U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John A. Heffern opened the photo exhibition “Along the Trails of the Armenian Orphans” at the National Gallery of Armenia.
The exhibition is a joint project of the Naregatsi Art Institute (NAI), the Near East Foundation (NEF), and the U.S. Embassy. The exhibition illustrates the amazing story of Near East Relief: an American-led humanitarian mission that saved hundreds of thousands of Armenian orphans following the 1915 atrocities in the Ottoman Empire.
Ambassador Heffern, NAI Founder Nareg Hartounian, NEF Chairman Shant Mardirossian, and the Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Hayk Demoyan, spoke at the exhibition opening and shed light on this important chapter in U.S.-Armenia relations.
In addition, the opening featured the screening of a documentary film, “Lest They Perish,” by Zareh Tjeknavorian, and a musical tribute to Near East Relief performed by the Naregatsi Folk Instruments Ensemble.
The Embassy, NAI, and NEF will open similar exhibitions at the Naregatsi Art Institute in Yerevan on Sunday, May 26 and the Terchoonian Home Orphanage in Gyumri on Monday, May 27. All three exhibitions will be open, free of charge, until June 8.
