Arab Massachusetts is a multi-sited exhibition developed by the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. It draws in part on research conducted by the Boston Little Syria Project, linking the early history of the Syrian-Lebanese community to the longer history of Arabs in the Commonwealth up to the present day. The exhibition can be viewed as follows:
Boston
Nov. 19, 2025 – Feb. 13, 2026
Location: Pao Arts Center
Associated 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
From November-December 2024, “Boston’s Little Syria” was hosted at Emmanuel College’s Cardinal Cushing Library.
From January-May 2024, “Boston’s Little Syria” was on display in the Grossmann Gallery of UMass Boston’s Healey Library.
From April 11-20, 2023, “Wandering Boston’s Little Syria” was on display at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Like the MIT exhibit, it featured photographs, books, music, religious objects, and even an oud–on loan from families that trace their roots to Little Syria.
“Ottoman Boston: Visualizing Little Syria” explored the history of the Little Syria neighborhood through physical artifacts. The exhibit was on display in the Reading Room at MIT’s Rotch Architecture and Planning Library from December 1, 2022-March 31, 2023.
Photographs of the exhibition at the Massachusetts Historical Society, April 2023.