Mannequins have turned into muses at ALMA, each adorned with colorful costumes made of silks, angora wool and other textiles. The display is part of “Fabric of a Culture,” a new textile exhibit featuring more than 20 authentic Armenian costumes from the late 19th century to 1915. See the largest North American display of authentic Armenian costumes from the late 19th century to 1915 and explore the regional style of Armenian clothing from the district of Kessaria in the West to the mountains of the Caucasus in the East.

All nations have a story to tell. The epic story of the Armenian people is a saga of perseverance, cultural triumphs and survival as a people throughout long periods of oppression, destruction and genocide. Armenians have always had a tenacious spirit that carried them through disasters while reaching cultural heights as exemplified by: Armenia's pre-Christian period, the nation being the first to adopt Christianity in AD 301, the creation of the Armenian alphabet, the dawn of the glorious Golden Age of literature in the 5th century, the important role of the Armenians in the Byzantine empire and during the Crusades, and the literary reawakening in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Discover this amazing story here at the Armenian Library and Museum of America. Learn about this wonderful cultural heritage. Find your own answer to the question: Who are the Armenians?

The genocide of the Armenians by the Turkish government during World War I represents a major tragedy of the modern age. In this first Genocide of the 20th century, almost an entire nation was destroyed. The Armenian people were effectively eliminated from the homeland they had occupied for nearly three thousand years. This annihilation was premeditated and planned to be carried out under the cover of war. The Genocide Exhibit of the Armenian Library and Museum is intended to help the visitor "feel" the Genocide as well as "learn" about it. The Armenian Genocide, which began in 1915, is one of the most tragic of all events in Armenia's 3,000 year-old history. The human mind cannot comprehend death on the scale of the Genocide. This Exhibit is intended to convey the horror of those deaths along with statistics and other accounts, by displaying some of the more poignant artifacts, along with research texts. The exhibit is located adjacent to the Simourian Family Gallery on the Mezzanine level of the Museum.

The Armenian Genocide, which began in 1915, is one of the most tragic of all events in Armenia's 3,000 year-old history. “Cultural Genocide” examines the ongoing cultural genocide that continues to take place in the aftermath of the annihilation of the Armenian people in Turkey.

This exhibit is newest addition to ALMA’s permanent exhibit "Armenian Genocide: In Memoriam."

The exhibit illustrates the various genres of traditional music in Armenia and the musical instruments that developed there. The exhibit examines varied styles including religious, folk, troubadour, and contemporary and the unique American-Armenian musical style played at picnics in the United States.The exhibit was made possible by contributions in memory of Frederick Margosian. The exhibit is located in the Simourian Family Gallery on the Mezzanine level of the Museum.

This new textile exhibit explores lace techniques, how Armenian lace compares with other lace types and the fascinating history of Armenian needle lace, including stories of girls and women who accomplished these incredible works of art, often under difficult conditions.  Special collections, such as the Chad Collection of Laces (made by orphans of Malatia) and the Alice Riggs Collection (made by women of Aintab after the 1896 massacre) are featured. Very fine lace collars, large doilies, three-dimensional flowers, household items and lace embellishing garments are among the beautiful artifacts on display.

A wide breadth of ceramic vessels, plates, tiles and ostrich-sized devotional eggs from ALMA’s Ceramics collections are on display in this exquisite exhibit.  From 16th century Iznik ceramics to 21st century contemporary stoneware pieces, “Armenian Pottery Ceramics” provides a colorful survey of the history of Armenian pottery. 

ALMA's holdings include an extensive collection of older hand-written scrolls and 19th and early 20th century printed scrolls.  The widespread use of “hmayil” (prayer scrolls) first emerged in the 15th century, a particularly unstable and dangerous period in Armenian history when a desperate population grasped at occult objects to impose stability on a chaotic world.  Although the popular use of prayer scrolls has declined in recent years, following a general decline in folk beliefs, scrolls are still valued as expressions of traditional folklore.