On the Matenadaran’s slope, the end of winter brings the first signs of spring and a new garden beginning to bloom. Soon, Yerevan’s residents and visitors alike will walk along Matenadaran’s terraced green promenades. But what conceptual and spatial visions will define the future garden? How will the garden complement the museum experience and engage in dialogue with the Matenadaran’s manuscript legacy? How will it connect to the city’s wider green landscape and public spaces? We warmly invite you to explore these questions and discover the three proposed garden visions at the upcoming exhibition “The Sun is Rising: The Matenadaran Garden Vision”, opening on February 6th at 4pm.
The exhibition brings together the results of the co-creation workshop for the Matenadaran garden, held on November 22, 2025, and presents three distinct garden visions developed through the analysis of these outcomes. The co-creation workshop brought together 39 interdisciplinary participants – artists, curators, architects, urban planners, lighting and irrigation specialists, botanists and environmentalists, Matenadaran researchers, scholars from the humanities, and residents of the surrounding neighborhood. The project is based on an inclusive and participatory approach to public space design. Through a co-creative workshop and open dialogue, the process fostered collaboration among specialists and residents, ensuring that the future garden reflects collective needs and visions while also cultivating a shared sense of belonging.
The project was initiated by the Matenadaran and Armenia Tree Project. The co-creation and the exhibition are conceived and designed by the curatorial practice AHA collective. The exhibition will be on view in the foyer of the Matenadaran Academic Building from February 6 to March 6, from Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 am–6:00 pm.
Project Lead, Curator: Nairi Khatchadourian
Architect, Urban Designer: Garine Boghossian
Assistant Curator: Arusyak Hovhanisyan
Graphic Design & Typeface [Plant Condensed]: Sargis Antonian
Stone Gardens: Tigran Palazyan
Young Artist: Tigran Kochunts
Facilitators: Sona Karapoghosyan, Artavazd Yeghiazaryan, Anahit Minasyan, Lusine Minasyan
Co-creation participants: Sargis Antonian, Mushegh Musayelyan, Anush Davtyan, Marie Adamyan, Davit Kochunts, Arsen Karapetyan, Shant Charoyan, Garegin Yeghoyan, Karen Balyan, Manushak Titanyan, Argine Ghulyan, Aram Movsisyan, Vardan Melikyan, Ivan Gasparyan, Gevorg Zaroyan, Seryozha Jilavyan, Harutyun Alpetyan, Vache Jihanyan, Asya Osipova, Isabella Nikoghosyan, Karin Mkhitaryan, Karlen Madoyan, Tigran Bayramyan, Garo Yeritsyan, Elena Muradyan Arevik Grigoryan, Elizabeth Shirinyan, Artavazd Ayvazyan, Yvette Tajarian, Erna Shirinyan, Armen Sahakyan, Mary Harutyunyan.
Public and Private Collections: Artsvin Grigorian Family Archive, Alexander Tamanian Family Archive, National Museum-Institute of Architecture after Alexander Tamanian, Matenadaran Museum.
Director for Strategic Partnerships and Impact: Marina Mkhitarian, Armenia Tree Project
Matenadaran Garden Impact Investor: Judith Saryan and Victor Zarougian