Arab Museum Empowers Young People Through Creativity And Cultural Exchange
Arab American Museum: Press release
Young artists have been given an exciting platform to explore their creativity and showcase their work in photography and filmmaking in a new exhibition at the Arab American National Museum (AANM)
SURA 2017 featuring Reel Stories: A Student Photography & Film Exhibition, running April 8-June 25, 2017, features the work of students from both AANM’s award-winning SURA Arts Academy and from the newly launched Reel Stories program. Both programs provide youth an opportunity to learn basic skills in these art forms while exploring issues of identity and community.
AANM educator Petra Alsoofy says the single exhibition features student work from both programs because they both served as an outlet for youth to express themselves through creative means.
“Reel Stories and SURA are amongst the art programs that we offer in order to connect young people with their culture and heritage while providing a safe space to address the layers of their diverse identities. These programs empower them to create change,” says Alsoofy.
SURA Arts Academy program has provided professional photography lessons to middle and high schoolers in metro Detroit for 17 years. This season, students focused on telling stories through portraiture with instructor Piper Carter, a former Vogue photo intern and current freelancer for Styleline, Ambassador and Essence magazines.
Students explore their artistic talents as well as their neighborhoods and the greater community through SURA Arts Academy. Equipped with a digital camera and professional-quality training, SURA students not only learn new skills, but also meet new friends and encounter people in various walks of life, all while discussing the importance of art, community and social justice.
Launched in 2016, Reel Stories is a joint endeavor with the Palestinian Heritage Museum (PHM) in East Jerusalem, designed to empower young women through the art of filmmaking. The 32 students – 17 from metro Detroit and 15 from East Jerusalem – created every aspect of two short films produced during the program.
The exhibition includes the two films, titled ‘Asfoura and Silence; exclusive behind-the-scenes content will also be featured in the Museum’s Main Floor Gallery. In addition, the films will screen at numerous venues including the Ann Arbor Palestine Film Fest, Detroit’s Allied Media Conference, and the Museum’s Arab Film Festival in June, as well as at an AANM reception May 5 (see reception details below.)
Reel Stories students and AANM staff will participate in a cultural exchange to meet with their counterparts in East Jerusalem at the Palestinian Heritage Museum. This Saturday, March 25, the ANNM cohort will travel to Palestine; then, students and staff from PHM will travel to Michigan during the first week of May, where they will have the opportunity to explore American culture. Follow the journeys on Instagram at Reel_Stories_AANM.
Khadega Mohamed, one of the students in the Reel Stories program, says that being around peers who are passionate about the arts has motivated her to excel in her field of interest.
“I learned to appreciate and value the power of storytelling, because if we don’t tell our own stories, others will write the narrative for us,” says Mohamed. “I met phenomenal girls who I am positive are going to be in the front lines of revolutionizing this world through offering their unique perspectives in film and elsewhere.”
Reel Stories is a Museums Connect project. Museums Connect is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that is administered by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). AANM is accredited by the AAM.
