Zydeco Great Kicks Off Global Thursdays
A sizzling pre-Mardi Gras performance by zydeco great C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band (right) on January 31 launches the winter-spring season of Comerica Ford Global Thursdays world music concert series at the Arab American National Museum. The Metro Times Best of Detroit 2007 issue named Global Thursdays “Best Place to Concertize in Color Year Round.” View the full schedule and season brochure HERE.
Enhance Your Global Thursdays Experience
You may now purchase Global Thursdays tickets online with a credit card; see a list of concerts HERE, then follow the prompts to make your purchase. Before you go, visit Global Thursday’s colorful new MySpace page for artist music clips and links, and to become a Friend. And don’t forget, it’s not unusual for performers to mingle with audience members in the Lower Level Gallery after the show and autograph their CDs, available for sale. As always, free, ample, lighted parking is yours in the municipal lot behind the Museum.
NY Times Reviews Imam's Memoir
American Crescent, the 2007 memoir by Imam Hassan Qazwini (right) of Dearborn’s Islamic Center of America, got a strong review in the Sunday, January 6 edition of the New York Times Book Review. The entire section was comprised of essays and reviews of books about Islam. The American Crescent review was penned by noted author Rashid Khalidi, whose 2006 book The Iron Cage took home one of the inaugural Arab American National Museum Book Awards last fall. Read the Times review and the book’s first chapter HERE. Read about The Iron Cage HERE.
Courtyard Musician CD in Museum Store
AANM staff are often asked about the distinctive music that plays continuously in the Museum’s Community Courtyard on the Main Floor. It’s a short loop of nay (bamboo flute) music performed by acclaimed nay player/maker Nadeem Dlaikan (right), who is based in metro Detroit but renowned around the world for the high quality of his performances as well as the nays he carves by hand. Check out Dlaikan's CD in the online Museum Store HERE.
January 10, 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 Middle 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 (below 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.
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. Click HERE to read more.
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
