I fulfilled my "Empowering with Art" project overseas in Armenia, where remote communities had been ravaged by war.
The idea came to me after the 44-Day War in 2020, where Azerbaijan aggressively attacked indigenous Armenian lands in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). And in the war's aftermath, Azerbaijani authorities have continued their aggression, war crimes, and human rights violations against Armenian people, even on sovereign Armenian land.
"Empowering with Art" reached villagers who live on the borders of Armenia, uplifting them and giving them strength through art.
In 2022, with the support of the Puffin Foundation, I completed 3 large-scale posters. The murals reinforce positive slogans like "We Are Unbreakable," and "The Armenian Spirit Is Unbreakable." I partnered with YES Armenia to identify and contact remote villages near the Armenian border.
I traveled to Armenia in late 2022, and I visited the town of Berd in the Tavush region, near Armenia's border with Azerbaijan. I donated my three artworks to cultural institutions in the town of Berd.
These large-scale posters (6' x 4') found a permanent home in the Berd Cultural Center, Berd Music School, and Berd Museum of Art.
Srboohie Abajian—2023
Received Puffin Foundation grant for "Empowering with Art" public art project
Partnered with YES Armenia for outreach and transportation to remote villages in Armenia