The carving Arshaluys YEG-GA draws its name directly from the major Armenian figure, Arshaluys (the survivor of the Genocide, Aurora Mardiganian), a person of no small historical importance within Global History during the twentieth century. The name of the piece also seems most appropriate since it was destined for many travels with L.H., a careful student of Urban Planning and Historical Geography at the University of Alberta. L.H. also informed the School of One Carver that she is very keen on pursuing a career in International Development after graduate school. Born in Armenia, L.H. actually attended school in Moscow, Russia, before immigrating to Grimshaw, Alberta. L.H. eventually moved to Edmonton with her mother and completed her secondary education at the historic Victoria Composite High School, located near the city's downtown core. A dedicated aficionada of the Arts, Photography, Music, and the Environment, L.H. cherishes the personal time she spends with her Armenian grandmother in Edmonton. In order to help support her education and passion for travel, L.H. also works as a bartender part time and this vocational experience definitely provides her with a unique perspective into the human condition, especially since she is a very good listener and maintains a genuine appreciation of the fantastic tales many patrons have to tell.

L.H.'s cosmpolitan approach to life and learning seems to coincide neatly with the background of Arshaluys YEG-GA. The carving is dedicated to the individual agency, accomplishments and contributions of grandmothers, mothers, daughters and sisters from Armenia, past, present and future, especially those who have been passionate students of Urban Studies and History at the University of Alberta. This piece was sculpted from a portion of a larger, soft Brazilian stone obtained by the School of One Carver from the enterprising rock merchant Asad (now retired) on 118 Avenue, Edmonton. The patriotic lineage of the rock was confirmed when another carving from the larger stone was commissioned as one of the gifts for a Chinese government delegation to Canada associated with the visit of the artist Fan Zeng by the Provost of the University of Alberta in Fall, 2013. As the successive images documenting the scuffs and "historical, if not festive, patination" Arshaluys YEG-GA acquired during the Spring and Summer months, 2016, L.H. readily appreciates how the history of the carving itself enriches our understanding of its contribution to marking rhetorical time and delineating personal space.

Links:

A brief interview of the experiences of Arshaluys may be seen at: Armenian Survivor Aurora Mardiganian on Genocide

See, also, Liz Ohanesian, "I Am Armenian: The Intriguing Life of Aurora Mardiganian", KCET Artbound

Hanging Out
Edmonton, May 3, 2017. 20°/3° C

Today, the Carver and I went to visit the Remedy Cafe on 124st., a venue where I recently displayed my artwork. This exhibit will last for a month before I have to take it down. The photos feature different natural landscapes I have encountered during my extensive travels. The Carver has added a new piece to the YEG-GA sculpture series, and I asked him to carve one so I can pass it on to a friend. My YEG-GA and the new piece, entitled “#C-note YEG-GA, Number 3”, hung out on the café table while I was having coffee.

Links:

To support the inspired artwork of L.H., the School of One encourages a visit to the Remedy Café 124st. location as found at: Remedy Cafe Locations

Atrium
Edmonton, May 23, 5° /-4° C

I met an old friend this morning in the Atrium found between the Business and the Tory buildings. My friend asked me about potential YEG-GA pictures with my new camera even before I got a chance to sip on my green tea. I realized earlier this morning that there is a three-page essay due in one of my English classes, and I wrote it this morning in a hurry! My old friend tried to convince me to spend more time on the paper instead of our encounter, but, in all honesty, meetings with this person are a lot more fun than writing papers. So our chat lingered on. We discussed my upcoming training with Red Cross, and some future photoshoots with Arshaluys YEG-GA. Arshaluys is also seen in one of the photos perched behind our bench with a new, unnamed and “upcycled” YEG-GA, also made, ironically, from “Turkish” (Armenian???!!!) marble.

Ghost Town
Montana, Spring, 2016

We heard the Garnet Ghost Town in Montana was opening its doors for the Spring season, so we rushed off road to the gates at sunrise. The gates were locked, but there were abandoned vehicles with not a soul for miles. Half the trees were cut, while the other half stood tall blocking the sunlight to some foot paths. The air was crispy and eerie, and the latter adjective sentiment was accentuated by a lack of cell service. After sunrise, the gates never opened, and we drove away to our next destination.

