Stories and Objects About “Them”
This museum is exploring images and stories of separation, hate and violence.
A historic movie poster featuring Felix the Cat and a cartoon image of an angry Arab man wielding a small sword was meant to be humorous, says Elizabeth Barrett Sullivan, curator of exhibits at the Arab American National Museum.
But what audiences see, she says, actually perpetuates negative stereotypes.
The poster is one of the objects featured in the museum’s new temporary exhibit, THEM: Objects of Separation, Hate and Violence. The photos, drawings, Halloween costumes and other artifacts form a collection that organizers hope will inspire visitors to talk more about issues of race and culture.
WDET’s Laura Herberg visited the museum and spoke with Barrett Sullivan and Dave Serio, museum educator and programming specialist, about a related event, Hikayat: Personal Narratives of Race, Identity & “The Other” which takes place Saturday.
Click on the audio player above to hear that conversation.
What’s inside? Take a sneak peak:
