Artsakh Displaced Artists Find Purpose Through Ceramics Workshop
Art as resistance: How GOY keeps Artsakh’s heritage alive
The GOY Humanitarian Foundation, led by Azatoohi Simonian, has established CeramaZart, a Yerevan-based workshop supporting displaced Artsakh artists and traumatized children. Following the 2020 war that displaced 39,500 Artsakh residents, the foundation created a sustainable social enterprise where artists hand-paint traditional Armenian carpet motifs onto ceramics. Revenue from ceramic sales funds artist salaries and operations, while the workshop simultaneously offers free clay therapy to 20-30 Artsakh children monthly to address war-related trauma. Simonian, formerly an advisor to Artsakh's president on diaspora affairs, founded the initiative with partners including French-Armenian foundations SPFA and Espoir pour l'Arménie. The project emphasizes economic self-sufficiency over charity-dependent aid.
