This exhibit ties together the different aspects of family bonds throughout the generations of the four interviewees Sara Anderson, Jennie Garabedian, Mari Firkatian, and Diana Colpitts. Each of these women have some experience in either the stories they've been told about their ancestors, how they've been able to connect their family ties, and how they have personally experienced being Armenian growing up. By tracing these different connections to family from before, during, and after the Armenian genocide, the memories of these families can continue to live on through the stories that have been passed down generation to generation.
The exhibit uses artifacts consisting of mainly photographs or documents and also the recorded oral histories from Sara, Jennie, Mari and Diana themselves, who took the time to share their stories and how meaningful their connections to family have proven to be in their lives.
A family of Armenian deportees is seen in this undated photo by Armin Wegner, a German 2d lieutenant who was stationed in the Ottoman Empire. He was investigating reports of the massacres by taking photographs of deportation camps, primarily in the Syrian desert. COURTESY OF SYBIL STEVENS/ARMENIAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE VIA REUTERS/FILE