Art is the best and most beautiful, it is created in the mind, and then by the hands of the creator. The versatility of beauty allows Gyumri to preserve and transmit the moments of life with the help of unique human abilities. Thanks to the many talents and skills of our ancestors, we still admire the work of creators in the city. Welcome to Gyumri: the city of Craft and Art. Another Weekend in a city that has already become familiar.
DISCOVER!
DAY ONE:
In the Gevorgyan ceramics you can make things with your own hands, decorate them, and at the end, take them home with you, use them in your life, and move to Gyumri again with your thoughts. It is not surprising that this profession was very popular at the time, as it is possible that through pottery people at that time rested gained strength ․․ Illustration with Urartian cuneiform will allow you to move back in time thousands of years ago, and the stories about the traditions and techniques of Armenian pottery will make you a real potter for a moment.
Here I learned that cuneiform was not only on stones but also on pottery. However, the inscriptions on the clay have not reached us, because the clay decomposed quickly. The first person to give us information about cuneiform was Movses Khorenatsi. He told about the inscriptions of the Assyrian queen Shamiram. Shamiram had ordered that statues be erected in various parts of the Armenian world bearing her name.
GEVORGYAN CERAMICS:
Tel. +374 93 67 39 16, Vazgen Gorgyan
Facebook: @GevorgyanCeramics
WHAT TO DO?
The portrait of a girl in the Hacik village will suggest that there is very little left to get to the studio of the curly, small, bright and talented Gohar Petrosyan. If in the previous article we were discovering the crafts of Gyumri, then this journey is about arts. We are about 8 km away from Gyumri.
In the extensive room-studio you will get acquainted with Gohar’s works, paintings and clay statues. My attention was drawn to the ornaments of the clay statues, they differed from each other in traditional Armenian costumes. In this way Gohar presents to the guests the geography, history, everyday և traditions of the region. The elegant artist has prepared unfinished clay works for you, you can illustrate with color and take it home again.
GOHAR:
Tel. +374 094 57 19 04, Gohar Petrosyan
Facebook: @PGog5
WHAT TO EXPECT?
We are returning to the central square of Gyumri. The building of the Aslamazyan Sisters Gallery was built in 1880 by wealthy merchants, the famous Keshishov family from Gyumri, as their apartment. The building is a vivid example of 19th-century Alexandropol urban architecture, incorporating elements of the traditional European Armenian architecture of the time. “Mariam and Yeranuhi Aslamazyan Sisters Gallery” is the only gallery in the Republic of Armenia where the authors of the exhibited and preserved works changed the attitude of their time towards gender equality.
During the tour of the museum I learned that the Mariam and Yeranuhi Aslamazyans also had six sisters and one brother. On this occasion, Mariam noted, “Every Armenian patriarchal family is looking forward to the birth of their son. Only girls were born in our family and, finally, after the sixth girl, a boy, Simon Arshak Aslamazyan, was born. My God, it is difficult to describe the joy that reigned in the house, in the mills. The doors of the house were open for the guests, the tables were open. This is how they celebrated that birthday for about a month. ”
Through the museum master class I got acquainted with the artistic styles and techniques used by the Aslamazyan sisters, I made a magnet with my own hands. This technique can be applied to a wide variety of materials: wood, iron, clay, glass, cloth, leather. It allows you to unrecognizably change and make even the most uninteresting surface attractive and beautiful. Everything is very simple, in the museum I was given some of the works printed on paper, thin glue, acrylic-based varnish, scissors, a brush and a small clay plate, on which one of the most beautiful souvenirs of our house was created.
THE GALLERY OF MARIAM AND YERANUHI ASLAMAZYAN SISTERS:
Tel. +374 31 24 82 05, Karen
@aslamazyanmuseum
DAY TWO
I told you about Chalet Gyumri a long time ago. Exclusive photos, books and items only tell about the city’s past. And as the founder of Chalet would say, “All of Alexandropol in one suitcase.” While exploring the walls, do not be surprised if you see the first female astronaut Valentina Tereshkova, yes, she worked in Gyumri. And one wall is dedicated to “New Armenia”, but from 1928. The fact that in this place, thanks to photos and household items, one can get acquainted with a traditional Armenian sitting and an ax, that is not all. A little far from the chalet you can see bathing cats and Armenian gampr.
CHALET GYUMRI:
Tel. +374 55 45 13 37, Karine or Ani Tumasyan
Facebook: @ChaletGyumri
WHERE TO EAT?
We are returning to Chalet, where Karine and I are going to cook the traditional Gyumri dish in a pot, green peas, tomatoes, beef, onions, greens, all of which we transfer to the oven in a pot. You are not hungry, but are you sweet? In this case, you can make pokhindz with Karine. By the way, in ancient times it was typical for the winter holidays, especially the feast of St. Sargis, when the eldest woman of the house was making this sweet, the young man of the house was putting a piece of his share on the roof of the house;
It is possible to tell about Shale Gyumri for a long time, everything is unique here.
Behind the sweet emotions….
TATOENTS QOTUK:
Tel. +374 96 11 21 49 Karen Hakobyan
FB: TatoentsQotuk:
We are leaving Gyumri early this time, we are temporarily ending our trip in Shirak region, and moving to Aragatsotn region, Ashtarak city. Here Mrs. Hrisime will present the 200-year history of her house ․ The cellar that forms the basis of the “Tatoyents Tan” building was built in 1837, right here you can taste delicious dishes with wine.
Mrs. Hripsime introduced me to the process of making the old Armenian sweet, sujuk. I found out that sweet sujuk is an old Armenian sweet. It is usually prepared in the fall, when the nuts and fruits ripen. I am silent about the walnut in Ashtarak, it is so famous that it is mentioned in folk songs, you can notice walnuts in everyone’s yard.
We divide the nuts, thread the needle twice and make a knot. The nuts are threaded on a needle. Put the threads with walnuts in the syrup and pour the syrup on it with a spoon. After soaking, carefully remove, if you want to cover with a thicker layer, soak it in syrup several times. Sujukh dries in 10-15 days, it is a good opportunity to return to Ashtarak.
This article was created as part of the My Armenia program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the Smithsonian Institution. The contents of this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, the Smithsonian Institution or the US Government.