The Arab American National Museum (AANM), which opened in 2005, is the first museum in the world devoted to Arab American history and culture. Located in Dearborn, Michigan

Dearborn, Michigan

-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...

, the Museum seeks to dispel misconceptions about Arab Americans and other minorities.

The museum features two permanent exhibits. The first floor features the contributions of the Arab

Arab

Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...

 civilization to science, medicine, mathematics, architecture, and the decorative arts. The second floor focuses on the Arab experience in America, including a gallery about prominent Arab-Americans such as Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....

 and Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas is an American author and former news service reporter, member of the White House Press Corps and opinion columnist. She worked for the United Press and post-1958 successor United Press International for 57 years, first as a correspondent, and later as White House bureau manager...

 and displays of documents and artifacts from Arab Americans related to immigration and the immigration process. The AANM also includes two large gallery spaces for the exhibiting of art. The Museum's inaugural exhibition In/Visible featured a number of noteworthy Arab-American and Arab artists including Emily Jacir

Emily Jacir

Emily Jacir is a Palestinian artist. Born in Bethlehem, Jacir spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, attending high school in Italy. She divides her time between New York and Ramallah....

, John Halaka, Athir Shayota, Helen Zughaib, Rheim Alkadhi, Abdelali Dahrouch, Sumayyah Samaha, Mariam Ghani and Doris Bittar and was curated by Salwa Mikdadi.

Construction of the museum cost $15 million. Donors included Chrysler

Chrysler

Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....

, General Motors

General Motors

General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

, the Rockefeller Foundation

Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...

, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

 and Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

. The museum is also a part of the Smithsonian Affiliations.

Arab American National Museum Mission Statement

The Arab American National Museum's mission is to document, preserve, celebrate, and educate the public on the history, life, culture and contributions of Arab Americans. We serve as a resource to enhance knowledge and understanding about Arab Americans and their presence in the United States.

Programs and Events at the AANM

DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts is a biennial program of the Arab American National Museum (AANM). DIWAN unites Arab American artists, scholars and performers representing myriad academic fields and artistic genres for a weekend dialogue that reinforces the AANM's commitment to providing a place for community members and artists to meet, exchange ideas and exhibit their work. DIWAN also encourages audiences to explore the boundaries of art in addressing social issues related to Arab Americans and the community at large. Notable presenters at the 2009 DIWAN conference include writer and comedian Najla Said, poet Suheir Hammad

Suheir Hammad

Suheir Hammad is a Palestinian-American poet, author and political activist. She was born in Amman, Jordan. Her parents were Palestinian refugees who immigrated along with their daughter to Brooklyn, New York City when she was five years old...

, artist Wafaa Bilal

Wafaa Bilal

Wafaa Bilal is an Iraqi American artist, a former professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and currently an assistant professor at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University...

, and poet Remi Kanazi

Remi Kanazi

Remi Kanazi is a Palestinian-American performance poet and human rights activist based in New York City. He has edited a volume of hip hop, poetry and art, Poets for Palestine , and published the first collection of his own poetry, Poetic Injustice: Writings on Resistance and Palestine, in 2011...

.

Global Thursdays is a periodic music program at the AANM that promotes World Music. Though Global Thursdays is held at the Arab American National Museum the music is a diverse mix from Mexican American roots music to Chinese Classical and Rock. The program also focuses on Michigan made music including Jere Stormer's Folk Out, a Michigan folk music revue. Global Thursdays also showcases a diverse mix of Arab American artists including famous Palestinian American poet Suheir Hammad

Suheir Hammad

Suheir Hammad is a Palestinian-American poet, author and political activist. She was born in Amman, Jordan. Her parents were Palestinian refugees who immigrated along with their daughter to Brooklyn, New York City when she was five years old...

, Dearborn comedian Sarah Bazzi and legendary Oud

Oud

The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...

 and Violin player Simon Shaheen

Simon Shaheen

Simon Shaheen is a Palestinian-American oud and violin virtuoso and composer....

.

Arab Film Festival is an annual film festival put on by the AANM that showcases a number of notable Arab and Arab American films over a weekend. Past festivals have celebrated the career of a particular Arab filmmaker or director. The 2008 Arab Film Festival honored the work of the legendary Egyptian film director Youssef Chahine

Youssef Chahine

Youssef Chahine was an Egyptian film director active in the Egyptian film industry since 1950. He was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif...

 and showed his films The Cairo Station and The Destiny. The festival also features short films such as Kemo Sabe the story of Yussef, a six year old Arab-American boy who dreams of being the Cowboy instead of the Indian on the playground.

The Arab American Book Award

Arab American Book Award

The Arab American Book Award was established in 2006 to celebrate and support the research of, and the written work of, Arab Americans and their culture. The Arab American Book Award encourages the publication and excellence of books that preserve and advance the understanding, knowledge, and...

was established in 2006 to celebrate and support the research of and the written work of Arab Americans and their culture. The Arab American Book Award encourages the publication and excellence of books that preserve and advance the understanding, knowledge, and resources of the Arab American community by celebrating the thoughts and lives of Arab Americans. The purpose of the Award is to inspire authors, educate readers and foster a respect and understanding of the Arab American culture.

The Book Award covers four general areas of authorship: Adult Fiction, Adult Non-Fiction, Children's/ Young Adult and as of 2008, Poetry.

External links

• Website
• Museum information from ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services
  Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services
  The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services is a human services organization committed to the development of the Arab American community in all aspects of economic and cultural life. ACCESS helps low-income families, as well as newly arrived immigrants adapt to life in the United...
  
  )
• Article reviewing the opening of the museum
• AANM Events on Flickr