Armenia is a small country in the Caucus region, bridging Eastern Europe with the Middle East. Historically, it prides itself on being the first nation to convert to Christianity. It was also the site of the first genocide of the 20th century, which many countries including the United State do not formally recognize.

 

Today, more people of Armenian descent live outside of Armenia’s borders than inside them, and the New York Metro area has one of the highest concentrations of members of the Armenian Diaspora in the world. For the first half of the 20th century, the Murray Hill neighborhood in midtown Manhattan had such a high concentration of Armenian homes, businesses, and restaurants that it was known as Little Armenia. While today much of the Armenian community has moved out of Manhattan to Bayside, Queens or to New Jersey and most Armenian businesses and restaurants have since closed, traces of Armenian culture still exist there.

 

This project covers some of the events that brought large members of Armenians together in Spring 2018 in New York City, juxtaposing an ancient culture and religion with modern city life in New York and the ongoing fight for Armenian Genocide Recognition.