Tribute to Neery Melkonian in New York

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NEW YORK — Neery Melkonian was a groundbreaking contemporary art curator, critic and writer. Before her death in July 2016, she created an important legacy of critical discourse and community building among diasporan Middle Eastern and Armenian art and artists.

To honor her memory, her friends and colleagues will join together on Thursday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m., at the Armenian General Benevolent Union, 55 East 59th Street, to present her work and impact to celebrate and continue her profound vision. The evening will include personal and professional tributes as well as a special screening of AGBU WebTalks which she recorded in the months prior to her passing.

Melkonian worked at the Center for Contemporary Art in Santa Fe and at the Bard (College) Center for Curatorial Studies before becoming an independent curator. She stood behind Armenian art and artists throughout her career producing the NK Arts Festival, which supported artists and families of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Blind Dates Project, which teamed Armenian and Turkish artists in a collaborative exhibition at Pratt Institute. Her endless contributions ranged from producing important symposia of artists and thinkers at Columbia University and the American University of Armenia to curating and writing for the Armenian participation at the Venice Biennale. At the time of her death, she was working on Accented Feminism, a show and catalogue about female Armenian artists, and “art farm”, an archive and center for Armenian diasporan art.

Presenters will include Silva Ajemian, Jean Marie Casbarian, Tina Chakarian, Aram Jibilian, Lola Koundakjian and Hrag Vartanian.

Space is limited and an RSVP is requested at rsvp@agbu.org.

 

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Topics: AGBU, New York
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