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Arab American National Museum turns 10
The Arab American National Museum in Dearborn has a lot to celebrate on its 10th anniversary.
Since opening in 2005, it has earned accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, something that only 1,000-plus of the country’s estimated 35,000 museums can boast. It also has become a Smithsonian Affiliate, a partnership granted to just 200 museums.
“It’s a wonderful museum with a very skilled and professional staff that tells an important story about America and a group of people who have been in America since the very earliest times and who have contributed much to American life and society,” said Harold Closter, director of Smithsonian Affiliations, a national outreach program of the Smithsonian Institution.
The museum officially reached the decade mark this week, and over the next 12 months, it’s launching a lengthy list of events tied to the milestone.
As usual, it will present both the Arab Film Festival (which is teaming up this year with the Cinetopia International Film Festival) and the 23rd annual Concert of Colors, a free, diversity-themed music festival.
Exhibits created at the museum are being sent to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., for display, and starting Dec. 4, a new show opens locally on St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and its founder, Danny Thomas, a Detroit native and iconic Lebanese-American entertainer.
The first official anniversary events kick off this weekend. A group show called “TEN: The Exhibition” opens today. It focuses on the growing impact and awareness of art by Arab Americans. Also happening this weekend at the museum is DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts, a biennial program that brings together Arab-American artists, scholars and performers for a weekend dialogue.
One of the DIWAN guests will be Sudanese artist Khalid Albaih. A current museum exhibition, “It’s Not Funny: Political Cartoons by Khalid Albaih,” features his work, which was embraced by activists from several nations during the Arab Spring.
Though 2015 is going to be a busy year at the first museum devoted to Arab Americans, officials their say their mission has always been big and multifaceted.
“It’s a major undertaking, a major responsibility, especially at a time when there’s a general lack of greater knowledge out there about who Arab Americans are, what their contributions have been to this country,” said museum director Devon Akmon. “To be able to be a beacon of accurate information is a responsibility that we’re quite proud of.”
The Arab American museum has been noticed nationally for its innovative programming, but its goals are about more than what happens inside its walls.
Akmon points to events like Yalla Eat!, the culinary walking tours of East Dearborn and Eastern Market that are among the museum’s efforts to expand its role into the culture of southeast Michigan. Tickets are available for the tours that start May 30.
Said Akmon: “We began to say to ourselves: ‘We do a really good job of telling the Arab-American story in the museum, but it’s happening every day right outside our doors. How can we get people to explore that in a way that people can ask questions and interact with it?’ “
He also is excited about the potential of the new annex that had a ribbon-cutting ceremony in late March. It should provide more chances to hold artistic and cultural events after regular museum hours.
Closter, who’s based in the Washington, D.C., offices of Smithsonian Affiliations, says the museum is at the forefront of such community-oriented thinking.
“They have really set a model for other museums about working in the local community. … It’s not just about collecting objects and creating exhibits, but it’s about sharing the objects, the exhibits, the space and the experience with the local community to serve everyone’s interest. I think they’re doing a spectacular job in that regard.”
Contact Julie Hinds: 313-222-6427 or jhinds@freepress.com
Arab American National Museum 10th anniversary
■” Ten: The Exhibition” opens Friday
■ DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts, Friday-Saturday
13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun.
Admission: $8 adults; $4 students, seniors and children 6-12; free to ages 5 and under and museum members
More info: Go to www.arabamericanmuseum.org or call 313.582.2266 for information on 10th anniversary events. Go to www.diwanart.org for information on DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts.
Source: www.freep.com