Date: Saturday, September 17, 2016
Time: 12:00 – 5:00 PM
Location: Alumni Center, 2384 Alumni Drive Storrs, CT
This event is free and open to the public.
Join us for traditional food, music, dancing, a rug weaving workshop, a lecture on grape cultivation in Armenia, and a show! Note that the evening performance will take place in the Student Union Theater.
Featured Activities
12:00 pm Traditional Armenian Dance
Performance by Vanush Khanamiryan Dance Academy Troupe of St. George Armenian Apostolic Church
1:00 pm Workshops:
Making Armenian String Cheese
by Maggie Stepanian
The Art of Rug Weaving
by Hayk Oltaci, Master Craftsman, Hayko Fine Rugs and Tapestries
Join Master Craftsmen Hayk Oltaci for a unique weaving workshop demonstrating the hand-made textiles of Asia Minor and Central Asia. Participants will learn the ABC’s of vertical rug weaving, including terms such as warp and weft, techniques such as knotting and the basics of design. You will actually practice the art of rug making by weaving a small piece on your own loom. All materials will be provided.
Hayk Oltaci–Hayko, as he prefers to be called–was born in Istanbul to Armenian parents. He came to New York City in 1988 with his wife; their two daughters were born here. With more than 35 years experience gained in the leading ateliers of Istanbul, Strasbourg, Paris and New York, Hayko is one of the most genuinely knowledgeable experts in fine oriental rugs and tapestries in the world. Hayko understands the subject down to the last knot. Widely respected both for his personal integrity and for the quality of his rugs and tapestries, Hayko works closely with museums and serious collectors, many of whom return to him again and again. For more information, please visit his website: http://hayko.com. His shop, Hayko Fine Rugs and Tapestries is in Long Island City, NY.
2:00 pm Afternoon Lecture: Grape Cultivation & Wine Production in Armenia
by Dr. Nelli Hovhannisyan
Chair, Department of Ecology & Nature Protection
Director, Center of Excellence in Applied Biosciences, Yerevan State University
Viticulture and wine-making plays important role in economy, social and cultural life in Armenia starting from ancient times. The world’s earliest known wine-making facility has been discovered during the excavation of Areni-1 cave in 2007 dating back to 6000 years (the beginning of the IV Millennium BC. Having centuries of old tradition in viticulture and wine making Armenia characterized with high diversity of grape local aborigine varieties, which have invaluable genetic potential.
During the lecture the origin and importance of grapevine diversity in Armenia will be presented. Development and peculiarities of viticulture and wine-making in Armenia from ancient to modern times will be discussed. Unique diversity of local grape varieties, their distribution, description and potential for wine-making will be presented. The perspectives and future development will be discussed.
3:00 pm Reception
4:00 pm Evening Performance: Shake the Earth
(Student Union Theater, 2110 Hillside Road – Doors open at 3:30pm)
by Lousine Shamamian
Armenian-American Comedian
This one-person show brilliantly fuses humor, biography and tragedy in a story of a daughter coming out to her Armenian mother. Bolstered by kufta and string cheese, Lousine yearns to bring the injustice inflicted on her ancestors to light. Can this meek gay Armenian stand up for herself and recount her great-grandfather Georgi’s remarkable story of survival during the Armenian Genocide? View the trailer
Vendors
Armenian General Benevolent Union BookStore (Books & Gifts)
Bachigs (Jewelry & Crafts)/Bayside Digital (Photo Digitization)
Gallery Z‘s ArtMobile aka “MOBY” (Mobile Art Gallery)
Love on a Plate – Armenia (Instructional Cooking Videos)
Parking
Visitors may park in Lot 9 on Hillside Road. (Permit is not required for parking on Saturdays). The lot is across from the Alumni Center. To obtain directions, use the map below and add your point of origin above the destination.