The installation of Wings of Earth by artists Vivien Adamian and Natalia Ira Sookias is on display at the Adams Square Mini Park Gas Station from Monday, March 25 – Friday, May 31. Wings of Earth transforms the Adams Square Mini Park Gas Station into a cultural “community sacred space” for reflection on land and loss. Adamian and Sookias created a series of hanging objects inspired by decorative ceramics from ancient Armenian churches, and vessels whose naturalistic contours and folds recall peaks and valleys from lands lost, both literal and metaphorical. Drawing from ancestral and contemporary stories of hope and grief, the artists wish to offer viewers a space of reflection and awe.

The reflection space, occupied by ceramic eggs, wings, aghamans (Armenian salt jars) and other evocative clay objects creates a dialogue about how people process loss and conceive of hope in diaspora communities. Though Armenian culture is represented in the design of this installation, the artists’ aim is for the art to transcend cultural boundaries and remind the many communities in Glendale what it means to extend a hand during difficult times. 

Vivien Adamian is an Armenian writer and visual artist from Glendale. She is currently working towards an MFA in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Adamian organizes community art events in Los Angeles focused on collaborative art making and community building.

Natalia Ira Sookias is an Armenian ceramicist based in Los Angeles. She runs Sooki Studio, a ceramics and education space that aims to provide crafts education to support mental wellness and foster community. Her ceramics are a vehicle to both connect with her ancestors and create quality goods for her community. Her work is made with the intention to last generations.

This temporary art installation is sponsored by the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission through funding from the Urban Art Program, and support from Glendale Library, Arts & Culture, Glendale Community Services and Parks, and the Adams Hill Neighborhood Association.

The Adams Square Mini Park Gas Station is located at 1020 E. Palmer Ave. in Glendale. The project was completed by the City of Glendale to create a green space in the center of the business district for the densely populated Adams Hill neighborhood and to incorporate the historic 1936 Streamline Moderne Gas Station. The gas station is listed on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources.

Art installations at the Adams Square Mini Park Gas Station are sponsored by the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission and the Community Services & Parks Dept., an ongoing open call for artists submissions can be found on their website: GlendaleArtsandCulture.org/AdamsSquareMiniPark.