Preliminary Design and Project Agreement Signed; Conceptual Design and Maquette to Be Completed This Spring

IRVINE, Calif. — The Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee announced a major milestone in the creation of the Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial: acclaimed Orange County sculptor Brittany Ryan has been formally selected as the memorial’s artist, and a Preliminary Design and Project Agreement was executed with her on January 29.

Present during this historic signing of the Preliminary Design and Project Agreement with Brittany Ryan at her studio in Laguna Beach were Hagop Badolian, Chair of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation OC Armen Karo Karo Chapter; FR. Karekin Bedourian, Pastor at Forty Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church; Greg Mikhanjian member of the AYF OC Ashod Yergat Chapter and secretary of the OCAGMC, Arlette Madenlian memorial Design Committee, Stephanie Oddo Laguna Niguel City Council Member; Dr. Kev Abazajian Chair of the OCAGMC and member of the OC ANCA chapter and Knights of Vartan; and Garo R. Madenlian ARF Western US Central Committee Chair and long-time OC Armenian community leader.

Ms. Ryan will now begin the conceptual design phase of the memorial, including the preparation of detailed sketches and a 12-inch maquette to be completed this April. The proposed sculpture will depict a mother holding a small child, with cranes in flight around them, symbolizing survival, memory, protection, and the transmission of life and history across generations.

The memorial is planned for installation in the Heart of the Park at the Irvine Great Park, whose completion is scheduled for Spring 2028, where it will serve as a permanent place of remembrance, reflection, and education for the broader community.

Brittany Ryan is an award-winning sculptor who lives and works in Southern California and has exhibited widely with museums, galleries, and art associations. She received First Place in Sculpture at the Portrait Society International Competition (2021), the Gold Medal Award at the National Sculpture Society’s 87th Annual Awards (2020), and was juried into the California Art Club Gold Medal Show. She 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. Since 2014, she has served as Sculpture Department Coordinator and Instructor at Laguna College of Art + Design.

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, carrying identity, intention, and emotional truth. 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, and to sense where these figures are going and what propels them forward. Ultimately, I want the work to foster understanding, connection, and remembrance across generations.”

Dr. Kev Abazaijan, President of the Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee, added:

“We are honored to be working with Brittany Ryan, whose artistic vision, sensitivity to human narrative, and proven ability to realize monumental public sculpture make her an extraordinary choice for this memorial. Her composition of a mother and child encircled by cranes in flight powerfully captures the themes of survival, continuity, and hope that lie at the heart of Armenian history and memory. This is an important step toward creating a permanent place of conscience in Orange County, one that will speak not only to the Armenian community, but to all who believe in the dignity of human life and the necessity of remembrance.”

The conceptual design and maquette to be completed this spring will guide the next phases of fundraising, community engagement, and detailed engineering, leading toward fabrication and installation in advance of the Heart of the Park’s opening in 2028.

The Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial will stand as a lasting tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and as a testament to resilience, memory, and the responsibility of future generations to bear witness and uphold human rights in the pursuit of justice.