Sculptor Brittany Ryan Selected for Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial at Irvine Great Park

Written By Kev Abazajian

Preliminary Design and Project Agreement Signed

Conceptual Design and Maquette to Be Completed This Spring

Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee members with sculptor Brittany Ryan at her studio. Left to right: Hagop Badolian, Chair, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Armen Karo Gomideh; Fr. Karekin Bedourian, Priest, Forty Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church; Greg Mikhanjian, Secretary, Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee; Arlette Madenlian, Memorial Design Committee Member; Stephanie Oddo, Laguna Niguel City Councilmember; Dr. Kev Abazajian, President, Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee; Brittany Ryan, Sculptor; and Garo Madenlian, Chair of Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Western U.S. Central Committee, at the artist’s studio following the execution of the Preliminary Design and Project Agreement for the Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial.

Irvine, CA — The Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee is proud to announce 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, 2026.

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 spring. 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.

—

Contact:

Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee
Dr. Kev Abazajian / committee@ocagm.org  / 949-424-5141

Brittany Ryan Studios
Brittany Ryan / @brittanyryanart / www.brittanyryanstudios.com 

—

 

The Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and a coalition of community, religious, educational, cultural, youth, and civic organizations, including:

  • Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF), Orange County

  • Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA), Orange County

  • Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Saturday School

  • A. G. Minassian Armenian School

  • Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), Orange County

  • Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), Armen Karo Gomideh (Chapter)

  • Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Karni Chapter and Saturday School

  • Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Sevan Chapter and Saturday School

  • Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Ashod Yergat Chapter

  • Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Aghpiur Serop Juniors Chapter

  • Forty Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church

  • Forty Martyrs Ladies Auxiliary

  • Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, Siamanto Chapter

  • Homenetmen Sartarabad Chapter (Armenian General Athletic Union and Scouts)

  • Knights of Vartan, Orange County Chapter

  • Daughters of Vartan, Orange County Chapter

  • Orange County Armenian Center

  • Orange County Armenian Professional Society

  • St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church

  • St. Mary Ladies Society

Kev Abazajian