Armenian Cultural Foundation Releases Second Edition of Orphan Rug Book

On April 29, the Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF) in Arlington, Massachussetts announced the release of the second edition of Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian’s book, President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug. When this little volume first appeared in the fall of 2013, plans were well underway for an exhibition of the Ghazir rug, also known as the Coolidge rug, under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., in collaboration with the Armenian Cultural Foundation and the Armenian Rugs Society.

Scholar Captures Tragedy, Miracle Of Aurora Mardiganian’s Life Story

Alin K. Gregorian

In the 1920s, the name and face of Aurora Mardiganian were well known in the United States and beyond. Her autobiography, Ravished Armenia; the Story of Aurora Mardiganian, was a bestseller and the movie based on it, “An Auction of Souls,” was a hit too. However, in the ensuing decades, she was forgotten, becoming another one of the anonymous casualties of the Armenian Genocide.
She is now being reclaimed by the Armenians in an effort led by Dr. Hayk Demoyan, director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan.
Demoyan presented an illustrated lecture about Mardiganian on March 8 at the Armenian Cultural Foundation, at a program co-sponsored by the foundation, the Armenian International Women’s Association and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research.

Author Deranian Discusses Evolution of Orphan Rug Story

Gabriella Gage

 

The Armenian Cultural Foundation’s recent publication, President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug, sheds light on a little-known piece of American history. It also currently stands at the center of a political debate surrounding the White House’s refusal to release the rug featured in the book for an exhibit and book launch at the Smithsonian. However, for the book’s author, Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian, the work represents another chapter in a son’s lifelong journey to honor the memory of his mother and her battle to survive the Armenian Genocide.

Armenian ‘Orphan Rug’ is in White House Storage, as Unseen as Genocide is Neglected

Philip Kennicott

 

The rug was woven by orphans in the 1920s and formally presented to the White House in 1925. A photograph shows President Calvin Coolidge standing on the carpet, which is no mere juvenile effort, but a complicated, richly detailed work that would hold its own even in the largest and most ceremonial rooms.