Empowering with Art

  • Abajian, Srboohie
  • Year Grant Awarded: 2022

Srboohie Abajian conducted her “Empowering with Art” public-art project overseas in Armenia, where remote communities had been ravaged by war.

She was inspired by a 44-day war in 2020, when Azerbaijan aggressively attacked indigenous Armenian lands in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). In the war’s aftermath, Azerbaijani authorities have continued their aggression, war crimes, and human-rights violations against Armenian people, even on sovereign Armenian land. Srboohie vowed to help those who had suffered.

“Empowering with Art” reached villagers who live on the borders of Armenia, uplifting them and giving them strength through art.

In 2022, with the support of the Puffin Foundation, Srboohie Abajian completed 3 large-scale posters. The posters/murals feature images of strong, resilient people and include positive slogans like “We Are Unbreakable” and “The Armenian Spirit Is Unbreakable.” She partnered with the Armenian NGO “YES Armenia” to identify and contact remote villages near the Armenian border.

Srboohie traveled to Armenia in late 2022, and visited the town of Berd in the Tavush region, near Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. She donated her three artworks to cultural institutions in the town of Berd: the Berd Cultural Center, Berd Music School, and Berd Museum of Art.

The large-scale posters/murals (6′ x 4′) were created using weather-resistant materials, allowing the town to display them at various outdoor locations.

In addition to donating these uplifting works of public art, Srboohie led art workshops for children, encouraging them to express their feelings and project their strength through art. With YES Armenia, she traveled to the remote villages Aygepar and Chinari, whose schools had been shelled by hostile forces in the recent past.

Around 60 children enjoyed participating in Srboohie’s art workshops. They were very enthusiastic and fully engaged in the process of creating their beautiful artworks.

“Empowering with Art” was supported by The Puffin Foundation, Ltd. (USA), Youth Empowerment and Sustainability (Armenia), and Blick Art Materials (USA). The project took place in December 2022 and January 2023.