PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610
E-mail: hq@naasr.org
Web:

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART CURATOR
TO SPEAK AT NAASR ON ARMENIA AND BYZANTIUM

Dr. Helen Evans, Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator for Byzantine Art at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, will give an illustrated
lecture entitled "Armenia and Byzantium: The Larger Picture," on
Thursday, October 30, at 8:00 p.m., at the National Association for
Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Center, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont,
MA. This lecture will be co-sponsored by the Ararat Lodge of the
Knights of Vartan and NAASR.

Dr. Evans’ lecture, "Byzantium and Armenia: The Larger Picture," will
explore some of the many important historic, cultural, and artistic
connections between these two cultures within the context of the larger
world picture of the medieval period. A monumental khachkar (stone
cross) that has been lent to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
City by the Republic of Armenia will be used as the locus from which the
larger picture of the characteristics of Armenian art and their
interaction with Byzantium and other regional powers will be explored.
The lecture will consider works of art ranging from the age of the
Byzantine emperors Justinian and Heraclios through the time of the
masterpieces of medieval Armenian art in Greater Armenia and in Cilicia.

Evans is a specialist in Byzantine and Armenian art who has been a
member of the Department of Medieval Art at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art since 1991. She curated the exhibition Treasures in Heaven:
Armenian Illuminated Manuscripts at the Morgan Library in 1994 and at
the Metropolitan Museum her major exhibitions have been the acclaimed
"The Glory of Byzantium (843-1261)" in 1997 and "Byzantium: Faith and
Power (1261-1557)" in 2004. She installed the museum’s Mary and Michael
Jaharis Galleries of Byzantine Art in 2000 and recently completed its
expansion and reinstallation this year.

The NAASR Center is located opposite the First Armenian Church and next
to the U.S. Post Office. Ample parking is available around the building
and in adjacent areas. The lecture will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m.

More information about the lecture is available by calling 617-489-1610,
faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing hq@naasr.org, or writing to NAASR, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.