The Ararat-Eskijian Museum (“the museum” or “AEM”) was created to enrich, inspire and educate the community through the display of artworks and exhibits, presentation of programs, and collection of research materials, featuring the history and cultural heritage of the Armenian people. To implement this mission, the Museum:
•Collects paintings, photographs, textiles, ancient artifacts, books, coins, and maps
•Encourages the community to contribute historical artifacts and actively participate in the preservation of family history and experiences
•Sustains programs of research, exhibits, education and publication
•Contains a library (which concentrates on materials concerning the 1915 Genocide of the Armenian people)
•Provides a cultural center that presents interpretive exhibitions, literary events, musical programs and public lectures
The AEM serves the largest Armenian community in the Diaspora and is the only Armenian museum on the west coast. The Ararat-Eskijian Museum was created to preserve our Armenian culture and historical treasures for generations to come. It is our desire that Armenian Americans and Armenians of the Diaspora who visit the Museum will understand and appreciate the hardships, sacrifices, and achievements of their ancestors. To illustrate this, the Museum includes examples of art, architecture, literature, numismatics, maps and documents relating to the Armenian Genocide of 1915. The Genocide devastated our people and homeland, but did not destroy our love for God, our spirit, nor our desire to achieve and excel. The Ararat-Eskijian Museum belongs to all Armenians. It is a cultural center for the performing arts, lectures, and special displays. It offers a unique opportunity for research and welcomes donation of family heirlooms, documents, books and other artifacts to safeguard them for future generations. The visual approach to the Museum is from the courtyard, framed by wrought iron railings in an ancient Armenian design and adorned by the stately bronze statue of ”Mother Armenia Rising Out of the Ashes,” a memorial dedicated to those who perished or narrowly escaped death in the 1915 Genocide. Behind the statue is a stained glass window depicting the ruins of ancient Armenian architecture. The entrance of the Museum offers an invitation for visitors to sign in and enter a place that harbors treasures of Armenia’s rich past.
