Who Is AHARI - Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island

HomeWho Is AHARI

Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island

The Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island (AHARI) is dedicated to those Armenian immigrants and refugees who settled in Rhode Island and contributed directly to their new state and country. Our aim is to establish a vital avenue of information for our descendants and fellow Rhode Islanders about the heritage of the Armenians.

AHARI was organized in 1997 to participate in the Heritage Harbor Museum and Library. The concept of Heritage Harbor was to focus on how the various ethnic and racial groups came to Rhode Island, lived, worked and contributed to Rhode Island history. From the beginning, the purpose for creating a state history museum had been to extend Rhode Island’s historical narrative to modern times in order to include the experiences and contributions of all the state’s diverse ethnocultural and racial groups and to extol the dignity and merit of its people. One purpose of telling this history was to raise self-esteem and pride of place in order to encourage wide public participation in the democratic process and to promote civic virtue.

heritageharborfoundation.org/past-and-future-plans/

https://turnto10.com/news/videos/high-hopes-for-heritage-harbor

Although the Heritage Harbor Museum did not materialize, the AHARI organization continues to pursue its dream of telling the story of Armenian immigrants, past and present, and their contribution to Rhode Island history.

AHARI is a consortium of approximately 30 cultural, political and religious groups that have representation as board members of the Association plus 12 non-affiliated elected individuals. AHARI is a non-profit, non-sectarian, non-political corporation organized exclusively for educational purposes within the meaning of section 501 © 3 of the IRS Code, making it a tax-exempt corporation under Rhode Island and federal law and tax deductible for contributions.
AHARI is an all-volunteer organization with no employees.

Sustaining our momentum is greatly dependent on membership support and an all-volunteer effort by devoted volunteers that host new programs and exhibits.

Museum Exhibits

AHARI opened its doors – for the first time – on May 13, 2017, with an eclectic exhibition showing our Armenian past through the donations and collections of many Rhode Islanders. The museum is located in the Bliss Building on Providence’s East Side – at 245 Waterman Street, Suite 204. On-site parking is usually available evenings and weekends.

In 2018, we collaborated with Hayk Demoyan, PhD., Executive Director of the Genocide Museum and Institute in Yerevan, Armenia, who curated our permanent exhibit Rhode Island Armenians: Rediscovering the Past and Looking to the Future. The exhibit shows the legacy of the Armenian Community of Rhode Island which is one of the oldest in the United States. We have a long history with an impressive record of service and contribution to the nation.

AHARI expresses its sincere gratitude to Dr Hayk Demoyan and his wife Lucine Matevosian, the exhibit’s graphic designer, for their expert assistance and help to bring this project to fruition.

https://ahari.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=187&club_id=336479

In 2023, following three years of shutdown due to the covid pandemic, AHARI began hanging time-stamped exhibits (adjacent to our permanent exhibit). The first such exhibit was a Multi Media exhibit: The Armenian Genocide: Orphans and the Near East Relief Fund, The World’s Response. This exhibit was curated by Board Member, Berge Zobian, Owner and Director of Gallery Z. Among gallery attendees was an evening with Gallery Night Providence.

https://ahari.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=187&club_id=336479&&page_number=2

The first in a series of exhibits opened in April 2024: Food, Glorious Food: Early 20th Century to Present Day Food Oriented Businesses Owned and/or operated by Armenians.

Did you know that there are over 200 food-related businesses in Rhode Island that were established and run by Armenians, beginning with the first immigrants to the state to the present day? This exhibit was the first installment of the series - Establishing Roots*Enriching Rhode Island - highlighting the vibrancy of the Armenian community and the contributions made to our state.

https://ahari.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=187&club_id=336479

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKJ_SrNtk6I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAebvForQ-g&t=237s

https://ahari.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=86&club_id=336479

The Rhode Island Wave – May 2024 – page 35

In April 2025, AHARI exhibited the 2nd in the series regarding Establishing Roots – Enriching the State --- Armenians in Sports, Past to Present. The exhibit included our 3rd year participating in Gallery Night Providence. Over 400 names of athletes have been identified along with their associated sports, hundreds of newspaper articles, trophies, uniforms and other sports mementos are on display.

https://ahari.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=86&club_id=336479

PROJECTS

Oral histories.

In the summer of 2020, AHARI began a long-term project to videotape oral histories of Armenians in Rhode Island. The questions that were asked used the following guidelines

Part One:

1. What is your name?

2. Who are the individuals whose experiences you will be describing? (great-grandparents/grandparents/parents)?

3. Do you recall their village or city of origin in Armenia?

4. What do know about their experiences in the 1915 Genocide and/or the Hamidian massacres? How did they survive and escape?

5.When and where did they emigrate to initially? If not directly to RI, how and why did they leave wherever they were and travel to the US? And why eventually to RI?

Part Two:

6. Where did they live in RI, and what did they do here?

7. Did they engage in any Armenian organizations, activities, or customs?

8. Is there anything else you feel is important to share about them?

Part Three:

9. Where did you grow up?

10. What was it like for you growing up as an Armenian?

11. How do you feel now about being Armenian: your heritage, culture, and specifically as a descendant of a Genocide survivor?

Over 50 interviews were recorded. We remain ready to continue this process.

The Armenian Chronicles: A Living History

The Armenian Chronicles: A Living History is a multi-year project. The project’s intent is to produce a documentary film that preserves our Rhode Island Armenian history, understands our community's identity and lets the world know that we've survived, we've thrived, and we are still here. Every Armenian has a story to tell and, in our film, we will explore the impact that the Armenian immigrants’ experience has had on their descendants --- emotionally, intellectually, and culturally. We want to give voice to the unspeakable tragedies they endured during the Armenian Genocide in order to better understand inter-generational trauma. ETA for documentary is by the end of 2025.

Map-Tracking Application

A restricted grant that was provided to AHARI during its early years has finally come to fruition. This system enables a user to track the journey of an ancestor, family, group, etc. from historical Armenia to Rhode Island or elsewhere.
We are in the process of making it available to AHARI members.
A How-to video is available on the AHARI YouTube channel.
How-to screens are available on our website.

SERVICES

Genealogy and Ancestry

We are always ready to help individuals research their genealogy/ancestry. A step-by-step outline is available as a beginning point. In addition, we do work with individuals by appointment.

Future plans include making a video available illustrating this process.

Translations from Armenian to English

Translation services are available on an as needed basis. Printed material can be more easily translated using Apple’s translation software which is available in the museum on an ipad.

Armenian Script translations – often found on the backs of photos and letters - are by appointment.