Babaian-Khachikian to Present on Cultural Heritage of the Armenians in Isfahan

On March 2, Ani Babaian-Khachikian will speak at a dinner meeting of the St. James Armenian Church Men’s Club about the cultural heritage of the Armenians in Isfahan. Babaian-Khachikian will present a pictorial review and a brief history of Armenians in Iran, with a focus on New Julfa-Isfahan art, culture, and traditions.

Babaian-Khachikian, a native of Isfahan, holds a Master of Fine Art from Alzahra University in Tehran. There, she defended her thesis entitled “Mutual Influences, New Julfa and Isfahan Mural Paintings of the 17th Century.” In Iran, she worked on numerous restoration projects, most notably murals at New Julfa’s St. Amenaprkich Vank (Holy Savior Cathedral).

She is the author of numerous articles and presented many public talks on Armenian and Persian art. In 2013 she joined the National Association of Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) staff and has since been responsible for the ongoing cataloguing of the Mardigian Library.

In 2014, she was invited to Yerevan and Isfahan to present a paper on the 350th anniversary of St. Amenaprkich Vank (Holy Savior Cathedral) regarding the murals, artists, and new findings discovered during the restoration process. Babaian-Khachikian is also a fine art painter who has participated in solo and group exhibitions. Her latest exhibit was “Animating the Word: The Legacy of Iran’s Minority Calligraphic Traditions” at Tally Beck Contemporary Gallery in New York (December 2014-January 2015).

The dinner meeting will be at the St. James Armenian Church, Charles Mosesian Cultural and Youth Center-Keljik Hall, and is open to the public. The social hour starts with mezza at 6:15 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.