Village Shalom will host a rededication of its Siah Armajani-designed gazebo on the south lawn of the Village Shalom campus at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, May 16, 2010. A reception will follow.

The art piece is a generous gift from art collectors Margaret and Jerry Nerman, and Sue and Lewis Nerman. Originally installed in 2003, it has graced the Village Shalom campus as both a piece of art and a gathering place for residents and families of the senior-living community. The Armajani gazebo is one of only two permanent works in Kansas City created by the world-famous sculptor. It was recently refurbished and reinstalled in its familiar location on the path to the Village Shalom main entrance.

“The Nerman family has been extremely generous in contributing this significant piece of modern art to Village Shalom, and in ensuring that its beauty will be maintained through the years,” said Matthew Lewis, Village Shalom President and CEO. “It is a truly unique piece that attracts the notice of everyone who visits. We are honored to have such an important piece as part of our permanent art collection.”

Born in 1939 and raised in Iran, Armajani came to the United States in 1960 to attend Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, where he majored in philosophy. He became a U.S. citizen in 1967. Armajani's work has been the subject of numerous one-person exhibitions in this country and abroad, including a 1999 retrospective at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte, Reina Sofia, in Madrid, and a 2008 exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. He designed the Olympic Torch for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He has worked on projects such as the New York Staten Island Tower and Bridge, the Round Gazebo in Nice, France, and the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge in Minneapolis.

The Armajani gazebo is among many unique works of art at Village Shalom’s Helzberg Campus, including those featured in The Epsten Gallery of the Kansas City Jewish Museum. Following the gazebo rededication, The Epsten Gallery will present a new exhibition by Kansas City-based artist and architect Jack Rees. The exhibition will feature an 18-foot-tall, windmill-inspire sculpture and a series of ceiling-suspended and wall-mounted mixed-media works. An opening reception will be held from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in The Epsten Gallery, and will include a conversation with the artist at 3:00 p.m.