Cheers to another successful weekend retreat with Hamazkayin ArtLinks!

By Liana Bdewi, ArtLinks participant 2019-2023

This year’s Hamazkayin ArtLinks retreat was held in June at Camp Arev in sunny California, located in Frazier Park about an hour north of downtown Los Angeles. We had many attendees from the greater Los Angeles area, from the east coast of the U.S. and a few Canadians sprinkled in for good measure. There were quite a few returning members (including myself), but many new participants joined us this year from across North America.

Artist Masha Keryan (right) during her workshop

Our ﬁrst workshop of the weekend was led by Masha Keryan, an artist from Yerevan who lives in Boston. Her workshop focused on how each person experiences art diﬀerently based on their state of being, lived experiences and perception. At the end of the lecture, we all received drawing pads, pencils and sharpeners and were instructed to go outside and ﬁll every page of our 25-page drawing pads. Keryan encouraged us not only to use our pencils as drawing tools but also to ﬁnd organic drawing materials in nature like clay, dirt or grass. This was a therapeutic exercise in perception, free artistic expression and non-judgemental creativity. Later that evening, we gathered around the ﬁre, and everyone showed oﬀ their work with detailed explanations behind each drawing.

As the evening progressed, we made our way back to the recreation room at the camp, where we played games and activities to get to know each other and did some karaoke and dancing. And just like that, we all became instant friends.

On day two, we started the day with an information-packed lecture by Eric Nazarian, award-winning ﬁlmmaker, writer and photographer based in Los Angeles. Nazarian spoke about the history of photography and cinema in relation to Armenian narratives. He seamlessly moved from one point in history to another, and we were wholeheartedly captivated for the entire two-hour lecture. Discussion points included early photographs of Armenians, Hollywood’s involvement in the tragic story of Aurora Mardiganian, and how we can use ﬁlm as a storytelling medium to showcase new narratives around Armenian identity.

After lunch, we attended Dr. Hagop Gulludjian’s workshop about the Armenian language. Following the lecture, we took turns reading various Armenian haikus written by Gulludjian’s students. For the last hour, he challenged each of us to write up to 10 haikus in Armenian. His one request was that we avoid using themes around the Genocide, war or victimhood. We arranged the chairs in the room in a circle and took turns reading our haikus to one another. The pieces were profound and heartfelt and addressed nature, love and the Armenian language.

Our ﬁnal workshop leader was Natalie Kamajian, a doctoral student in culture and performance at the World Arts and Cultures/Dance department at UCLA. She is also the co-founder and dance director at Lernazang, a non-profit cultural collective and performance ensemble whose mission is to strengthen Armenian cultural heritage in Los Angeles. She discussed her research around decolonizing Armenian dance and aesthetics by comparing formal Armenian dance (as seen on stage) to more traditional dances that diﬀer from village to village across Armenia. After the lecture, we went outside and learned a handful of traditional shurchbar dances. We laughed, sweat and danced until dinner time!

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Before we knew it, the weekend concluded and we all went back to our respective cities. Despite only meeting for 72 hours, the participants formed bonds over this retreat that will undoubtedly last a lifetime. What I love most about ArtLinks, and what keeps me coming back, is the extremely welcoming and forward-thinking environment. Attendees are encouraged to explore their Armenian identity in a non-judgmental space, which leads to provocative conversations, relatability and immediate friendships. If you’re interested in joining the Hamazkayin ArtLinks family for next summer’s retreat, follow along on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date and connected.