Links:

Background information and location of the historic place may be found at: Garnet Ghost Town

Parody (that actually happened!)
Montana, Spring, 2016

We situated ourselves at the local dive bar in Livingston, Montana, called The Mint. The choice for draught was simple since we only had to pick one of the four beers available. The choice was clear to me after some deliberate reasoning: I did not want to endure the "Wrath of Poseidon", or to have "Red Dread" (having dealt with many redheaded troublemakers in my day), and of course, Clothing Optional was not an option so I went with the morbid Celtic beverage entitled, "Irish Death". Before too long, our bartender Jaime recognized that we had surpassed the point of our capacity, and, like any responsible bartender would, also made sure to ask us if we were a safe, stumbling distance away from the establishment.

Links:

Dining Out: The Mint Bar

Bar Bump
Edmonton, Spring, 2016

I was bartending one Friday night while my car was parked in the lot of the establishment. One of my friends ran inside to tell me that someone backed into it when they were leaving the parking lot. I spent one of my few days off running around the city, trying to organize everything to get it fixed. The "Irish lad" who rear-ended my poor car on that warm and sunny evening was only at the bar for a minute, before his night turned into a nightmare. I just learned that this little bump will cost a semester's tuition to fix. It was the first time I have ever had to contend with the paperwork and associate headaches that follow an accident, but my "big brother" at our establishment made sure I wrote down the right information, and that I followed "the right steps". It is easy to get confused as a young person when you first deal with such a "foreign subject" to me as car accidents, reports, insurance companies and auto repair estimates, so I remain very grateful to those "car-crash mentors" who taught me the proper way to navigate such unfamiliar territory.

Sister
Edmonton, Late Spring, 2016.

My cousin in Armenia was twenty-one years old when she graduated from university and then got married. As a result of her union, she moved to Russia to be with her husband. She is now twenty-three and has her first child. A photo of us together, when we were younger, hangs in my room. People often say how much we look alike now, and tend to mix us up with each other. In contrast, our lives are completely different. I am barely older than her and the thought of marriage and family has not been a priority for me. In Armenia women get married usually after they graduate university, without ever having a job. It is taboo to be single and in your thirties. In Canada, women are encouraged to pursue education and their career goals, and thus, frequently postpone matrimonial choices until a later age. This does not mean women in Armenia do not know how to pursue career goals, and it also does not mean women in Canada cannot choose to be wives, so we should avoid constructing tiresome stereotypes. Women all around the world have specific gender-based priorities, and are influenced by their upbringing and the cultural milieu in which they live.

Soldier
Edmonton, Late Spring, 2016.

Teddy Bear, of the United States Armed Forces, stands at attention beside Ashaluys, my travel companion. This bear was given to me by a friend now serving in the Canadian army to symbolize his protection for me wherever I go. While my friend has great physical strength and has learned combat tactics from serving in the military, he still seems to need some sort of encouragement. And to support his self confidence, he has sought the strength he sees in me. This side of our friendship made me realize that on the superficial, fantastic level women were supposed to have depended on the strength and protection of men from Ancient times to recent times. Thinking about things further, it is clear that women have maintained self-confidence and lent so much support to other people, including men. They have also exerted just as much strength and power as men in a number of different in different ways which encompass the power of words, the power of knowledge, the power of negotiation, the power of spirit . . . I could go on. This present always reminds me of my own strength.

Las Vegas Neon Heat
Las Vegas, Summer, 2016. 45°C

We are at the Palace Casino Hotel, located a five-minute drive from the Strip in Las Vegas. The four of us absolutely insisted on spending at least one of the days doing what everyone goes there to do: grab a few bottles of something cold and enjoy the day under the hot sun, lounging beside the hotel pool. Ashaluys joined us on this get-away. The carving helped out and was used as a cold stone on the skin to fight the blistering heat. On the last day of the trip I decided to take a taxi to the Neon Museum, located very close to our hotel. The idea to go there came to me after seeing Edmonton's modest outdoor neon museum in the Warehouse District, Downtown. The signs in Vegas, in contrast, tower above us like highrise buildings making it difficult to capture them in one photograph. Unfortunately, the museum was not taking in any more people for the day so we left defeated, back to our hotel pool where we roasted under the heat with the occasional cool respite offered by Ashaluys.