A second

An extensively researched compendium of Armenian contributions to U.S. civilization was released in Los Angeles.

Titled Yes We Have Too: Contributions of Armenians to the United States of America, the second volume was published by the Armenian Arts Fund.

The original compendium Yes, We Have, which was publishedin 2009, the contents of the latest volume have expanded to include some 180 new entries. Among the additional biographies featured in the book are those of economist Albert Alchian, sculptor Haig Patigian, Spanish-American War veteran James Chankalian, Armenian doctors who served in the American Civil War, Massachusetts State representative Rachel Kaprielian, Avid Technology founder Thomas Ohanian, astronaut James Bagian, author and editor George Stambolian, euthanasia activist Dr. Jack Kevorkian, Mac OS X developer Avadis Tevanian, California State senator Joe Simitian, and Samuel Sevian, America’s youngest chess master.

“The scale and diversity of Armenian contributions to American life are just astonishing,” said Stepan Partamian, chairman of the Armenian Arts Fund, who has compiled the series. “Throughout my research, I came across stories of Armenian-Americans whose parents had fled the Genocide, and who went on to make outstanding contributions to America, their adopted homeland,” Partamian continued. “Today we not only can feel rightfully proud of the extraordinary achievements of Armenian-Americans throughout American history, but should inspire our young generation to follow in their footsteps.”

Yes, We Have Too comprises short biographies and photos of Armenian-Americans who have excelled in the fields of science, technology, literature, journalism, fine arts, theater, cinema, medicine, and sports, to name a few. The 180-page volume also includes the patents of hundreds of Armenian-American inventions filed with the U.S. Patent Office.

“Consider actress and television personality Arlene Francis, who was once featured on the cover of Newsweek as the ‘first lady of television,’” Partamian said. “Or the amazing Oscar Banker (Asadoor Sarafian), who invented the automatic transmission, the helicopter gear drive, and the needleless inoculation gun. Moreover, Banker was a consumer-rights pioneer who successfully fought the American auto industry for better safety standards. While such individuals can be role models in any culture, it is especially gratifying for us to know that they were of Armenian descent.”

Proceeds from the 2009 compendium, Yes, We Have, helped finance the initiative titled “The Armenian in America,” Partamian said. For that project, Partamian traveled across all 50 American states and documented institutions and signs associated with Armenian life. Now, Partamian continued, sales of the new volume, Yes, We Have Too, will support the Armenian Arts Fund’s next major initiative, “The Armenian in the World.” For the implementation of this particular project, Partamian explained, he plans to travel across Europe, and subsequently other continents, where he will photograph a wide range of landmarks and signs associated with Armenian life. His photographs and descriptions eventually will be published both in book form and online.

Speaking of the book presentation which will be held at the Abril Bookstore in Glendale on March 1, Partamian said he looks forward to sharing with the public some of the more striking discoveries he has made during his research.

Copies of Yes, We Have Too,  Yes,  We Have and Ayo, Menk enk can be purchased from Armenian bookstores and online at www.TheArmenian.com.

Yes, We Have Too presentation at Abril Bookstore: Thursday, March 1, 7:30 PM. 415 E. Broadway Street, Glendale, California 91205.

Los Angeles, November 24, 2011 — An extensively researched compendium of Armenian contributions to U.S. civilization was released this week in Los Angeles.

Titled Ayo, Menk enk (Yes, We Are: Contributions of Armenians to the United States of America), the Armenian-language volume was published by the Armenian Arts Fund. The book will be formally introduced to the public with a presentation at the Glendale Public Library, in Glendale, California, on November 28.

In addition to a complete Armenian translation of the original compendium (Yes, We Have), which was published two years ago, the contents of the latest volume have been considerably expanded to include over 200 new entries. Among the additional biographies featured in the book are those of economist Albert Alchian, sculptor Haig Patigian, Spanish-American War veteran James Chankalian, Armenian doctors who served in the American Civil War, Massachusetts State representative Rachel Kaprielian, Avid Technology founder Thomas Ohanian, astronaut James Bagian, author and editor George Stambolian, euthanasia activist Dr. Jack Kevorkian, Mac OS X developer Avadis Tevanian, California State senator Joe Simitian, and Samuel Sevian, America’s youngest chess master.

