By Emma Myers~ Copy Editor
Photo retrieved from https://annapurnaliving.com/blog/the-breath-of-buddha-one-mans-journey-home
Evelyn Shakir, a literary scholar, published a book in 1997, detailing the experiences of Arab-American women and creating a pathway for Arab-American literature to be a recognizable literary field. Her book is entitled “Remember Me to Lebanon: Stories of Lebanese Women in America.”
Though, for decades before and after Shakir, there have been many Arab-American contributions to the arts, helping to shape the minds of fellow artists and writers.
Naomi Shihab Nye has been nationally recognized for her outstanding contributions to literature with such awards as the Lavan Award, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry award, the Paterson Poetry Prize, the Carity Randall Prize among numerous more.
Nye draws most of her influence from her multi-cultural background, with her father being a Palestinian refugee and her mother being an American of German and Swiss descent.
She details much of her personal experience through her books, “Tattooed Feet”, “Eye-to-Eye” and “Different Ways to Pray.”
Nye’s poem “Blood” retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48602/blood-56d229f9da8a9
Similarly, a man named Abdelali Dahrouch also made a name for himself through his paintings.
Born in Tangier, Morocco, Dahrouch was raised in a small village alongside seven siblings. His father was a farmer and his mother tended to the home.
At four years old, Dahrouch and his family moved to France where he faced many challenges of fear and isolation due to the racism he experienced.
Although, he effectively channeled all of his complex emotions into making art. He used to paint with whatever materials he could find, including things like toothpaste and paper.
In his late teens, he decided to attend school at the Pratt Institute in New York for a Masters in Fine Arts. He went on to receive numerous awards and national recognition for his art, and video installations.
There are many more Arab-American artists who have worked to create many integral artistic renderings, exploring the complexities of identity exploration. WIthout art, the world would lose direction, and the freedom that comes with art of all kinds, whether that’s video installations, painting, or literature, many Arab American artists have contributed to the innovations of artistic techniques we know today.
To learn more about these artists and many more, you can access research material at the Knight-Capron Library.
