The Armenian Genocide

The exhibit is a stunning visual narrative of the events of the 1915-1923 Genocide, and the continuing aftermath and denial by the Turkish government over generations. The exhibit’s texts and overall design were created by an Armenian Museum committee: Haig Der Manuelian (Chairman), Dr. Barbara Merguerian, Gina Hablanian, Gary Lind-Sinanian, and Arakel Almasian, assisted by a number of outside consultants. The striking wall graphics were designed by Ed Malouf of Content Design Collaborative.  The visitor will find a chronological narrative of the tragic events leading up to World War 1, the years of Genocide (1915-1923), and the continued denial to the present.

The official opening of the exhibit in May 2011 was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony, performed by the first Armenian Ambassador to the United States (1993-1999), Rouben Shougarian.

A Statement From the Armenian Museum of America on April 24, 2023

The Armenian Genocide was the attempted annihilation of the Armenian people – physically and culturally – from their ancestral homeland. This brutal murder of the Armenian nation by the Ottoman Turks constitutes the first genocide of the 20th century.

Those who carried out the crime were never held to account and successive Turkish governments deny the Armenian Genocide, which began on April 24, 1915.

The failure of the international community to respond decisively to this epic tragedy encourages other regimes to conduct similar murderous campaigns, and it was a precursor to the Holocaust. We have witnessed the ongoing legacy of the Genocide in Artsakh in recent years, where Azerbaijan is carrying out a policy of ethnic cleansing and cultural erasure.

Prevention and punishment for the crime of genocide remains a challenge for all people who believe in a world based on human rights and justice.