Art was an important part of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), which was founded in AD 301, and continues to play a significant role in the culture of the Armenian nation today. Almost all ofArmenia’s major artists such as: Komitas, Narekatsi, Tatevatsi, Toros Roslin, and a number of Tsaghkokghs ("blossomers" or painters who illustrated Biblical themes), were born in the early AAC and served and expressed God through their art works. During 1920-1991, the years under Communist Regime, the Church experienced a lack of religious freedom and expression. Consequently, the arts were drawn apart from the Armenian faith. Our holy duty as Christian artists, is to bridge that gap and show the world that art is one of the main characters of the church in order to reach out to the world with its Gospel. The artists who came together under the auspices of the Praise Studio (PStudio) have chosen to reunite these two facets of Armenian tradition: Christianity and Art. All projects, events, or activities presented by or through PStudio are designed to serve and introduce the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, through various expressions of the arts. We want to see spiritual purpose and renewal in the arts, which has grown faint through centuries of Armenian history. We believe that art was and remains a powerful tool for 1) ourselves in knowing ourselves deeper (God flows out), 2) Christian communication, 3) evangelism among many nations, especially in this art-centered world of our time.
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