Cultural Sensitivity in Museum Stewardship

Devon M. AkmonDeputy Director | Arab American National Museum

Mission: The Arab American National Museum documents, preserves and presents the history, culture and contributions of Arab Americans.

http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org

• To further our educational and public programs

• To dispel stereotypes and misconceptions

• To meet rapid growth and increased demands

• To document, preserve and celebrate Arab American history and culture

Building a Museum

http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org

http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org

…In a Post-9/11 Environment

Initial Challenges

• What kind of museum and who would it be for?• Fear of reinforcing stereotypes or “outsider image”• How to best reflect the diversity of the community• The question of representation• Constructing an Arab American identity

http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org

“A Democratic Grassroots Approach”

• Assess the (national) community’s support for a museum• Create a Museum Task Force for guidance and fund

raising • Build upon established relationships• Work with regional committees throughout the county• Build a consensus and respond to the community

http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org

Collections & Interpretation

http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org

Example: Coming to America gallery

• Utilize personal stories that reflect the diversity of the Arab American community

• Stress the similarities of the immigrant story common to all ethnic communities

• Employ empathy and personal connections to bridge cultural gaps

http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org

Interpretation

Current Collections Initiatives

• Continue to collect three-dimensional objects• Building major archival collections• Collecting oral histories of Arab Americans• Collecting born-digital materials

• Blogs, social media, websites, photos and videos• Themes including immigration, 9/11 and

“Islamaphobia”

http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org

• StoryCorps event over 9/11 anniversary weekend

• Well-known Arab American individuals

• Patriots & Peacemakers

• Ten Years Later community project

Available for free listening and download

Oral History Initiative

http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org

Archiving the Internet

Archive-it | Internet Archive

Devon AkmonDeputy Director | Arab American National Museum

☎ 313.624.0208dakmon@accesscommunity.orghttp://www.arabamericanmuseum.org

http://www.devonakmon.com

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