Dr. Kouymjian’s Research Leads to New Discoveries
in Armenian Art
Chris Tozlian
staff writer
To say that Dr. Dickran Kouymjian remained busy during his year-long
sabbatical would be an understatement. Dr. Kouymjian, Haig &
Isabel Berberian Endowed Professor of Armenian Studies, spent the
last academic year on foreign soil. By his own admission, he passed
most of his time in the libraries of Paris, France, doing the research
and scholarship so hard to accomplish when teaching many courses
and administrating the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno state.
During Dr. Kouymjian’s absence from CSU Fresno, he visited
Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, and Italy, conducting research or
presenting scholarly articles. In past articles, Hye Sharzhoom described
for its readers some of the various tasks set before the Armenian
Studies Program Director: symposiums, awards committees, vast amounts
of research, plus much more. And while most Program Directors would
leave their position for a year to work abroad, Dr. Kouymjian continued
to oversee the administrative duties of the Armenian Studies Program
as its coordinator; while on sabbatical, Dr. Kouymjian spent a couple
of hours each day dealing with office administration from his home
in Paris via the internet.
One little-mentioned work that Dr. Kouymjian has spent years producing
is the Album of Armenian Paleography, an exhaustive study of ancient
Armenian writing. Dr. Kouymjian recalled the vast time spent checking
the various sets of page proofs of the book for bibliographies,
ensuring correct Armenian-to-English translations, and reviewing
the photographs to be used. Sometimes this took up to an hour per
photograph to review. Dr. Kouymjian dedicated much of his time to
this folio volume, which was has just been printed. Literally the
size of a large photo album, Dr. Kouymjian, along with Professor
Michael Stone and Dr. Henning Lehmann, spent twelve years compiling
information, researching the topic, choosing a broad selection of
dated Armenian manuscripts for inclusion and working with publishers,
which has culminated in a near six hundred page album with 220 color
illustrations of ancient Armenian writing. It has been in press
for the past five years.
Another project which necessitated much of Dr. Kouymjian’s
time was his earlier appointment as the ANI (Armenian National Institute)
Project Manager for a compilation of Armenian art, focusing on the
issue of loss as a result of the Armenian Genocide. Though this
appointment came before his sabbatical, Dr. Kouymjian and his wife,
Angèle Kapoian Kouymjian, dedicated much time to this endeavor
when the Legacy Project, originally funded by the Rockefeller Foundation,
was put on the web. The fruit of Dr. Kouymjian’s labor is visible
to all who visit www.legacy-project.org, the website that is currently
displaying more than 25 Armenian artists who have embodied the concept
of loss and desolation in their work. Dr. Kouymjian explained that
this website provided Armenian artists with widespread exposure
in the art community, especially after the tragic events of September
11th, which caused multitudes of Americans to deal with the concept
of loss within their own lives.
And now, although Dr. Kouymjian has returned to Fresno State for
yet another year of teaching, there is still much to keep him busy.
He is currently working on an Armenian textile exhibit to be held
in Geneva in 2004. He is also continuing his research and study
on Armenian relics and liturgical metal work, including the four
known right hand relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator. Furthermore,
Dr. Kouymjian has a 30-year file of Pentecost illuminations, which
continues to multiply as he pursues his analysis of the iconography
of the Pentecost scene within Armenian manuscripts. As usual, Dr.
Kouymjian remained busy this past year, and will continue to do
so as long as the pursuit of scholarship drives him.
