by The Armenian Mirror-Spectator
The Armenian Genocide Research Program (AGRP) within The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA presents a conference titled, “Armenian Genocide Looted Art and Restitution,” which will be held in the UCLA Fowler Museum’s Harry and Yvonne Lenart Auditorium on Saturday, February 10, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Pacific Time).
This event is a follow-up to a March 2023 conference at UCLA titled, “What’s Next?: Armenian Genocide Restitution in the Post-Recognition Era,” which explored the possibilities of creating an Armenian Genocide reparations movement post-recognition by President Biden and Congress in 2021.
In response to directives stemming from the March conference, during Summer 2023, the AGRP spearheaded the Armenian Genocide Looted Art Research Project (AGLARP), a multidisciplinary, collaborative research project aimed at (1) fostering research on Armenian art, cultural heritage, and other cultural objects that were looted, destroyed, or transferred in conjunction with the Armenian Genocide; and (2) engaging in critical thinking and action on the many dimensions of justice, dialogue, restitution, and repair regarding the losses of Armenian culture arising from the Armenian Genocide. The project was conducted under the academic leadership of Art History Professor Heghnar Watenpaugh of University of California, Davis, and Law Professor Michael Bazyler of Chapman University Fowler School of Law.
The program will consist of a documentary screening (in-person audience only), discussions of the AGLARP’s summer research findings, and a roundtable to consider what the pursuit of restitution looks like for both past and present threats to cultural heritage objects and sites, as well as what lies next for the AGLARP.
The conference will feature Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat as the keynote speaker, as well as special remarks by Law Professor Lauren Fielder, investigative researcher Simon Maghakyan, and world-renowned lawyer and genealogist E. Randol Schoenberg.
The conference will be held in the UCLA Fowler Museum’s Harry and Yvonne Lenart Auditorium on Saturday, February 10, 2023. Pre-registration is required for this hybrid event, which will also offer remote online participation via Zoom. Registration begins at 9:30 AM and the program starts at 10:00 AM (Pacific Time). Lunch and refreshments will be provided for in-person participants. For event details and to register for in-person attendance or remote participation, visit the event webpage.
This conference is co-sponsored by the Fowler Museum at UCLA, the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights at Claremont McKenna College, the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA, and the Institute for Transnational Law at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law. The Armenian Genocide Research Program (AGRP) was established within The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA in early 2022. Led by Dr. Taner Akçam, the AGRP engages in research and scholarly activities pertaining to the study of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire during the early 20th century.
