Hejinian to Speak at St. James

WATERTOWN, Mass.—On Mon., April 1, Daniel Varoujan Hejinian, the founder and president of Peace of Art Inc., will be the featured speaker at the dinner meeting of the St. James Armenian Church Men’s Club. The talk, titled “A Mother’s Hand,” will be about an Armenian Genocide Memorial that will be placed at Lowell City Hall Plaza.

Daniel Varoujan Hejinian (“Varoujan”) has dedicated his life to promoting peace through art. By combining the experiences of his culture and heritage with his talent as an artist, he communicates human suffering and the triumph of the human spirit to bring about positive change.

Varoujan was born in Aleppo to Armenian parents who fled to Syria during the genocide. In 1979, Varoujan came to the United States, and left behind an extensive body of artwork. He settled in the Boston area and began working as a volunteer illustrator for the Armenian Mirror Spectator newspaper, and set up an art school at the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) center in Watertown. In 1980, he started working as the creative art director at Ackerley Communications.

As the son of Armenian Genocide survivors, Varoujan lived with this legacy, and in 1996 began to design and display genocide commemorative billboards in the Boston area that called for the recognition of the genocide. Peace of Art, Inc. (www.PeaceofArt.org)—a non-profit educational organization that uses the universal language of art to bring awareness to the human condition, and to promote peaceful solutions to conflict—has sponsored the billboards for the past 10 years. Since 2003, it has conducted 24 exhibitions, including at the Massachusetts State House, Boston, Mass.; Armenian Library and Museum of America, Watertown; Harvard University’s JFK School of Government, Cambridge; Massasoit College, Canton; and the Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis, Minn. Peace of Art initiated an award given to college students who author the best essays concerning how they envision peace.

Varoujan has received several awards for his contributions to the Armenian community, and has been widely recognized for his artistic achievements.

The Social Hour starts with mezza at 6:15 p.m., followed by a complete losh kebab and kheyma dinner at 7 p.m., for $12 per person, at the St. James Armenian Church, Charles Mosesian Cultural and Youth Center, Keljik Hall, 465 Mt. Auburn St. in Watertown. Ladies are welcome.