WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Brad Sherman, in a letter to President Obama’s Chief of Staff Denis McDonough criticizing the White House’s decision to keep the Armenian Orphan Rug in storage, has called for the permanent public display of this historic artwork at the Smithsonian Institution, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Noting that, “an exhibit to display this relic at the Smithsonian was canceled due to the White House’s inexplicable decision not to loan out the rug,” Representative Sherman stressed that, “this unique work should not be hidden away in storage. Instead, it should be displayed on a permanent basis at the Smithsonian. It is in our national interest to recognize and remember the past. We must acknowledge and learn from the tragic crimes against humanity that orphaned the weavers of this rug to ensure that they are never repeated. I urge the White House to take this intricate piece of history out of storage and to display it at the Smithsonian permanently.”

“We join with Armenian Americans in California and across America in thanking Congressman Sherman for his principled leadership in seeking a prominent and permanent public display for this powerful artistic symbol of shared American and Armenian heritage,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian

The full text of Congressman Sherman’s letter is provided below.

The ANCA launched a grassroots campaign yesterday calling upon the White House and Congress to secure a prominent and permanent public display of the historic rug, woven by Armenian Genocide orphans and presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of Turkey’s murder of over 1.5 million Armenians from 1915-1923.

Armenian Americans can take action by visiting:
http://www.anca.org/orphanrug

The Armenian orphan rug measures 11’7″ x 18’5″ and is comprised of 4,404,206 individual knots. It took the Armenian girls in the Ghazir Orphanage of the Near East Relief Society 10 months to weave. A label on the back of the rug, in large hand-written letters, reads “IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE.”

Additional information about the history of the Armenian Orphan Rug is available in Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian’s book, “President Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug,” published on October 20, 2013, by the Armenian Cultural Foundation and soon to be available on Amazon.com at:
http://www.amazon.com/President-Calvin-Coolidge-Armenian-Orphan/dp/061584734X

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Text of Letter by Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) to the White House Urging Permanent Display of the Armenian Orphan Rug

October 25, 2013

Mr. Denis McDonough
Chief of Staff to the President
The White House
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. McDonough,

I write to urge you to allow the public to view an important artifact of both United States and world history – a rug woven by orphans of the Armenian Genocide. Hundreds of thousands of children were orphaned when the Ottoman Empire attempted to annihilate the Armenian population of Eastern Anatolia during World War I and its aftermath. This rug was presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 for the U.S.-sponsored Near East Relief organization’s work in protecting and relocating more than 100,000 children who were left orphaned as a result of the Armenian Genocide.

The “Orphan Rug” has been in storage at the White House for almost two decades. An exhibit to display this relic at the Smithsonian was canceled due to the White House’s inexplicable decision not to loan out the rug. This unique work should not be hidden away in storage. Instead, it should be displayed on a permanent basis at the Smithsonian.

It is in our national interest to recognize and remember the past. We must acknowledge and learn from the tragic crimes against humanity that orphaned the weavers of this rug to ensure that they are never repeated. I urge the White House to take this intricate piece of history out of storage and to display it at the Smithsonian permanently.

Sincerely,

[signed]
Brad Sherman
Member of Congress

cc: Secretary G. Wayne Clough, The Smithsonian Institution