Sculpture Maquette for Orange County’s First Armenian Genocide Memorial Unveiled at 111th Anniversary Commemoration

Santa Ana, CA — The Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee (OC AGMC) unveiled the sculptural maquette of what will become the first public Armenian Genocide memorial in Orange County, at the community’s 111th Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide held at the OC Armenian Center in Santa Ana.

Award-winning sculptor Brittany Ryan of Laguna Beach was present to unveil her 12-inch maquette of the planned eleven-foot bronze sculpture, along with renderings depicting the memorial as it will appear in the Heart of the Park at the Irvine Great Park, where it is scheduled for installation in 2028. The maquette marks the first time the community has seen the sculpture’s form in person, and represents the culmination of a multi-year effort by the OC AGMC and its coalition of Armenian community organizations.

The memorial sculpture depicts a mother holding a small child, with cranes—groong in Armenian—in flight around them, symbolizing survival, memory, protection, and the enduring connection to the Armenian homeland. A forget-me-not flower, the universal symbol of Armenian Genocide remembrance, will also be incorporated into the finished work. The sculpture will stand on a pedestal within a twenty-foot circular pad featuring a handcrafted mosaic rug of high-resiliency glass and ceramic tile, reflecting the rich artistic heritage of the Armenian people.

Brittany Ryan is an acclaimed figurative sculptor whose monumental public works combine narrative depth with extraordinary technical craft. She received First Place in Sculpture at the Portrait Society International Competition (2021) and the Gold Medal Award at the National Sculpture Society’s 87th Annual Awards (2020), and has been juried into the California Art Club Gold Medal Show. Ryan is currently completing a monumental Marine Corps War Memorial for the City of Laguna Hills, and previously created the large-scale bronze installation Canyon Walkers at Laguna College of Art and Design, where she has served as Sculpture Department Coordinator and Instructor since 2014.

Reflecting on the commission, Ryan said: “My goal is to create work that lives in the space between narrative and poetry—figures that are not idealized, but deeply human. For this memorial, I hope to create a sculpture that invites empathy and solidarity, that allows viewers to feel the strength, grief, and resilience embodied in a mother protecting her child. Ultimately, I want the work to foster understanding, connection, and remembrance across generations.”

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma delivered the keynote address at the commemoration, which drew community members, civic leaders, and elected officials to mark the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

Elected officials in attendance included Laguna Niguel Mayor Gene Johns, Brea Mayor Pro Tem Marty Simonoff, Artesia Councilmember Ali Sajjad Taj, Irvine Councilmember Kathleen Treseder, Ph.D., Irvine Councilmember Melinda Liu, and Irvine Councilmember Betty Martinez Franco.

The evening’s program opened with a welcome by OC AGMC President Dr. Kev Abazajian, followed by a prayer to the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide offered by Very Rev. Fr. Yeremia Abgaryan and Rev. Fr. Karekin Bedourian. The program included the national anthems of the United States and Armenia, the presentation of the maquette and memorial update by Dr. Abazajian, the keynote address by Treasurer Ma, an address on the Armenian Cause, remarks by elected officials, youth performances, and a closing prayer.

Dr. Abazajian said of the milestone: “Tonight, for the first time, our community has seen the form of the memorial that will stand at the heart of Orange County’s Great Park—a permanent place of conscience honoring the 1.5 million souls lost in the Armenian Genocide. We are deeply grateful to Brittany Ryan for her extraordinary artistry, to Treasurer Ma for lending her voice to this occasion, and to every member of our coalition of organizations whose commitment is making this vision a reality.”

The Irvine Great Park Board approved the memorial’s schematic design and budget in October 2024. A Preliminary Design and Project Agreement was signed with Ms. Ryan in January 2026. The total project budget is estimated at $750,000, funded entirely through donations raised by the OC AGMC. The memorial is planned for installation in advance of the Heart of the Park’s opening in 2028.

The OC AGMC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization representing a coalition of nineteen Armenian community organizations in Orange County. The committee is dedicated to the creation of a permanent Armenian Genocide memorial at the Irvine Great Park that will serve as a place of remembrance, reflection, and education for the broader community.

Photos of the sculpture maquette and artistic renderings are available at this link.