May 13, 2011, Yerevan, Armenia- On May 14 the Cafesjian Center for the Arts will be celebrating Museum Night, by opening its galleries to the public till midnight for free. The featured event for Museum Night is the opening of the exhibition “Hagop Hagopian: The Song of Earthen Colors” at 12:00 noon. The exhibition consists of 28 paintings and 10 sculptures representing various periods of the artist’s work. Hagopian, born in Egypt and educated in Paris, conveys profound sadness in his early paintings as a reflection of the Genocide that still haunts the artist’s soul. Already an accomplished artist in his forties, in 1962 Hagopian repatriated to Armenia. The silver-gray and terracotta color scheme of his late fall or early spring paintings emanate a mystic silence. Hagopian’s latest works are deeply philosophical and laden with symbolism. Delving deeply into his past to retrieve images of love, struggle, survival and death, he reconfigures them as mannequins, garments and tools painted against the backdrop of nature. “It has been a surprise and a joy to me that my works were selected to be exhibited at the newly established Cafesjian Center for the Arts”, Hagop Hagopian notes in the opening remarks for the exhibition. “The Cafesjian Center for the Arts begins the Museum Night celebration with a major exhibition opening; that of a living legend of Armenian art, Hagop Hagopian. It is with great pride that we present Mr. Hagopian’s work to the people of Armenia and we invite everyone to take this opportunity and tour the galleries on May 14”, said the Acting Executive Director of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts Vahagn Marabyan. The programming of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts for May 14, Museum Night, includes the reopening of the “Ivana Šrámkova: Geometric Forms and Images” exhibition and resumption of the “Creativity and Imagination” workshops for children aged 6-12. “Special programming is also planned for International Museum Day on May 18. In keeping with this year’s theme, “Museums and Memory”, the Cafesjian Center for the Arts will present an exhibition titled “Cascade in Memory”. This exhibition lifts the curtain of the past covering the place currently known as the Cascade Complex. It will refresh people’s memory about the history of Yerevan and the Cascade Complex which has become the Cafesjian Center for the Arts”, noted Vahagn Marabyan. Each year since 1977 the International Council of Museums organizes International Museum Day (IMD), a special moment for the global museum community - on or about May 18. Each year, the Advisory Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) defines a specific theme for International Museum Day. The theme for 2011 is defined as “Museums and Memory: Objects Tell Your Story”. The weekend before the Museum Day is the traditional time for Museum Nights, when museums all over the world keep their doors open till early in the morning, offering special exhibitions and programming. The Cafesjian Center for the Arts is participating in International Museum Day celebrations for the second time since its opening in 2009. The Cafesjian Center for the Arts (CCA) is dedicated to bringing the best of contemporary art to Armenia and presenting the best of Armenian culture to the world. Inspired by the vision of its founder, Mr. Gerard L. Cafesjian, the Center offers a wide variety of exhibitions, derived from Mr. Cafesjian own extensive collection of contemporary art. Having celebrated its grand opening in November 2009, CCA continues to exhibit unique works of modern art and offers a diverse program of visiting lecturers, films, concerts, and numerous educational initiatives for adults and children.

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