INFORMATION FOR
The Armenian Genocide: One Family’s Story will be on view in the First Floor Reference Area of the Cheng Library from August 27, 2024 through May 14, 2025.
This exhibition and programming are a collaborative effort of the University Galleries, the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and Cheng Library to increase universal awareness of the Armenian Genocide and inspire individual reflection on the concept of post-memory, or the relationship that each generation bears to the personal, collective, and cultural trauma of those who came before us.
On Thursday, September 19, Professor Alison Dobrick, Director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Casey Mathern, Director of the University Galleries, and special guests including Susan Arpajian Jolley and exhibition advisor, Cynthia Ruggerio, provided a virtual introduction to the exhibit. On September 25, 2024, an opening reception in the Cheng Library included the screening of a new documentary film about the exhibition.
One Family’s Story traces the journey of Arek and Moses Zakarian from the turn of the 20th century during the Ottoman Empire through genocide, survival, migration, and reemergence in the United States. Visitors will engage with the family’s personal photos, memoirs, musical instruments, artifacts, and artwork, which serve as a backdrop to the broader history of the Armenian Genocide.
The Zakarian grandchildren made the exhibition possible through donations led by Susan Arpajian Jolley and Allan Arpajian, who also serve as family history and cultural consultants for the exhibition. As Susan and Allan explain, “The Zakarian experience mirrors the human condition, which contains degrees of tragedy and triumph, trauma and recovery for all of us. We invite you to reflect also on your own family’s history and experiences, and our common humanity.”
To learn more about this exhibition, visit the Library’s exhibition resource guide at
https://guides.wpunj.edu/ArmenianGenocide
