Hasmik Kirakosyan: A Dedicated Figure of Gyumri’s Cultural Life

Career Highlights

An important stage in Hasmik Kirakosyan’s professional career began in 1976, when she was appointed Head of the Culture Department of the Leninakan City Council. In this role, her work was directly connected with the city’s cultural institutions, events, and the organization of cultural life.
From 1996, she headed the Culture Department of the Shirak Regional Administration, and from 2009 to 2018, she served as an adviser to the Governor of Shirak. In 2018, she was also appointed adviser to the Mayor of Gyumri.
Throughout her decades-long career, Hasmik Kirakosyan received numerous state and professional awards. In 2000, she was awarded the Movses Khorenatsi Medal, and in 2004, she received the honorary title of Honored Cultural Worker of the Republic of Armenia. In 2007, she was awarded the Gold Medal of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia.
She also received the Medal for Services to the Motherland, 2nd Degree, the Commemorative Medal of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the Gold Medal of the Theatre Workers’ Union of Armenia, and several other distinctions.
Hasmik Kirakosyan was also granted the title of Honorary Citizen of Gyumri and named an Honorary Professor of the Mikael Nalbandian State Institute.

For decades, Hasmik Kirakosyan’s name was closely connected with the cultural life of Gyumri. Through her work, she contributed to the development of the city’s cultural institutions, the preservation of art and culture, and the realization of numerous cultural initiatives.
She was also known in Gyumri’s public life for her vivid personality, eloquence, and distinctive Gyumri sense of humor. In her own words, culture became the field she “fell in love with” and to which she devoted nearly four decades of her life.
Hasmik Kirakosyan passed away on May 9, 2021. Her contribution to Gyumri continued to be honored after her death. In 2021, the Gyumri Council of Elders approved the installation of a memorial plaque dedicated to her on the façade of the building at 24 Spandaryan Street, recognizing her longstanding contribution to the city’s cultural life.