Mariam Vardanyan, lecturer in the Chair of History and Theory of Armenian Art at YSU Faculty of History, participated in the international conference "Art Readings 2025", organized by the Institute of Art Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. This year, the conference focused on the significance of archives in the preservation of art and identity, under the theme "Arts and Archives."
The international conference brought together 65 art scholars from Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Romania, and Albania. Mariam Vardanyan was the sole participant representing Armenia.
Her presentation, titled "The Role of Private Archives in Preserving Armenian Arts and Culture by Creating Community Museums," addressed initiatives aimed at preserving Armenian art and culturե in Diaspora communities, with a particular focus on the establishment of community and ecclesiastical museums often founded upon private archives.
The presentation highlighted three case studies: the Tutian Museum of the Armenian Diocese of Romania (Bucharest), the Ararat-Eskijian Museum (Los Angeles, USA), and the Artak Manukyan Museum (Tehran, Iran).
The conference proceedings are expected to be published in the "Problems of Art" («Проблемы на изкуството») journal issued by the Institute of Art Studies, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
Mariam Vardanyan’s participation was made possible through the sponsorship of the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation.
