CITY OF GLENDALE
Brand Library Art Galleries
1601 West Mountain Street, Glendale CA. 91201
Contact Ripsime Marashian
Tel: (818) 548-2780
Web:
"MAN’S INHUMANITY TO MAN:
JOURNEY OUT OF DARKNESS"
APRIL 4 – MAY 8, 2009
AT BRAND LIBRARY ART GALLERIES
MARCH 17, 2009
The art exhibition "Man’s Inhumanity to Man: Journey out of Darkness"
will open on Saturday, April 4th, from 5-8 pm, at the Brand Library
Art Galleries, 1601 West Mountain Street in Glendale. The event, which
will run through May 8, is part of the City of Glendale’s Annual
Commemorative Events. The exhibit at the Brand Library is organized
by the City of Glendale and co-curated by Ramela Grigorian Abbamontian
PhD in association with the Brand Library Art Galleries. "Art is a
powerful agent in society with the ability to awaken our
consciousness, transform our minds, and ignite a desire to bring about
change," says Abbamontian. "This exhibition aims to do all of these
things."
Organized into three sections, the exhibition includes over 40 artists
and includes over 70 works in a diverse range of media including
painting, sculpture, photography, and installation. Accompanying the
exhibition will be a fully illustrated, color catalogue and essays by
Dr. Abbamontian and UCLA Professor Paul Von Blum which describes the
exhibitions themes and purpose.
The goal with Journey out of Darkness is to educate the viewer about
the various inhumane events that have taken place yesterday and today,
with the hope of avoiding and preventing them tomorrow. It is an
exhibition of contemporary reflections of these events by artists
originating from throughout the world and now residing in Southern
California.
The exhibition will include an innovative educational wall wherein
visitors are invited to post their responses to several question
prompts, including:
What must it have felt like to have been a victim of the inhumanities
portrayed?
What can you do to prevent similar acts in the future?
What is the power of art in the endeavor to prevent inhumanity?
Despite the inhumanity you have just witnessed, is there hope?
Where is there hope?
The intent of this interactive component is to provoke thought and
initiate a dialogue amongst the visitors to the exhibition.
Exhibition themes:
The first section of the exhibition, Faces of Inhumanity, presents the
different forms of inhumanity experienced in human history such as:
Armenian Genocide of 1915; Jewish Holocaust; U.S. involvement in
Central and South America; the Berlin Wall; Labor in Burma; ongoing
atrocities in Darfur, Rwanda; and homelessness.
In the second section, Scars of Inhumanity, the works included address
the repercussions of such atrocities, whether physical, mental or
spiritual. This section of the exhibition also attempts to uncover the
various coping mechanisms employed as the victims aim to live with the
effects of inhumanity.
The final section of the exhibition Humanity’s Triumph offers an
alternative to inhumanity and visually suggests hope, recovery, unity,
and survival.
Man’s Inhumanity to Man Schedule of Events
On view: April 4 – May 8
Press Preview: Friday, April 3, 3 pm – 4 pm
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 4, 5 pm – 8 pm
Music & Poetry Event: Wednesday April 15, 7 pm -9 pm (details below)
Day of Art and Thought: Saturday, April 18, 11 am – 5 pm (details below)
Additional Events:
Music & Poetry Event: Wednesday April 15, 7 pm — 9 pm
Day of Art and Thought: Saturday, April 18, 11 am – 5 pm
11 am – 12 pm: Gallery Walkthrough with Guest Curator Ramela Abbamontian
12 pm – 1 pm: Artists’ Question & Answer Session with artists
including Sophia Gasparian, Lark (Larisa Pilisky), Poli Marichal,
Hessam Abrishami, Arpine Shakhbandaryan and Mark Vallen.
2 pm – 3 pm: Gallery Walkthrough with Guest Curator Ramela
Abbamontian
3 pm – 4 pm: Multi-disciplinary Panel Discussion with Prof. Paul Von
Blum (UCLA Senior Lecturer in African American Studies, Communications
Studies, and Art History), Levon Marashlian (Professor of History,
Glendale Community College), Angelo Allen (Lecturer in Art Department)
Pierce College 4 pm – 5 pm: Effects of Genocide on the Arts, lecture
and piano performance by Vatche Mankerian, Institute of Armenian
Studies, USC.
This exhibition and accompanying programs are organized by the City of
Glendale Arts & Culture Commission, in collaboration with City of
Glendale=80=99s Cultural Affairs, a division of Parks, Recreation &
Community Services Department, Glendale Public Library/Brand Library,
and by a generous contribution from Advanced Development & Investment,
Inc.
Brand Library Art Galleries is located in northwest Glendale, easily
accessed via the Golden State (5) or Ventura (134) freeways. Hours are
Tuesday and Thursday, 12-8 pm; Wednesday, 12-6 pm; and Friday and
Saturday, 10-5 pm.
Admission to all events is free and open to the public unless
otherwise stated. There is ample free parking. Call 818-548-2051 or
visit for additional information