Creative Armenia and AGBU Announce 2019 Fellows

Five exceptional artists selected for career acceleration

Creative Armenia and the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) are delighted to announce the five recipients of the inaugural Creative Armenia-AGBU Fellowships, a year-long program of funding, mentorship and tailored promotion strategies for talented artists from all fields.

The fellows selected for the 2019 term are: theatre and opera director Arthur Makaryan (New York), musician Arik Grigoryan (Gyumri/Yerevan), painter Burçin Başar (Istanbul), writer and comedian Narek Margaryan (Yerevan), and filmmaker Victoria Aleksanyan (Yerevan).

“We had hundreds of fascinating applicants who are creating vital art around the world,” said Alec Mouhibian, VP of Programs at Creative Armenia. “We are grateful to all of them, and very excited to help our first class of fellows reach new levels in their careers.”

The Fellowships represent the first collaboration of AGBU and Creative Armenia, which entered into a strategic partnership in May. Creative Armenia, a global arts foundation for the Armenian people, pursues a mandate to discover, develop, promote, and produce innovative talent. A trusted bedrock of the Armenian diaspora, AGBU has been creating opportunities for Armenian artists for decades to extend their education and showcase their talents to diverse audiences across the globe.

“Empowering Armenian artists fortifies the evolution of Armenian culture,” said Hayk Arsenyan, Director of the Performing Arts Department at AGBU. “We are looking forward to the original work our fellows will create with this support.”

Creative Armenia and AGBU will showcase the work of the 2019 fellows through a variety of platforms in the course of the next year. Stay tuned to our websites and social media pages to learn more about the 2019 fellows.

Founded in 2017, Creative Armenia is an innovative arts foundation that develops – and realizes – the strategies of a cultural awakening. Its founding advisory board includes Serj Tankian, Eric Esrailian, Arsinée Khanjian, Eric Bogosian, Carla Garapedian, Simon Abkarian