YSU selects winning design for statue honoring Zabel Yesayan

Yerevan State University has announced the results of an open competition for design proposals for a statue of renowned writer, publicist and public figure Zabel Yesayan. The statue, based on the winning design, is planned to be installed in the courtyard of the university's main building. The initiative gives new significance to an idea Yesayan put forward in 1930 to establish an association of university supporters.

The competition results were determined by a committee established by order of the YSU rector; it evaluated the artistic and architectural solutions presented in the submitted designs, as well as their feasibility.

The discussion was also attended by Zabel Yesayan's grandson, Aleksandr Yesayan, Head of the Ecological Monitoring Group at the YSU Research Institute of Biology. His participation gave the initiative particular symbolic significance, offering an opportunity to consider the commemoration of the writer from the perspective of family and generational memory.

The committee selected Mher Avagyan's design as the winner of the competition. Aleksan Babayan and Nune Tumanyan took second and third place, respectively.

Letter that took on new meaning nearly a century later

The initiative to create a statue of Zabel Yesayan has a remarkable background.

In a letter dated July 26, 1930, addressed to writer and publicist Arshak Chobanian, Zabel Yesayan proposed establishing an association called Friends of the State University of Armenia (or Yerevan).

Decades later, Yerevan State University established the Friends of YSU Foundation in the United States to bring together the university's alumni, benefactors and supporters and create new opportunities for the development of education and science.

Some time after the foundation was established, an examination of Zabel Yesayan's correspondence brought to light the proposal she had made back in 1930.

The connection between Yesayan's proposal and the foundation's activities has taken on symbolic significance for the university, showing how an idea she expressed nearly a century ago has found new life today.

YSU has also established a commemorative medal named after Zabel Yesayan, awarded to individuals and organizations that contribute to fulfilling the mission of the Friends of YSU Foundation.

Commemorating Zabel Yesayan on campus

The proposal to install a statue of Zabel Yesayan was put forward by the Friends of YSU Foundation. The statue is expected to be funded by Vartan Nazerian, a member of the foundation and president of The Nazerian Group.

The statue is planned for the courtyard of YSU's main building, bringing the image of one of the prominent figures of Armenian intellectual life into the university's everyday life and public space.

The initiative also offers an opportunity to introduce new generations to Yesayan's literary legacy, her public activities and her views on education and intellectual cooperation.

Nearly a century ago, Zabel Yesayan proposed establishing an association of friends and supporters around the university. Today, the commemorative medal bearing her name symbolizes the continuation of that idea, while the planned statue will serve as another visible reminder of her legacy on campus.