It’s no secret that Mariam Aslamazyan’s personal mission in life is “to fix the role of the woman artist in patriarchal Soviet-Armenian society.” This is the mission that drives artists Mariam, and her sister Eranuhi who own and operate their gallery in Gyumri, a town in Armenia’s northern Shirak region.
The Aslamazyan Sisters Gallery’s permanent exhibition, which features beautiful work by the sisters and other local artists and artisans, seeks to promote gender equality. This theme now also threads through the Gallery’s new museum shop, which opened in September 2020 with the support of USAID/Armenia’s My Armenia program.
My Armenia works with local museums to develop new streams of revenue for exhibition development, care for the collections and programming. Since 2019, the program has supported nine museums throughout the country to establish new approaches to museum management, marketing and development. By introducing museum shops in regional museums or galleries, My Armenia is helping regional communities attract tourists to visit and spend money, which in turn benefits the museum, local artisans and artists associated with the museum shop, and the broader rural community. Establishing a shop like the one at the Aslamazyan Sisters’ Gallery improves the visitor experience, boosts admission, increases revenue and establishes mutually beneficial partnerships between local artisans and museums.
Mariam, Eranuhi and their staff attended a series of training sessions on branding and marketing and worked with My Armenia to design and construct a museum store, identify artisans and products for sale, and develop a series of marketing strategies and branding materials. Their shop features art and crafts from 20 regional and Yerevan-based artists and artisans, and a wide collection of products developed by the museum itself. Products ranging from home textiles, general decor, fashion products, ceramics, jewelry, products for children, and more, all inspired by the colors, patterns and designs of the works of the Aslamazyan Sisters are for sale.
Since opening in September, sales from the newly-created shop have already contributed to additional income for the museum and their partnering artists, and will continue to provide economic opportunities for the community.
My Armenia Project