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Hovhannes Mnoyan
Blacksmith
Gyumri, Shirak Province
Hovhannes Mnoyan
Hovhannes Mnoyan is a blacksmith from a family with generations-long traditions in Gyumri, known as a "city of crafts and art" and a "city of craftsmen." Mnoyan's grandfather was a famous blacksmith during Soviet times -- not only locally in Gyumri, but also throughout Armenia -- for making gates, chandeliers, railings, window bars, fountains, and more. His grandfather (also named Hovhannes) learned blacksmithing from his maternal uncle.
With his brother and father, Mnoyan runs a workshop in Gyumri, taking orders both locally and as far away as Russia. He seeks to "move from craft to art" with increasing levels of creativity. Unusual in this case is that Mnoyan took the title of master from his grandfather, not his father, who explains, "In the end, I did not manage to become a master. First I was the apprentice of my father Hovhannes, and now I am the apprentice of my son Hovhannes." |