I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Tom Daldin, host of public television’s Under The Radar (UTR). I love his show, which spotlights great places and things happening around Michigan. This particular episode focused on Dearborn. Thanks for including the Arab American National Museum! Check it out!
Welcome to those I met earlier today at the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan’s annual meeting. It was a pleasure meeting many new people and I enjoyed discussing new ideas, initiatives and potential collaborations. Here’s a copy of the presentation I delivered early today. If you have comments or questions, please feel free to leave [...]
This weekend, the Arab American National Museum is hosting its fourth installation of DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts. We’re excited to be taking this biennial arts convening out of Michigan for the first time. This year we’re partnering with Alwan for the Arts, the Middle East and Middle East American Center (MEMEAC) at the [...]
Earlier today, the Arab American National Museum participated in the National Youth Summit held at the National Museum of American History to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Freedom Rides. The AANM was one of five Smithsonian Affiliate sites that hosted a regional town hall discussion in conjunction with the event. The other sites [...]
Gregory Chamberlain and Museum Identity are publishing a promising collection of books that will explore timely issues and trends from within the global museum community. This nine volume collection includes chapters written by over one hundred museum professionals from seventeen countries. That’s pretty impressive! The nine books that comprise the collection are: The Radical Museum: [...]
Last week I mentioned that I was in the process of conducting research on New York’s Little Syria neighborhood that existed along Washington Street during the late 19th and early 20th centuries (please see: Before Park51: Arab Americans in New York’s Little Syria). I’m pleased with how things are progressing thus far. I made contact [...]
Yesterday, while conducting research for our project on New York’s Little Syria, I stumbled upon a great sequence of photographs by the renowned sociologist and photographer Lewis Hine. In addition to producing numerous iconic photos of the construction of New York’s skyline, Hine’s photographic work was instrumental in helping to reform child labor laws. My [...]
A couple of months ago, the N.Y. Times ran an article, titled When an Arab Enclave Thrived Downtown, that briefly explored the history of the Arab American community in lower Manhattan. That’s right, long before 9/11 and the Park51 Community Center a vibrant community of Arab Americans inhabited lower Manhattan. This was the neighborhood of [...]
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a small meeting at the Library of Congress that focused on the curatorial challenges of archiving citizen journalism. The two-day meeting, titled Citizen Journalists and Community News: Archiving for Today and Tomorrow, was hosted by the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP). The primary goals [...]
Our museum strives to document, preserve and celebrate the history and contributions of Arab Americans. The museum’s location within the heart of southeast Michigan’s Arab American community affords certain advantages. Patrons can visit our exhibits or participate in a program and then leave the museum and experience firsthand certain aspects of the culture. However, our [...]