"In His Shoes" - April 15-24 - the 100 Year Journey from Ararat to America and Back - an exhibit commemorating the Armenian Genocide which focuses on love, hope and the resurrection of the human spirit

I am not Catholic, and I am not Armenian. I had hoped to view In HIs Shoes’ The 100 Year Journey from Ararat to America and Back with a friend who could interpret the experience for me, but with only one day of the exhibition left, I chose to go alone.

A maintenance detour lead me past an artist carving beautiful murals, and through the Cathedral. There I paused, in awe...and lost. I had followed the signs. Clearly they lead me here. Along the walls were the words of those who experienced the genocide; who witnessed unthinkable crimes against humanity, who saw, and somehow survived, hell on earth. There are few coincidences in my life. I experienced the silence in that sacred space, embraced the words. It would make finding my way to the Zorayan Museum at the Western Diocese (which is downstairs) all the more meaningful.

The space is circular; the music welcomes you. There is something universally soothing and wonderful about the songs that survive the trials of time, the songs that bond the generations. The art speaks volumes, and transcends the need for interpretation. Where it was needed, I found it; the exhibition is rich in meaning and history and is more than a collection of images and paintings; it embraces the endurance and continuity of a people who are carrying their cultural heritage, sometimes literally, into a new era.

I was immediately drawn to a cylinder full of wool. The story of the wool is amazing and it weaves, quite literally, the generations past to the future. From the time the wool left Malatya in 1922 to its presence in the exhibit In His Shoes, there is a story; and the story does not end here, but takes on a new transformation, a new life, in the central piece of the exhibition. The wool will travel on from here, to other museums and other exhibitions, its story continuing and traveling with it.

In His Shoes is more than an exhibition. It is a ministry directed by Father Vazken Movsesian, a priest of the Armenian Orthodox Church; an organization which rallies support for those who suffer in the world, based on the principle of repaying evil with good as a true alternative to violence and war. Father Movsesian leads seminars int he power of love and forgiveness as viable tools for bringing about peace. His partnership with artist Gregory Beylerian is a superbly orchestrated sensory journey of hope, peace, and the triumph of spirit. April 24 is the final day of the exhibition at:

Zorayan Museum at the Western Diocese
3325 N. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA 91504

(626) 275-2636

www.inhisshoes.org