Arab Massachusetts: Building Community in the Commonwealth

Pao Arts Center is proud to kick off the traveling exhibit, Arab Massachusetts: Building Community in the Commonwealth, presented 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, Arab and Chinese immigrants lived side-by-side, making this launch historically significant.

This groundbreaking initiative will shed light on the vibrant stories of Arab American communities in the state from the late 19th century until the 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. Until now, these narratives 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.