Hometown Hye-Lite: Hejinian Turns Artwork into Action

CHELMSFORD, Mass.—Anyone with a prominent Armenian name like Daniel Varoujan might be adding poetic justice to the Armenian Genocide.

Not necessarily Daniel Varoujan Hejinian. This talented expressionistic is sending his message through art. All you have to do is lift your eyes while driving along Watertown to see samples of his work on billboards.

He’s got one on Arsenal St. and another on Mount Auburn St., drawing attention to President Barack Obama’s negligence in properly recognizing this moment in history. The illustration shows the nation’s leader with his back turned on the Armenian Genocide.

A third commemorative billboard can be found near Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, home of the New England Patriots, with the message: “Honoring the memory of 1.5 million lives. Recognize the Armenian Genocide.” The illustration is another grabber, written against an image of Der Zor covered with 1.5 million lights, one for each life lost.

The gesture is nothing new for Hejinian who’s been funding these billboards out of his own pocket for the past 16 years as part of his peacekeeping mission called “Peace of Art,” while using his gifts as an educational tool to bring awareness to the human condition.

Over this time, he’s funded close to 50 billboards and caught the wrath of opposition from Turkish dissidents who deny the genocide. A few years ago, some callous individual climbed atop one of those buildings in the dead of night and defaced a billboard.

Such a vile act really raised awareness from the Boston press, drawing the sympathy of thousands who may have read about the retaliation. To say he’s been putting his life on the line may be a mild assumption.

“Doubting and denying the genocide is to repeat the crime against humanity,” said the artist. “Debating it is an insult to the memory of 1.5 million Armenians who were slaughtered. For Obama to turn his back on his promise is morally wrong.”

A resolution from the Massachusetts General Court cited Hejinian for his lifelong efforts to promote peace through art, combining his talents with an insatiable desire to bring justice to our people.

Perhaps his most provocative work occurred in 2009 when he unveiled his “Colors of Liberty” exhibit at the Massachusetts Statehouse. It included his painting “The Missing Stripes,” dedicated to those Americans who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Hejinian remains a visionary throughout the Armenian community, looking for ways to articulate his artistry. When the call came out to design a rather significant memorial by Lowell City Hall, he offered his services gratis.

The end result was an elaborate design of a khatchkar with a woman’s hands weaving lace, done in a three-dimensional motif while capturing the textile city theme right to the stitch.

“Knot by knot, her hands weave the history of her people,” he said, in applying a suitable inscription to the stone.

“Armenians weave their hopes and dreams as they grow and prosper. Weaving a lace cloth into stone reminds us all of the hard work and sacrifice these immigrants endured. To them goes our deepest respect and gratitude.”

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Tom Vartabedian

Tom Vartabedian is a retired journalist with the Haverhill Gazette, where he spent 40 years as an award-winning writer and photographer. He has volunteered his services for the past 46 years as a columnist and correspondent with the Armenian Weekly, where his pet project was the publication of a special issue of the AYF Olympics each September.

Latest posts by Tom Vartabedian (see all)

• Vartabedian: My Final Column - November 13, 2016
• A Hat to Match Any Occasion - October 19, 2016
• More Smiles Keep the Frowns Away - October 12, 2016