GYUMRI, Armenia—The construction for the future TUMO Gyumri center, located at the city’s historic first theater, was launched earlier this month in a special ceremony.
A rendering of the TUMO Gyumri center (Photo: TUMO)
Present at the event were the city’s Deputy Mayor, other government officials, and members of the community. During the event, TUMO founder Sam Simonian and CEO Marie Lou Papazian spoke on the importance of the program and the renovation of both the invaluable cultural center and the adjacent park.
The government of the Republic of Armenia allocated both the building and the adjacent park for the use of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies.
TUMO founder Sam Simonian speaking at the launch event (Photo: TUMO)
The TUMO Gyumri center, opened in partnership with AGBU and at the initiative of Shant TV, already has had over 2,000 active students in just two years. Each year, over 500 workshops and learning labs take place at the center.
TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian speaking at the launch event (Photo: TUMO)
After renovating the theater, the center will expand and allow for a capacity of over 3,000 students. The designs for the building, drawn up by world-renowned architect Bernard Khoury, creates numerous special opportunities for both the center’s students and the city’s residents.
The center will have workshop rooms, a recording studio, an open-air terrace for outdoor events and a cinema to be used for both student projects and public screenings. The cinema can also be converted into a stage, symbolizing the cultural rebirth of the historic theater.
A scene from the performance at the launch event (Photo: TUMO)
After the presentation, a concert was held across from the theater with a performance by TUMO band TmbaTa, led by their workshop leader and member of the noted band Bambir, Arik Grigoryan. Students from TUMO Gyumri joined the performance as well.