Thursday October 29, the University of Connecticut and other co-sponsors premiered “The Dildilians: A Story of Photography and Survival” on YouTube. The film was produced by students in the UConn course “Variable Topics: Visual Representations of Armenian Memory” taught by filmmaker Catherine Masud, in close collaboration with Dildilian family historian Armen Marsoobian.

The film tells the story of a family of Armenian photographers, the Dildilians, who captured a way of life in central Turkey that disappeared during the Armenian Genocide of 1915. The documentary is brought to life through the voices of family descendants, supplemented by historical photographs and documents from the family archive.

The online screening platform allowed people to watch together from all over the country and around the world in countries like Germany, the Netherlands and Canada.

“Hello all together from Germany!” YouTube user Heinrich Geuther commented during the film.

The virtual film screening on YouTube was followed by a live panel discussion opened by MC Zahra Ali, Director of Global Partnerships and Outreach who introduced the panelists. The panel, moderated by Heather Elliott-Famularo, included Masud, adjunct instructor for UConn Digital Media & Design and the Human Rights Institute, Marsoobian, Professor of Philosophy at Southern Connecticut State University, and School of Fine Arts students Aidan Brueckner, Jonathan Pico and Bridget Sweeney who all contributed to the production of the film.

The students worked with Marsoobian’s family photography archive which included scanning glass negative photographs to create graphics for the film. It was a process they had to be very careful with, but one of the best parts of the project Sweeney said. “I had never even held a glass negative before that class,” Sweeney said. “To think that they’ve been around for so long was so incredible. I really enjoyed holding the physical archives.”

Stories from the past can play an important role in fostering dialogue among different peoples, Marsoobian said. We have to bear witness to those ancestors. “Whether they’re Armenian ancestors in Ottoman Turkey or they’re ancestors in Ireland,” Marsoobian said, “it’s important to give those ancestors a voice and it’s also important for our own identity to understand who we are and where we’ve come from.”

The story of our ancestors is our story that we carry through the past, with us in the present and into the future, Masud expressed. We need to connect those dots and feel that sense of responsibility to acknowledge our history.

“It’s very important to look at this story of the Dildilians and the Armenian genocide as also, in one way or another, the story of us all,” Masud said.

The event was co-sponsored by the University of Connecticut (Norian Armenian Programs, Office of Global Affairs, School of Social Work, Human Rights Institute, Digital Media and Design), the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives, Inc. and the Ararat-Eskijian Museum.

UConn sophomore Steven Enoch had 30 points and 15 rebounds to lead his team, Armenia, to a 74-68 victory over Estonia in the consolation round of the FIBA under-20 European championships Friday in Halkida, Greece.

Click here to view Hartford Courant article.

Date Due: Rolling (all annual funds will be distributed by August 31, 2016)

Contact Information: info “at” arisc. org

Project Description:

The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus invites proposals from collaborative teams in support of the preservation and conservation of the Republic of Armenia’s archaeological and historical heritage. This ARISC program, generously funded by Project Discovery! and private donations, seeks to foster joint work between American and Armenian scholars and institutions dedicated to the proper curation and preservation of heritage materials such as artifacts, sites, and manuscripts. Successful applications will demonstrate substantive collaborations that not only contribute to heritage conservation but also demonstrate efforts to build capacity and enhance local knowledge of current techniques and approaches to heritage management. These grants require active participation of both American and Armenian principal investigators in all aspects of the collaborative project.

Examples of potential projects include:

• Restoration of threatened archaeological remains
• Stabilization of historical resources
• Long-term protection for archaeological sites or historical monuments
• Curation and permanent exhibition of heritage materials
• Cataloging and recording of collections
• Digitization of heritage materials for wider public access
• Enhancement of conservation lab facilities
• Advanced training for specialists

Given the level of funding, these awards can also be used as seed grants to demonstrate the feasibility of a pilot program and/or in concert with funds from parallel sources.

Grantees will be required to either give a talk or run a workshop pertinent to the subject of the grant while in Armenia.

Eligibility:

Proposals are submitted jointly by a team of two or more scholars and/or specialists. At least one must be a citizen of the U.S. and one a citizen of the Republic of Armenia. Proposals must show evidence of endorsement from all relevant institutions in Armenia in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the undertaking. These grants are not intended for primary research. The participants must demonstrate that the project requires true collaboration between both PIs, as well as active participation by both PI’s in all aspects of the work required to complete the project.

Late, incomplete, or ineligible applications will not be reviewed.

Award Information:

Awards are usually made for a period of 12 months during which the work described in the proposal must be completed. Extensions will be granted only with the explicit approval of ARISC. Award checks will be sent to the US collaborator. Awardees are responsible for tax payments in association with this award, either in the US or in Armenia. Grants will typically not exceed $4000.

Grant recipients are eligible to reapply for a second CHM grant two years after their most recent award.

For further information, application form, and eligibility, please see the full call at here

ARISC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, or status as a covered veteran.

On February 12th, Armenian Weekly wrote a special on Dr. Armen Marsoobian, a valued member of Connecticut’s Armenia community, and donor of photos for the 2015 Norian Armenian exhibit held at the Thomas Dodd Center.

An Unstated Promise: Armen Marsoobian’s ‘Memory Project’