“The scale and diversity of Armenian contributions to American life are just astonishing,” said Stepan Partamian, chairman of the Armenian Arts Fund, who has compiled the series. “Throughout my research, I came across stories of Armenian-Americans whose parents had fled the Genocide, and who went on to make outstanding contributions to America, their adopted homeland,” Partamian continued. “Today we not only can feel rightfully proud of the extraordinary achievements of Armenian-Americans throughout American history, but should inspire our young generation to follow in their footsteps.”

Ayo, Menk enk comprises short biographies and photos of Armenian-Americans who have excelled in the fields of science, technology, literature, journalism, fine arts, theater, cinema, medicine, and sports, to name a few. The 320-page volume also includes the patents of hundreds of Armenian-American inventions filed with the U.S. Patent Office.

“Consider actress and television personality Arlene Francis, who was once featured on the cover of Newsweek as the ‘first lady of television,’” Partamian said. “Or the amazing Oscar Banker (Asadoor Sarafian), who invented the automatic transmission, the helicopter gear drive, and the needleless inoculation gun. Moreover, Banker was a consumer-rights pioneer who successfully fought the American auto industry for better safety standards. While such individuals can be role models in any culture, it is especially gratifying for us to know that they were of Armenian descent.”

Proceeds from the 2009 compendium, Yes, We Have, helped finance the initiative titled “The Armenian in America,” Partamian said. For that project, Partamian traveled across all 50 American states and documented institutions and signs associated with Armenian life. Now, Partamian continued, sales of the new volume, Ayo, Menk enk, will support the Armenian Arts Fund’s next major initiative, “The Armenian in the World.” For the implementation of this particular project, Partamian explained, he plans to travel across Europe, and subsequently other continents, where he will photograph a wide range of landmarks and signs associated with Armenian life. His photographs and descriptions eventually will be published both in book form and online.

Speaking of the book presentation which will be held at the Glendale Public Library on November 28, Partamian said he looks forward to sharing with the public some of the more striking discoveries he has made during his research. “The book presentation will be significant to me on a personal level as well, given that the following morning I’ll be traveling back to Armenia, of which I’ve been a permanent resident since 2010,” he added. “So the event will not only be a celebration of the new volume but give me a chance to say farewell to supporters and friends.”

Copies of Ayo, Menk enk can be purchased from Armenian bookstores and online at yeswehave.org. The volume is also available in ebook format and can be purchased form the same site.

Landmark Recording of Komitas’ Divine Liturgy Features

a Quartet of Duduks

www.windsofpassion.com

Stepan Partamian is the founder of the Armenian Arts Fund, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that promotes artistic excellence in several disciplines.

Some of the Armenian Arts Funds’ past accomplishments include a landmark recording of Komitas Vardapet’s Divine Liturgy, performed entirely on duduks by the Winds of Passion Quartet; the first-ever Armenian program for the KCRW World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl; the concert Armenia Unbound: A Musical Journey at the J. Paul Getty Museum; and an unprecedented night of music, Spirit of Armenia, at the 2007 KCRW World Festival, commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.

Partamian is also a talk-show host, renowned for helping shape public discourse in Los Angeles and beyond through his politically incorrect commentaries and analyses of current affairs.

Future Armenian Arts Fund projects include The Armenian in America, a sprawling film documentary of off-the-beaten track Armenian life in the United States as well as a companion book; and Gifts to the World: A Compendium of Armenian Contributions to Humanity, due to be released in April 2015, on the 100th anniversary of Medz Yeghern.

“Bari Luys” The TV Program.

Every Friday night, Stepan Partamian gives viewers a lot to think and react about. Once a week, Partamian bids ”Bari Luys” to his viewers, even at night. “Armenians don’t realize ’Bari Luys’ doesn’t mean ‘Good Morning.’ We have ‘Bari Aravod’ for that, but Armenians think they can’t use the words ‘Bari Luys’ at night. Saying ‘Bari Luys’ is wishing positive energy to people. The concept is to enrich ourselves, our surroundings, and to enrich our thoughts and lives. Symantics, choice of words, and speaking a dialect free of foreign words is one of the issues that Partamian addresses on his weekend call-in show called “The Armenian.” This Internetcast also gives viewers an opportunity to discuss the Armenian identity and address issues like who is an Armenian, do Armenians have to be Christians, and what is the Armenian national identity. “It’s ironic that Armenians use foreign words in their day-to-day dialect and
that they ar not aware they are using foreign words. ‘The Armenian’ is here to remind viewers that ‘Azis’ is an Arabic word, that ‘Jan’ or ‘Jana’ are Turkish words, and that ‘concrete’ is an English word. In addition to challenging viewers about their use of language, Partamian asks provocative questions like whether it’s worth spending $25 million a year on Armenian schools when the result is several hundred graduates who can barely speak the language and know little about Armenian culture and history. “The show is about Armenian Hypocrasy, the hypocrasy of the church in our national identity, the hypocrasy of individuals saying one thing and doing another.”

