By Heghineh Gevorgyan
Armenian American painter and community activist Daniel Varoujan Hejinian has been awarded with the Medal of Gratitude by the President of the Republic of Armenia and the Gold Medal from the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.
On Sept. 20, by the decree of the Republic of Armenia’s President Serge Sarkisian, Hejinian was awarded the Medal of Gratitude.
In September, digital billboards with congratulatory messages dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Independence of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh/NKR) appeared in different cities throughout Massachusetts. Hejinian was the author of the billboards, which portray Yerevan’s Cascade Complex, Tsitsernakaberd, Mount Ararat, and a triumphant eagle with its wings in the colors of the national flag of Artsakh.
“On behalf of myself and the Peace of Art organization, I am offering my congratulations for the 25th anniversary of the Independence of Armenia and Artsakh by displaying six electronic billboards on the busiest highways of the State of Massachusetts. I desire to engage Diaspora Armenians and many people of different cultural backgrounds in the celebrations dedicated to the independence of the twin republics of Armenia and Artsakh and thereby strengthen the bond between Armenia and the Diaspora,” stated Hejinian.
In 2015, Peace of Art, Inc. launched its Armenian Genocide Centennial awareness billboard campaign, “100 Billboards for 100 Years of Genocide,” in the U.S. and Canada to commemorate not only the victims of the Armenian Genocide but also the victims of all genocides.
The digital billboard
On Sept. 20, by the decree of the Republic of Armenia’s President Serge Sarkisian, Hejinian was awarded the Medal of Gratitude on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, for his contributions to the strengthening of Armenia-Diaspora relation, preservation of the Armenian identity, and his outstanding achievements in the spheres of culture and the arts. He was also awarded a Gold Medal by the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia for his services rendered to the Armenian homeland, granted to him by the Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan on Oct. 11.
In 2015, on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, Hejinian was awarded by the President of the Republic of Armenia with the Movses Khorenatsi Medal for his work. In 2014, he was honored with the Arshile Gorky Medal by Armenia’s Ministry of the Diaspora at the occasion of his personal exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Diaspora in the National Gallery of Armenia.
Source: Armenian Weekly
Link: Daniel Varoujan Hejinian Awarded Two Medals