SURA

The Students Understanding and Relating to Art (S.U.R.A.) photo exhibit is a product of a summer youth program held by the Arab American National Museum and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services.   Local teens representing culturally diverse backgrounds were invited to learn how to depict their community through the art of photography.   To do so, it was important that the students learn about the history and diversity of Dearborn’s Arab community, and compare and contrast it with the neighboring communities of southwest Detroit.   As part of their creative development, the students were given tours of Dearborn’s South End and Detroit’s Mexicantown.  

Most of the participants lived in Dearborn and were surprised to learn the depth and history of both their own neighborhoods, as well as that of Mexicantown.   Accompanying the students on the fieldtrips were professional photographers assigned as mentors.   The mentors gave students the tips and pointers needed to ensure their photos were more than just “pictures”, but instead, images of cultural expressions depicting the community in which they live.   As witnessed by viewing these wonderful images, the students applied both the historical and artistic knowledge acquired during the summer program, resulting in the S.U.R.A photography exhibit.

Project Facilitator
Karl Khoury

Mentors
Joe Namy
Devon Akmon
Toby Millman
Nabil Zebib