23 02 2007 - LECTURE ON OTTOMAN ARMENIAN, PHOTOGRAPHS IN GETTY MUSEUM

Van Aroian of Worcester, MA, will give an illustrated lecture on “A World in Transition: Armenians in the Ottoman Photographs Collection of the Getty Museum,” at St. George Armenian Church, 22 White Street, Hartford, CT, on Saturday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. The lecture will be co-sponsored by the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR).

The Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California, houses the Getty Research Library, which contains an impressive collection of Ottoman photographs. This collection is an invaluable resource for Ottoman scholars, ethnographers, historians of Ottoman photography, and students of Armenian Ottoman life. Furthermore, this collection provides a valuable resource for an investigator interested in developing the significant contribution of Armenian photographers to the early development of photography throughout the Ottoman Empire.
Sampling of an Important Collection

The program will provide a visual presentation and sampling of the Ottoman photo collection at the Getty Research Institute, with a focus on its Armenian flavor and contributions. On a fundamental level this collection provides investigators with a rare opportunity actually to see aspects of Ottoman life and culture – a presentation of a world in transition captured for succeeding generations. These photos will provide the opportunity to walk down memory lane and share some social and historic commentary.

Van Aroian spent some six weeks in 1999-2001 looking through the Getty’s Ottoman photograph collection. He first presented the results of his investigations into the Getty’s collection in an article in NAASR’s Journal of Armenian Studies (vol. 7, no.1, Fall-Winter 2002-2003) entitled “Ottoman Photographs at the J. Paul Getty Research Institute: Armenian Themes and Contributions.” There he offered an overview of the collection and provided detailed analyses of several photographs of direct or indirect relevance to the Armenians.

Aroian earned a BA at Boston University and MA in Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University. He was a fellow in Urban Geography at Clark University and an Urban Planner and Deputy Director of the Worcester Redevelopment Authority. He later joined his brother in-law, Kevork, and wife Mary Balekdjian Aroian in importing and retailing Oriental carpets. He is currently a member of the NAASR Board of Directors.

More information on Aroian’s lecture may be had by calling 617-489-1610, by fax at 617-484-1759, by e-mail at hq@naasr.org, or by writing to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478; or by contacting St. George Armenian Church at 860-956-5647 or by e-mail at sgarmenian@snet.net.

V.V