LAS VEGAS, Tuesday, May 7, 2013… Celebrated metalware designer Michael Aram is creating an exclusive sculpture —“HOME”— to grace the lobby of the new “c-ONE” cross category showcase of directional tabletop, gift and home resources debuting at the Summer 2013 Las Vegas Market, July 29 to August 2, 2013.

The sculpture is modeled on a gift composition by Aram — the Nest Egg Keepsake — but is on a far larger scale, and has taken approximately four months to complete. The sculpture features a bird’s nest crafted of oxidized bronze twigs cradling three eggs finished in 24K gold-plated bronze. The nest, which is 6 feet wide and more than 2½ feet high, and eggs, which together weigh more than 77 pounds, will be displayed on a polished stainless steel 4 feet height pedestal base. The sculpture, which stands over 6 feet tall, will be installed on the first floor of Building C at World Market Center near the base of the escalators.

“We are delighted to showcase this exquisite and unique work of fine art by distinguished designer Michael Aram,” said Dorothy Belshaw, president of Gift & Home Décor, International Market Centers. “This very special sculpture perfectly captures the welcoming spirit of the ‘total home’ concept that we are creating broadly in the Las Vegas Market, and specifically in Building C, which will highlight a complete assortment of better home and lifestyle resources, including tabletop, decorative accessories, home textiles and gifts. This inspiring piece by Michael Aram will serve as a dramatic focal point to reinforce our positioning the Las Vegas market as the leading gift and home décor destination in the western United States.”

The artist himself points out that he is inspired by the Las Vegas Market’s commitment to the total home concept. “The new better home décor focus in Building C is inherently about HOME… how to create one, how to define one, how to make it speak of the people who inhabit one.” Aram commented. “For me, there is no better metaphor for HOME than a nest. It is an abode found throughout nature that is the result of painstaking detail, careful selection of elements and tireless labor… all with the anticipation of what is to take place in it. The fact that its basic building blocks are twigs makes the image that much more universal.”

“I wanted the sculpture to be perceived first on an almost visceral level,” Aram stated. “The image of a nest conjures a tremendous emotional response from all of us. The other symbol I wanted to incorporate is the golden eggs. They represent hope, potential, dreams and nurturing… all the things we look to find in a HOME. In the case of a design-centered environment like this, the eggs also symbolize the concept of ideas brimming over. The whole sculpture is suspended on top of a solid plinth surrounded by an architectural framework. This symbolizes the framework that the Las Vegas World Market Center is creating around the deeply meaningful place that HOME holds for all of us.”

In addition to creating this one-of-a-kind piece for the lobby, Michael Aram is an anchor tenant on the first floor of Building C, with a 2,380-square-foot permanent showroom presenting the designer’s specialty tabletop and expanded home furnishings line to the western region. Established in 1989, the New York-based company is well-known for producing organic and nature-inspired motifs handcrafted using traditional methods and materials. Michael Aram’s unique and innovative products range from tableware to furniture and are sold to galleries and specialty stores worldwide.

In addition to the Michael Aram showroom, c-ONE will feature a curated collection of more than 45 leading tabletop, gift and home décor brands in both permanent and temporary exhibition space. Other anchor resources include Alessi USA, Ann Gish, Fatboy USA, Gold Leaf Designs, Jonathan Adler, Magisso North America LLC, Nine6 and VIETRI.

Las Vegas Market is a leading home furnishings and gift marketplace in the western U.S., presenting 1,000+ gift and home furnishings resources in an unrivaled market destination. Las Vegas Market features thousands of gift, furniture and home décor lines, allowing for cross-category commerce among these industries. The Summer 2013 Las Vegas Market runs July 29-August 2, 2013, at World Market Center Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.lasvegasmarket.com.

About Las Vegas Market
Las Vegas Market is an international furnishings showcase that combines style, inspiration and productivity in an unrivaled, world-class destination. Situated on World Market Center Las Vegas’ state-of-the-art campus, Las Vegas Market features a comprehensive array of new product from thousands of leading manufacturers and lines in furniture, mattress, lighting, gift, decorative accessories, floor coverings, home textiles and more—delivering Today’s Total Marketplace. Retailers and designers can shop product offerings from trend-setters in all home furnishings categories as well as benefit from complimentary educational, networking and hospitality events. With two markets each year, Las Vegas Market is the only major home furnishings market in the western U.S. offering a unique cross-section of suppliers and buyers spanning the home furnishings, décor and gift industries. For more information, visit www.lasvegasmarket.com. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

World Market Center Las Vegas is a property of International Market Centers, L.P. (IMC), the world’s largest operator of premier showroom space for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. International Market Centers owns and operates 11.5 million square feet of world-class exhibition space in High Point, N.C. and Las Vegas. IMC’s mission is to build and operate an innovative, sustainable, profitable and scalable platform for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. For more information on IMC, visit imcenters.com.