Making An Impact

Patrons interested in donating artifact(s) to help illustrate or interpret the Arab American experience, please click here.

Maloof Chair

Fans of mid-century modern design will appreciate this sinuous walnut chair hand-carved by Sam Maloof, one of the world’s most celebrated craftsmen and the only woodworker to ever receive a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Award, the so-called “genius grant.” Maloof’s works have been exhibited across the U.S. and are in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. With his late wife, Alfreda, he founded the Maloof Foundation to foster the role of crafts in society; their California home, built by the artist, is now a museum.             

Paul Anka’s Shirt

When Paul Anka appeared at age 16 on American Bandstand to sing his first No. 1 hit, Diana, he became one of America’s first teen pop idols. Since then, he has written music for the world’s best-known performers, including My Way for Frank Sinatra and the theme for the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. His other Top Ten songs include: You Are My Destiny, Lonely Boy, Put Your Head on My Shoulder, It’s Time to Cry, Puppy Love and My Home Town. In 1978, he was honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Child’s Vest 

Poet, writer and educator Naomi Shihab Nye donated to the AANM this green velvet embroidered vest she wore while growing up in Palestine. She describes it as her personal favorite. Nye is widely respected and the recipient of numerous honors, including a Lavan Award from the Academy of American Poets, the Isabella Gardner Poetry Award, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, the Paterson Poetry Prize, four Pushcart Prizes, and numerous honors for her children’s literature, including two Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards. 

Framed Petit Point Work

Back in 1970, Mona Salem Mulhair completed this intricate petit point needlework piece, with rose, green and metallic gold thread on a cream-colored background. Framed in wood, painted red and brushed over with gold, the piece is about 13” by 7”. It’s reminiscent of the embroidery styles featured in the Museum’s current exhibition Threads of Pride: Palestinian Traditional Costumes. Californian Mulhair, an award-winning French language instructor at the high school and college levels, donated her handiwork to the AANM in 2003.