Brittany Ryan is now sculpting a 48-inch working model in clay. At four times the scale of the maquette, the figure has room for what a twelve-inch study can only suggest — the set of the mother’s jaw, the grip of her hands around her child, the wind pulling her dress behind her as she presses forward.

On Saturday evening, October 24, 2026, about 160 guests gathered in Stamboulian Hall at St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Costa Mesa for “Love & Homeland,” a benefit concert by the AGBU Los Angeles Choir in support of the Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial.

On Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 7:00 PM, the AGBU LA Choir will perform its "Love & Homeland" concert at Stambolian Hall in Costa Mesa, with proceeds benefiting the Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial at the Irvine Great Park. The OC Saturday School Children's Choir will join as featured guests.

Before there was a sculptor or a maquette, there was a question: how should Orange County remember?

The answer took shape in 2023 and 2024, in the work of the Committee's design committee.

Sophia Makhail, a senior at Chapman University’s Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, has been awarded a $2,500 community impact grant from a local Irvine based company along with their sponsors, chosen through a selective, merit-based review process.

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

Sculptor Brittany Ryan Presents 12-Inch Maquette and Renderings of the Planned Monument at the Irvine Great Park; California State Treasurer Fiona Ma Delivers Keynote Address