WATERTOWN — On Sunday, January 24, from 2 to 4 p.m., the Armenian Museum of America will host the opening of a new exhibition, “Who Today Remembers: Portraits of Survivors” by Mary Hilt.
The opening will include a gallery talk, where visitors will have the opportunity to speak with the artist about the exhibition, and a reception, both held in the Adele & Haig Der Manuelian Galleries on the third floor of the Armenian Museum of America. The event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served at the reception.
In 1939, Adolf Hitler asked the infamous question, “Who today remembers the extermination of the Armenians?” Mary Hilt has ensured that the voices, faces, and stories of many who survived the Genocide will never be forgotten. The paintings in this exhibition reflect the personal stories of actual interviews of survivors taken by Hilt in 1994. These stories show the courage, heroism, tragedy, survival and triumph of the people who not only survived the Genocide, but also re-established themselves in Watertown, Belmont, and other areas of Massachusetts.
Even though the portraits reflect a heavy subject matter, Hilt has painted them in watercolor, which she believes can be as dramatic as the subject that this exhibit elicits. Hilt said she is thrilled to educate the surrounding communities about the Genocide and has been able to paint new portraits years after the interviews were completed.
Hilt’s work has been exhibited multiple times by the New England Watercolor Society and she currently teaches at the Young Adult Vocational program in Arlington, Mass.
The exhibit will remain on view through March 6.
