In January 2015, Peace of Art, Inc., began to display digital billboards that commemorate the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide and pay tribute to all victims of genocides over the past 100 years. This project will continue through the end of the 2015, with electronic billboards displayed throughout the United States.
The first billboards were displayed in Foxboro, on Route 1 South, about a quarter mile from Gillette Stadium. Another digital billboard measuring 14’x48′ is located in Peabody, on I-95/128 facing south, approximately one mile from Market St. in Lynnfield. In Seattle, Wash., a large digital billboard is located in Bothel, on Highway 527 facing north. More locations and images will follow.
In reference to the first billboards, the president of Peace of Art, Daniel Varoujan Hejinian, said, “We are sending a message of peace to the world, to condemn the past crimes of genocide and resolve that no other nation be the next target of genocide. With the electronic billboards, Peace of Art’s message is that genocide continues to be a threat to humanity. It urges viewers to condemn the crime of genocide, to be alert…and put an end to this crime against humanity once and for all.”
The first of the billboards reads, “Condemn the Past, Don’t Be the Next Victim. Remember 1915 the Armenian Genocide.” Within the word “genocide,” the letter “o” is a target. The second of the electronic billboards reads, “In Remembrance of All Genocide Victims 1915-2015. The Centennial of the Armenian Genocide.” The letter “o” in “genocide” includes the flags of those countries that have recognized the Armenian Genocide, as well as a dove symbolizing peace.
The next billboard will read, “1915-2015 the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide.” The letter “o” will have a heart (representing the heart of a nation) with a bite (representing the loss of 1.5 million people).
Since 1996, Hejinian, an artist, has been displaying large billboards in Massachusetts to inform the community at large to the reality of the Armenian Genocide. In 2003, Hejinian founded Peace of Art, a nonprofit organization that uses art as an educational tool to bring awareness to the universal human condition, and promote peaceful solutions to conflict. The organization is not associated with political or religious organizations, and its focus is on the global human condition.
