Dear Friends and Supporters,
We hope this message finds you healthy and doing well during these unprecedented and challenging times.
The new year began with excitement as we planned for the historic groundbreaking of the highly anticipated Armenian American Museum, a major milestone in the history of our project and community that has been years in the making.
COVID-19 has no doubt impacted our lives in many ways and our organization has adapted in response to the rapidly evolving situation over the past few months.
While we have had to suspend working from the museum’s office on Artsakh Avenue, our Executive Director and Construction Committee have continued to work with the museum’s design and construction consultants to prepare final plans for submission to the City of Glendale.
The Board of Trustees, executive leadership, and museum planning team have continued to develop the permanent exhibition concept and museum experience in preparation for the next major phase of the project. We will soon begin to engage our valued stakeholders and the public in advancing the work of the permanent exhibition on the Armenian people, its rich history, and its vibrant culture.
In recognition of the public health risks with large gatherings, the Board of Trustees have decided to postpone the Groundbreaking Ceremony envisioned for October 2020 and Annual Gala planned for December 2020.
While the historic groundbreaking of the Armenian American Museum will have to wait until 2021, we remain committed to fulfilling the vision and promise of the cultural and educational center that will serve for generations to come.
Today more than ever, we can appreciate the value of coming together for shared learning experiences and the importance of our mission to empower individuals to embrace cultural diversity and speak out against prejudice.
As a developing institution with the commitment to honor our past and build our future, we recognize that our community has experienced great challenges in its history, and we take solace in the fact that it has emerged even stronger through spirited resiliency.
As we look to the future, we are excited to unveil our programming plans for the museum and we look forward to re-connecting with our family of stakeholders. We wish you and your loved ones well and we thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Berdj Karapetian
Executive Chairman