Throughout their some 6,000-year history, Armenians have made lasting contributions to world civilization. With innovations in science, technology and industry, powerful works of art and literature, and generous acts of humanitarian outreach, Armenians have often gone beyond the local and tribal, to make a difference for all of humanity.

The present compilation is a celebration of contributions made by American-Armenians to the United States of America. Far from presenting a comprehensive list of such contributions, Yes, We Have instead is intended as an introduction to the subject. The Armenian Arts Fund plans to publish a vastly expanded edition in the future, in an effort to share American-Armenian contributions to American life with numerous additional entries, extensive biographies, articles, and photographs.

The Armenian Arts Fund also has plans to publish in 2015 a volume titled Gifts to the World: A compendium of Armenian contributions to humanity, which will introduce an overview of Armenian contributions to the world as a whole.

Our goal is that the present volume, as well as those forthcoming, will be used as valuable sources of reference and information for anyone interested in the Armenians and their enduring gifts to humanity.

Established in Los Angeles in 2002, the Armenian Arts Fund addresses the growing need for cutting-edge, high-quality Armenian cultural endeavors: activities that reflect the most significant and substantive creative aspirations of the Armenian-American community.
While too often those aspirations are frustrated by a lack of funding and logistical resources, the Armenian Arts Fund is dedicated to supporting young and emerging talents and disseminating their work in and beyond California.
At the heart of the Armenian Arts Fund is an enduring faith in quality art at the one hand, and the continued vibrancy and promise of Armenian culture on the other. This trust draws strength from the combined experience of the cultural workers behind the Fund, and the Armenian Arts organization in particular.
Founded in 2000 by a group of arts professionals headed by Stepan Partamian, the Armenian Arts organization introduced an unprecedented dynamic into California’s Armenian cultural arena. Through a string of outstanding concerts, television programs and publishing projects, the initiative proved that there is urgent popular demand for events that buck the trend: to bring novelty, candor and unfettered inspiration to cultural discourse.
Above all, Armenian Arts distinguished itself with its support of young, talented musicians, visual artists and writers. Many of these individuals and groups got their first break with the encouragement and assistance of Armenian Arts.
The Armenian Arts Fund is a natural outgrowth of this new tradition. It is designed not only to seek out and promote extraordinary Armenian talent, but to share the work of a new generation of creative professionals with an appreciative Armenian and world audience.
Armenian culture – as movement, as vision – can only grow the richer by this effort.
THE HORIZON
The Armenian Arts Fund was established to leverage the mass of cultural accomplishments achieved by the Armenian Arts organization in recent years. The Fund is about building on that momentum, continuing to promote talented young artists, and offering the Armenian public exceptional events that nurture and inspire. Expanding this work into the future means not only strengthening existing activity areas, but also embracing new technologies and means of communication, in order to better serve an increasingly sophisticated audience.
BE A PART OF THE FUTURE TODAY
Your timely support is crucial to the mission of the Armenian Arts Fund. Armenian Arts, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, and it is governed under strict laws of transparency and accountability. Best of all, its track record speaks for itself.
Today, we urge you, as a concerned Armenian and an arts patron, to become part of a whole new cultural paradigm. You have the choice to support any or all of our activity areas, and we encourage you to voice your opinions on how to improve them.
The Armenian Arts Fund has an annual operating budget of $300,000, all of which comes from grass roots support. Such an amount may not be enough to build a cathedral, but it’s more than adequate to organize a slew of outstanding, memorable cultural events, underwrite quality television programming, and publish extremely useful magazines and books. In short, your contribution will enable us to bolster a process that relies on our own strengths, to appreciate our very best forces and help them succeed: a grass roots effort dedicated to the grass roots.
Think of the possibilities… and think of the profoundly positive changes your support will advance.