, along with Professor Michael Stone and Dr. Henning Lehmann, spent twelve years compiling information, researching the topic, choosing a broad selection of dated Armenian manuscripts for inclusion and working with publishers, which has culminated in a near six hundred page album with 220 color illustrations of ancient Armenian writing. It has been in press for the past five years.
Another project which necessitated much of Dr. Kouymjian’s time was his earlier appointment as the ANI (Armenian National Institute) Project Manager for a compilation of Armenian art, focusing on the issue of loss as a result of the Armenian Genocide. Though this appointment came before his sabbatical, Dr. Kouymjian and his wife, Angèle Kapoian Kouymjian, dedicated much time to this endeavor when the Legacy Project, originally funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, was put on the web. The fruit of Dr. Kouymjian’s labor is visible to all who visit www.legacy-project.org, the website that is currently displaying more than 25 Armenian artists who have embodied the concept of loss and desolation in their work. Dr. Kouymjian explained that this website provided Armenian artists with widespread exposure in the art community, especially after the tragic events of September 11th, which caused multitudes of Americans to deal with the concept of loss within their own lives.
And now, although Dr. Kouymjian has returned to Fresno State for yet another year of teaching, there is still much to keep him busy. He is currently working on an Armenian textile exhibit to be held in Geneva in 2004. He is also continuing his research and study on Armenian relics and liturgical metal work, including the four known right hand relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator. Furthermore, Dr. Kouymjian has a 30-year file of Pentecost illuminations, which continues to multiply as he pursues his analysis of the iconography of the Pentecost scene within Armenian manuscripts. As usual, Dr. Kouymjian remained busy this past year, and will continue to do so as long as the pursuit of scholarship drives him.