Commemoration as Public Art

In this discussion panel moderated by artist Ara Oshagan, architect Hagy Belzberg, artist Catherine Menard and activist Phyllis Kim will discuss the role of permanent public art as a form of commemoration.

Refreshments sponsored by the Brand Associates.

Public art memorials are the most public expression of commemoration of past atrocities. The artists, architects and activists who create them often walk an impossibly thin line between their vision and the public’s expectations of what a commemorative memorial should be. The challenges are myriad: from within during a project’s genesis and progression and from without by groups in opposition to the histories presented. The panelists will briefly present their own commemorative projects and discuss how commemorative public art can create unique spaces for healing and communal catharsis but also become sites of fierce contention.

Catherine Menard: Designer of the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee’s Memorial

Hagy Belzberg: Architect and lead designer of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust in Pan Pacific Park

Phyllis Kim: Executive Director of the Korean American Forum of California

The program is part of a series programs taking place in conjunction with the “Armenia: An Open Wound” exhibition.

Presented by the City of Glendale and the Library, Arts & Culture Department in partnership with the Armenian American Museum and curated by the Museo Memoria y Tolerancia in Mexico City, “Armenia: An Open Wound” illustrates early Armenian culture on their ancestral lands and provides insight into the events which led to the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The exhibition highlights the unique contributions of the international Armenian diaspora with a focus on survivors who settled in Mexico during the early 20th century.

The exhibit will be on view at the Brand Library Art Galleries between April 16 and June 11, 2016 during the library’s regular hours: Tuesday and Thursday 12-8pm, Wednesday 12-6pm, and Friday and Saturday, 10am-5pm. Brand Library & Art Center is located at 1601 West Mountain Street, Glendale, California, 91201. All events at Brand Library & Art Center are free and open to the public.

For more information about the “Armenia: An Open Wound” exhibition and featured programs, please visit www.ArmenianAmericanMuseum.org or contact the Brand Library at (818) 548-2051.