Save Armenian Photograph Archives – the Legacy We Keep

Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives acts as the steward of Armenian heritage by collecting, documenting, and preserving photographs and the stories they tell. Our work honors Armenian identity and shares that legacy.

This selection of Project SAVE images features Armenian artisans, their education, craft, and artistry. The photos illustrate that formal training was available to Armenian men and women in the Ottoman Empire before 1915 as well as present village life as the collaboration of different generations.

In the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, photos of orphanages show children learning carpentry, shoemaking, weaving, and tailoring. These trades created opportunity for a future livelihood for the boys and girls beyond the orphanage.

The selected contemporary photos show Armenian artisans from around the world mastering traditions and keeping the craft vibrant.

Join us at the 2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, June 27 to July 1 and July 4 to 8, to see Armenian stone carvers, embroiderers, carpet weavers, and more—evidence that these craft traditions are still thriving.

Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives collects, documents, preserves, and presents the photographic record of all Armenians. Project SAVE Archives strives to increase knowledge of Armenian culture and heritage by encouraging the use of its extensive collection of photographs, together with its many other resources to the widest possible audience. It aims to contribute back to the community by supporting and collaborating with other historical, cultural, and educational organizations.

Source: festival.si.edu