The Assyrian Arts Institute has scheduled a celebration Saturday to mark the display of an 8-foot-long bronze sculpture members donated to Los Altos' Lincoln Park. The Los Altos Hills-based institute donated the work, which reads "Shlama" -- Aramaic for "peace" -- in letters more than 2 feet tall, to Los Altos as a symbol of the Assyrian community, thousands of whom migrated from the Middle East to the Bay Area over the past hundred years. In a letter to the Los Altos City Council last summer, Fred Parhad, the UC Berkeley-educated Assyrian-American sculptor of "Shlama," said the sculpture would serve "to not let our heritage be completely erased." The Assyrian community considers the area between modern-day Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey its homeland. Many Assyrians have been killed by ISIS and their property destroyed because of their Christian faith, which dates back more than a thousand years. "For the first time in our modern history, our ancient art, artifacts and architectural treasures in Iraq are being systematically looted and destroyed," Parhad wrote. "It is doubtful the situation will ease anytime in the near future." Nora Lacey, founder of the Assyrian Arts Institute and founder, president and CEO of Cell Marque Corp., brought Parhad's work to Los Altos. His sculpture of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal stands outside San Francisco City Hall. Lacey called him "a local talent who represents Assyrian artists." "'Shlama' is appropriate in times like this. It won't lose its meaning," Lacey said of the Lincoln Park sculpture. "I thought it was a good fit -- from the Assyrian community to the city. We love this country and believe in it." Lacey was born in Abadan, Iran, and moved to Modesto as a teenager. "I was 15 when I moved here, and I couldn't speak English," she recalled. "I always felt this community was the nicest, kindest, most open-minded people I know. They helped me make a contribution and a life here." Lacey hopes that the Assyrian Arts Institute can help the many refugees coming to the Bay Area find a way to contribute as artists and find mentors in the community. "I want to see the same thing for new Assyrians fleeing their homeland and coming to a new place," she said. "I want them to start growing and contributing. Our institute is going to help our Assyrian art community do that." By installing the sculpture in Lincoln Park, Lacey hopes the larger Los Altos community can learn from Middle Eastern artists. "What artists need is an audience," she said. "If we can encourage Americans to look at the art of an Assyrian artist, they might understand that art is a universal language. If Americans can appreciate their story, Assyrians can appreciate that. That will be the validation they are seeking here."