ARLINGTON Mass. — An exhibit of the paintings of the late Artemis Mirak will mark the 20th anniversary of the Jefferson Cutter House Art Gallery. This is particularly fitting, because Artemis Mirak and her late husband, John Mirak, were the ones who made it possible for the Cutter House to become such an important venue for art exhibits. They made a gift of the Jefferson Cutter House to the Town of Arlington, in 1989-1990. The Cutter House opened an art gallery, which has hosted exhibits of local artists over the last 20 years.
Artemis Mirak was an Armenian-American, a survivor of the 1915 Genocide, who was brought to the US by distant relatives. It was in Medford and Watertown that she met John Mirak, also an orphan of the massacres. Together, residing in Winchester and Arlington, they raised four children and remained very active in local Arlington and Armenian community affairs.
The exhibit, titled “Views of the Past,” will run from May 4 to 30. A preview will be held on Friday May 20, from 2 to 6 p.m. and receptions will be held on Saturday, May 21 from 2 to 6 p.m., and Sunday, May 22, from 2 to 6 p.m.
The artist’s daughter, Muriel Mirak-Weissbach, will be at the Cutter Gallery with copies of her book, Through the Wall of Fire: Armenia-Iraq-Palestine: From Wrath to Reconciliation, which includes the personal history of her family. Other dates for visitors are May 18, 4:30 to 6 p.m. and May 25, 1 to 4 p.m.
