On view November 19, 2025
Arab Massachusetts: Building Community in the Commonwealth
Launching in November 2025, the Arab American National Museum (AANM) proudly presents the Arab Massachusetts: Building Community in the Commonwealth traveling exhibit, a 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.
The exhibit will travel to four locations in Massachusetts: Boston, 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.
Join our Opening Reception at Pao Arts Center in Boston at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Learn more about the event and purchase tickets here.
Schedule
Boston
Nov. 19, 2025 – Feb. 13, 2026
Location: Pao Arts Center
Associate Programming
– Little Syria Walking Tour
Saturday, November 22, 2025, 2-4 p.m.
– Community Day
Saturday, December 6, 2025, 1-5 p.m.
Learn more about Pao Arts Center and each event here.
Quincy
March 16, 2026 – May 29, 2026
Location: Quincy Historical Society
Lawrence
Aug, 1, 2026 – Sept. 12, 2026
Location: Lawrence Heritage State Park
Worcester
Sept. 26, 2026 – Feb. 14, 2027
Location: Museum of Worcester
Special thanks to our sponsors for helping make this event possible
Underwriter
Patron
Dr. John I. Makhoul
Steward
Jeff Boshar
Ambassador
Cedar’s Foods
The SmithGroup
Drs. Ghaleb and Rima Daouk