arts&life
profi le / on the cover

Handcrafted

A look behind the inspiration of
designer Michael Aram — who is
heading to Macy’s Somerset.

LYNNE KONSTANTIN ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

Michael Aram at work, cre-
ating “perfectly imperfect”
organic-inspired pieces,
which he calls a reflection
of our humanity.

M

ichael Aram’s heritage runs deep inside
him.
“Food, language, religious traditions, a
sense of family — and also a sense of being ‘different’
— all contributed to my cultural identity,” he says.
The maker of decorative and functional art and
sculpture delves into these depths to create his work
— exquisitely detailed nature-inspired motifs and
symbols of Judaic (and Christian) ritual adorn his
metalworks, which he will personally engrave during
a visit to Macy’s Somerset on Thursday, Dec. 6. His
pieces are prized in Jewish homes because of his

adeptness at bringing to life the depth and beauty of
Jewish ritual.
Yet Aram is not Jewish. Born in Providence, R.I.,
he was raised in a tightly knit Armenian family in
Westchester, N.Y.
“As Armenia is the first Christian nation, our
religious imagery is tied to the Old Testament and
pre-Christian religions,” Aram says. “Armenia is the
land of Noah, and our primary symbols are pome-
granates, olive branches, grape vines and the tree of
life. For me, these are themes central to my upbring-
ing and experience.”

Three years ago, Aram created a memorial in
honor of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.
“Migrations tells the story of any family that was
forced to leave their homelands and victimized as a
result of ethnic cleansing,” Aram says. His Facebook
page shows a video about the making of the sculp-
ture — additionally striking in its parallels to the
Jewish experience. “After all,” Aram says, “it was
Hitler who famously justified his campaign by say-
ing, ‘who remembers the Armenians.’”
Because there has been an Armenian Quarter in
Jerusalem since the fourth century — and Jewish

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November 29 • 2018

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