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Cultural Sensitivity in Museum Stewardship
Devon M. AkmonDeputy Director | Arab American National Museum
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Mission: The Arab American National Museum documents, preserves and presents the history, culture and contributions of Arab Americans.
http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org
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• 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
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http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org
…In a Post-9/11 Environment
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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
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“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
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Collections & Interpretation
http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org
Example: Coming to America gallery
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• 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
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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
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• 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
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Archiving the Internet
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Archive-it | Internet Archive
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Devon AkmonDeputy Director | Arab American National Museum
☎ [email protected]://www.arabamericanmuseum.org
http://www.devonakmon.com
http://www.twitter.com/DevonAkmon
http://www.linkedin.com/in/devonakmon
http://www.slideshare.net/akmon
Stay in touch!