Syrian Ladies' Aid Society. Courtesy of the Arab American National Museum Collection. Gift of Evelyn Shakir.
Pao Arts Center is proud to kick-off the traveling exhibit, Arab Massachusetts: Building Community in the Commonwealth by the Arab American National Museum (AANM). In the 1880s immigrants from Syria and Lebanon began settling around Boston’s Chinatown. On Hudson Street, the site of Pao Arts Center, Syrian and Chinese lived side-by-side, making this launch historically significant.
This groundbreaking initiative that will shed light on the vibrant stories of Arab American communities in the state from the late 19th century until present day. Informed by both meticulous archival research and input from Arab Americans residing in Massachusetts, the exhibit and accompanying programming will be the first of its kind in both its scope and ambition, publicly documenting narratives from Arab Americans’ long presence in the state of Massachusetts; narratives that up until now have remained relegated to individual family histories or the confines of institutional records. In a time of rising xenophobia and nativism in this country, it is more urgent than ever to preserve these stories.
After Pao Arts Center, the exhibit will travel to Quincy, Lawrence, and Worcester and will feature narratives from both historic and current Arab American communities in each of these locations. Through oral histories, donated objects, community history workshops and a traveling exhibit, this project will uplift Arab American voices of the past and present, explore the layered tension between assimilation and the push to preserve one’s culture, examine how deindustrialization in Massachusetts affected urban Arab American populations, and ultimately celebrate the ways Arab Americans in Massachusetts have built and found strength in cross-cultural communities throughout time.
Save the date for the exhibit celebration on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 1:00 - 5:00 PM.
About the Partner
The Arab American National Museum (AANM) is the first and only museum of its kind in the United States devoted to recording the Arab American experience. It serves as a touchstone that connects communities to Arab American culture and experiences. Since opening in 2005, AANM’s goal has been to document, preserve and present the history, culture and contributions of Arab Americans. Our exhibitions cover the Arab world and the history of Arab Americans from the first immigrants who arrived in the late 19th century to today. We offer safe spaces for open dialogue and community gatherings and provide educational opportunities for children and students of all ages to expand their knowledge and appreciation of Arab American history and culture. We work with established and emerging artists of all artistic mediums to uplift their work and share it with our regional and national audiences. All of this is intended to build community through the arts by showcasing our nation’s cultural diversity in thoughtful and impacting ways.
AANM has one of the most extensive archives of Arab American historical documents, oral histories and artifacts. We are the only museum in the country that actively collects Arab American art. The Annex @ AANM, a multi-purpose space and a symbol of the Museum’s growing engagement with the community, opened in 2015.