AANM Leadership Additions
Two familiar faces have taken on new responsibilities at the AANM. Ismael Ahmed has joined the Museum’s National Advisory Board. Ahmed (left) is a founder and former president of ACCESS who was instrumental in the 
creation of the Museum and one of its signature events, the annual Concert of Colors. He left ACCESS in 2007 to become Director of Human Services for the State of Michigan. The Museum’s Manager of Education & Public Programming, Celine Taminian (right), has been promoted to Assistant Director, assuming responsibility for most day-to-day operations and freeing Director Dr. Anan Ameri to travel and spread the word about the AANM to other parts of the U.S.
Museum Book Club Resumes
It’s a new year, and now there’s a new list of fascinating books to discover with the Library & Resource Center Book Club. It’s free and open to the public; meetings are held at the AANM at 11:30 a.m. on four Saturdays throughout the year. On Saturday, February 9, Susan Muaddi Darraj’s short story collection, The Inheritance of Exile: Stories from South Philly, will be the topic. The stories examine events and struggles in the lives of four women from Palestinian-American émigré families in South Philadelphia. Direct your questions to Tara HERE or call 313.624.0224.
Salaita Book Honored
Steven Salaita’s 2006 book Anti-Arab Racism in the U.S.A. has been selected to receive a 2007 Myers Center Outstanding Book Award for Advancing Human Rights. The award program, administered by the Boston-based Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in North America, honors books that speak of “too-often erased histories and too scantily noticed ideas and strategies for a more humane future.” Click HERE for more information on the award winners and the Myers Center.
Shopping Website Aids AANM
Have you heard about www.ShopforMuseums.com? It allows you to shop your favorite retailers online with a percentage of your total purchase price going to the Arab American National Museum. There is no fee – all you do is register at the Shop for Museums site, designate the AANM as your Museum Partner, then peruse the list of retailers and click through to shop their sites. There are dozens of big names like Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sears, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Home Shopping Network and many other online merchants in all categories. Each one donates a specific percentage of your purchase, typically between 1% and 5% of the total.
January 17, 24 & 31:
Free Meditation Sessions
The “Learn to Meditate Series” continues at the AANM at 6:15 p.m. Thursdays. Come see for yourself why so many people from every culture and walks of life are learning to meditate. Release stress and bring benefits to mind, body and emotions. Become a deeper, brighter person. Look and feel younger. In the Lower Level Classroom. Free and open to the public. Contact Terry Freel HERE or at 248.227.7595 with questions.
January 22:
SURA Student Photography Program Begins
Middle school students from southwest Detroit are invited to take part in SURA Arts Academy, the Museum’s free diversity-themed photography instruction program. Instructors from Detroit’s College for Creative Studies will lead the weekly sessions at Munger Elementary School January 22 through April 15. Kids get the use of a digital camera and the chance to exhibit their work at the AANM, along with the opportunity to interact via Internet with student photographers in Amman, Jordan. For details, contact Nahleh Ali HERE or at 313.624.0210.
January 24:
Yemeni Film Night
Where else in town can you see two rare films on one night for just $3? A special screening at 7 p.m. Thursday, January 24 at the AANM features an 
award-winning short film by the first female director out of Yemen, Khadija Al-Salami (right); and the first-ever feature to be filmed in Yemen, made by director Bader Ben Hirsi (left). Both films are in Arabic and English with English subtitles, making them accessible to all viewers. Click HERE to read more about the films – Stranger in Her Own City and New Day in Old Sana’a.
January 25:
Arabic Classes Registration Deadline
Learning a new language can help keep your brain sharp. Doing so in a welcoming, small-group setting is fun. Let instructor Yasser Mansour guide you during 10 weekly sessions at the AANM, at the introductory (Saturdays 10 a.m.-noon) or conversational (Thursdays 6-8 p.m.) levels. Tuition, $200 for Members and $235 for non-members, is due January 25. You’ll need to purchase a $40 workbook as well. Contact Lama HERE or at 313.624.0219 for details.
January 31:
C.J. Chenier @ Comerica Ford Global Thursdays
C.J. is the son of the great King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier – the first Creole musician ever to win a Grammy Award. Clifton taught C.J. how to front a world-class touring band and when Clifton died, C.J. stepped up. Get all fired up on New Orleans Zydeco at this pre-Mardi Gras party! Tickets are $10 in advance; $8 for Museum Members and students; $12 at the door. Buy advance tickets online HERE or call 313.582.2266.
Through March 30:
Silver Speaks:
Traditional Jewelry of the Middle East
This brilliant exhibition features selections from the collection of career Middle East diplomats David and Marjorie Ransom. As amateur preservationists, they investigated smithing techniques and the historical, cultural and social meaning of various jewelry designs from Yemen and elsewhere in the Arab world, capturing a way of life that is fast disappearing. In the Lower Level Gallery. Read more HERE.
This exhibition made possible in part by The Wallace Foundation.
Opening January 31:
Fragmentation & Unity: The Art of Sari Khoury
Sari Khoury’s abstract art and profound thinking have left a significant imprint on the minds of viewers as well as the many students he nurtured in the Art Department at Central Michigan University. More than two dozen late Khoury works, including his previously unseen final work, will be on display January 31-April 27, 2008. Khoury’s words will share the gallery with his artworks; an online companion exhibit features the artist's personal artifacts. In the Main Floor Gallery. Read more HERE. Sari Khoury self-portrait, right.
Opening reception 6 p.m. Thursday, January 31; please RSVP to Fay HERE or at 313.624.0200.
Membership
Receive the following membership benefits:
- Free AANM admission plus advance notice and invitations to upcoming events
- Reduced ticket prices for AANM events
- 10% discount at the Museum Store
- 10% discount on Museum facility rentals
- Free guest passes
- Ability to borrow books and DVDs from Museum Library & Resource Center
Call (313) 624-0202 today for your Museum Membership or click here
