Artist Arpi Krikorian Spreads Armenian Culture, Color, and Joy

“My father, who passed away two years ago, felt it was extremely important to pass down Armenian names to future generations. If any of my friends had babies and they didn’t give them Armenian names, my dad would scold and lecture them about the importance of passing traditional names down. That was one of the reasons I developed the page of Armenian name suggestions on my website. It was about eight months to a year of research of looking at different books and websites and going through the dictionary to find words that would make for a nice Armenian name.” Arpi explained.

Perhaps there is no greater testament to Arpi’s impact on culture and art than the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring her products at Armenia!, an exhibition from 2018-2019. Her products completely sold out so she had to restock. It was said to be one of the best-selling special exhibit stores that they have had to date. Arpi gushed about the achievement: “It was one of the best things I think has ever happened to me. I felt very, very proud.”

On several occasions throughout 2019, Arpi held successful pop-up shops at the department store Nordstrom. She shared with me a touching Armenian-language conversation she had with a young customer during one such occasion.

“I was selling my Armenian products at Nordstrom in Glendale when a family came in with their daughter who was about four years old. She looked at one of my backpacks then grabbed it and hugged it. She came up to me and said, ‘Asi yes em!’ [This is me!] And I went, ‘Do you think it looks like you?’ She said, ‘No, she doesn’t look like me – she is me!’ She asked, ‘How did you do it?’ I responded, ‘I drew it’ and she replied, ‘You drew me?’”

This little girl, who participated in Armenia folk dances, could not understand how the dancer on the backpack could look like her, and showed it in disbelief to her mother, again exclaiming, “Look, she drew me. It’s me, it’s me!” Arpi said, “It made me cry to think this little girl was walking around the store not expecting anything to relate to her, and here she is seeing someone who looks just like her, at Nordstrom! It was an incredible experience. That’s why I do this. That’s what brings me happiness.”

Arpi frequently receives photos and touching messages from Armenians in different countries, ranging all the way from the Netherlands to Brazil who have purchased her products.

Arpi said, “I don’t want to be known as a retailer. I’m an Armenian artist who makes Armenian art and culture accessible. For $18 you can have a mug that reminds you of being Armenian each time you use it. The fact that my art is out there and is reaching Armenians all over the world and bringing them happiness and connecting Armenians to the homeland is what inspires me and gets me going.”

Arpi contributes to the Armenian community and diaspora not only through her art work, but through her philanthropy. Prior to the war in Artsakh, Arpi sent $15,000 worth of her school supplies including backpacks, lunch boxes, pencil cases, journals, and tote bags to 200 students and school staff at Armenian Relief Society-sponsored schools in Artsakh. Since the explosion at the port of Beirut, Lebanon in August 2020, she has also donated a portion of her profits to the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) of Lebanon. Additionally, Arpi has donated over $28,000 to her husband, Joseph Krikorian’s non-profit organization, Code 3 Angels through the sales of her “Artsakh Strong” t-shirt. This allowed the organization to purchase and distribute medical equipment and basic necessities like clothing and food directly to the displaced families of Artsakh.

Arpi is currently working on several new projects. One of these is a dream over 30 years in the making. Arpi is submitting three children’s books to publishers, two of which are Armenian-themed and written in English.

She explained: “I want to be able to share our culture with non-Armenians. I want them to know that we’re not just the victims of the genocide. There is so much more to us. We are survivors, we are strong people, we are deeply rooted in culture, and we love poetry and art. It’s empowering for everyone to learn about different languages, cultures, and ethnicities.”

In addition to working on several children’s books, Arpi has been developing “Sosse and the Daredevils of Sassoun,” an Armenian-themed feature animation in collaboration with Twiddle Productions Inc. The animation, based on the epic legend of David of Sassoun, follows the daring adventures of Sosse, a young Armenian girl who through her heroic journey eventually joins David and the daredevils in a historic battle to free Armenia and her people from invaders. You can watch the trailer for “Sosse and the Daredevils of Sassoun” here.

One of Arpi’s greatest goals is to create a non-profit organization that funds creative writing and arts education for Armenian youth to ensure the perpetuation of the Armenian language and continued revival of Armenian art and literature.

Arpi has a message for fellow artists and creatives: “My advice is, don’t create things because you think they’re going to sell. Create for the sake of your own enjoyment. Create what you love and what you want to see. Soon enough, you will find your audience because you’re never alone in how you feel, never. Also, don’t keep yourself a secret. By putting yourself out there, you could be inspiring someone else to do the same and the more people we have putting their art out there, the happier people we have in the world, and the happier world we’ll have.”