Arab American National Museum Begins Free Craft Sundays
The Arab American National Museum will begin its Free Craft Sundays this weekend through Feb. 23. Craft time is from 2 to 4 p.m. each week.
Free Craft Sunday is a program designed for children ages 6-12, and their parents, to experience educational and cultural activities together.
Wisal Samaha, an AANM educator and a public program coordinator, expressed her enthusiam for the program. She feels the program makes the museum more accesible for the kids and prpovides quality one-on-one time with their parents.
“The craft fufulls our mission to present the culture and contribution of Arab Americans,” she said
This weekend, the children will be decorating a pair of cotton socks and turning them into colorful sock-slippers. The kids will be using puff paint and stickers, among other materials.
On Feb. 9, the youngsters will be making a three-dimensional heart, and then will assemble a decorative mobile. This holiday-themed craft will let the kids practice their tracing and cutting skills. The activites on these dates are more casual based.
On Feb. 16, the kids will create personalized picture frames out of cardboard. It will be done in the styles that reflect their interests and personality. It will also be decorated with their name, written in Arabic, by an AANM educator.
On Feb. 23, the children will create a cermic tile embedded with an iconic image of their selection.
The image can be religious, cultural or even a famous star. An instructor from Pewabic Pottery will help the children achieve their goal.
The craft activities on Feb. 16 and 23 will be presented alongside the AANM Exhibition Scared Stones: Icons of the Orthodox Church. The exhibition will be on display March 1 to June 1.
Free Craft Sunday’s is open to any children and their parents. Admission is free, but a maximum of 25 kids are allowed per session. You must reserve a seat in advance. Do this by either emailing Wisal Sahama at wsahama @accesscommunity.org or by calling her at 1-313-624-0219. Parental supervision is required.
The Arab American National Museum is located at 13624 Michigan Ave.
Though Sahama said the turnout for these events are already decent, she hopes to get even more people to come.
“It’s so good to be reconigized by a local newspaper. It gives us the opportunity to get the word out there about the craft,” she said.
This program has been available since the museum opened in 2005. It is funded by the Muna and Basem Hishmed foundation.
Arab American National Museum