Norik Astvatsaturov
WASHINGTON—Armenian-American artist Norik Astvatsaturov, of Wahpeton, ND, has been named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts and will be honored at a special ceremony in the nation’s capital on September 14.
Astvatsaturov, who is an Armenian Repoussé metal artist who using a hammer and simple nail punches, works both sides of metal sheets (copper, bronze, brass, German silver, sometimes gold) and uses semi-precious stones like amethyst, turquoise, garnet, topaz, and carnelian as insets to create ornate works of art. Cultural items like jewelry boxes and icons made by Astvatsaturov are used by the Armenian diaspora to maintain their ethnic identity and remember their turbulent history.
Astvatsaturov’s father, Ygishe, lived in the area of Zangezur, Armenia, and moved to Baku, Azerbaijan, after the Russian Revolution of 1917. This is when the family name was “Russifiedâ€
