Michael Aram\’s “Migrations” Sculpture to be Installed at St. Vartan Cathedral

NEW YORK — On the evening of Tuesday, October 6, a new 10-foot tall, bronze-and-polished-steel sculpture will be unveiled and blessed in a ceremony on the plaza of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in Manhattan.

The sculpture, titled “Migrations,” is the creation of award-winning artist Michael Aram—who conceived the work as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Diocesan Primate, will preside over the unveiling in the presence of community leaders and dignitaries.

The unveiling of “Migrations” will be held on the outdoor plaza of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral. Tenor Yeghishe Manucharyan and master pianist Sahan Arzruni will perform as part of the unveiling ceremony.

Michael Aram’s imaginative work of art balances geometric shapes against free-form sculptural elements-referencing ancient Armenian art forms while incorporating a modern design sense. Its base is a looming vertical slab of polished stainless-steel-disfigured by an internal crack in the shape of the historic Armenian regions lost during the Genocide a century ago.

Blossoming upward and outward from this void is a flock of hundreds of bronze doves-each individually and uniquely crafted by the artist-who take flight from the base structure in a symbolic migration from the Old World to the New. The piece conveys the violence of the Armenians’ displacement, along with their hopes for new life in the wake of the Genocide.

“The birds will always find their way home,” explains the artist, who sees a universal human theme in the Armenian story. “My hope is that people viewing the sculpture-whether Armenian or not-will see their own reflections in the polished steel, and be moved to interpret it in their own way.”

St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral is a fitting setting for Mr. Aram’s vision. The majestic “mother cathedral” for Armenians across the country is arguably the most ambitious undertaking of the Armenian-American community: an enduring monument to the Armenian presence in U.S., and their survival through times of persecution, cultural destruction, and death.

Michael Aram is internationally admired as a designer of beautiful, distinctive objects for the home, whose artworks are sold at his flagship gallery (at 136 West 18th Street in New York City) and in over 50 countries through fine department stores and specialty retailers.

www.michaelaram.com
http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net/