Some journeys are about discovery, while others are about reunion. Complicated routes can lead us to our roots. On Thursday, December 11th at 6:30pm, Carolyn Rapkievian will recount a once-in-a-lifetime trip this past June to the ancestral villages and towns of her grandparents who survived the 1915 Armenian genocide but whose families did not. With the help of Turkish friends and colleagues she was able to visit Husenig, Kharpert, Gesaria, Germir, Talas, Roomdigin, Sepastia, Tokat, and Smyrna in current-day Türkiye. Carolyn will share family stories, the research process when so much has been lost, and will explore how identity continues to be rooted in place beyond the years of separation.

Carolyn Rapkievian of Bar Harbor grew up in an Armenian-American family, collecting the stories and testimonies of her ancestors since she was a child.  Most recently she has been researching and documenting historic Armenian dances from Anatolia.  She has held leadership positions in museums for over 50 years and has lectured internationally about the role of museums in understanding history, promoting reconciliation, and the politics of cultural acknowledgement.