This edition of the OEI Bulletin aims to uplift the voices and stories of the Arab American community at Porter’s and beyond by honoring Arab American Heritage month. In this bulletin, we have articles celebrating and recognizing Arab American heritage and contributions to food, poetry, literature, pop culture and art.
By Georgia Achilles
Alshaibi, Salma. Water Bearer II. 2019. Albumen print on Somerset Satin white 100% rag. 21 in x14 in. https://www.samaalshaibi.com/.
Alshaibi, Salma. Taʾshīr (Marking). 2010. Digital archival print. https://www.samaalshaibi.com/.
Alshaibi, Salma. Mā Ijtamaʿt Aydīnā ʿalā Qabḍah illā wa-Kānat Muʿaṭṭalah (What our hands joined was broken). 2014. Digital archival print. https:// www.samaalshaibi.com/.
Salma Alshaibi is an Iraqi-Palestinian artist who currently lives and works in the United States. Born in Basra, Iraq in 1973, her family was displaced by war and she spent her childhood in a state of migration. She considers herself a “child of war”, a label through which she investigates themes of othering, exile, and refuge. Her transcendent, poetic work carries political narratives that highlight the social and gendered impacts of conflict and immigration. She often features herself in her work, using her body as a “site of performance”. However, she does not identify these pieces as self portraits, “I’m a character in my work. My specific identity matters little, although I use my experiences, anxieties and curiosities to inform my work…The body in my work, which is my own body, is able to perform various issues, people and concepts”. Using her body as a symbol of countries and people, she is typically depicted in indiscernible landscapes as a reference to the sense of estrangement associated with migration.
“I never related to the “place” I was in, especially urban cities. They held no memory, and changed far too often for me to get used to them. Eventually, I connected my work to the natural world, using the desert especially as a metaphor for life. I find it to be a wonderful paradox, expressing change and static energy all at once. The desert shape-shifts constantly in the drifting wind, yet it is only cycling upon itself…I started to see the potential of the earth to mirror and solve complicated questions that the mind couldn’t find answers to.”
Alshaibi, Salma. Iihyaa’ – إحياء (Revival). 2023. Video. https:// www.samaalshaibi.com/.
Alshaibi, Salma. Generation After Generation. 2019. Screenprint. 92 x 208 inches. https://www.samaalshaibi.com/.
Jackie Milad is a first generation Honduran-Egyptian-American and multimedia artist. Her abstract paintings and collages explore the complexities of her multiethnic identity and bring into question the ways in which cultural heritage is imparted across generations, “My layered compositions mimic not only my own upbringing but also symbolize the way cultures are recorded and monumentalized in remaining fragments over time. I aim to obfuscate the meaning of my textiles to prevent a single reading of the work, hoping this embraces the complexity of the piece and its analogy to global history”. Her heritage informs her work and often appears as ancient Egyptian symbols, Mayan icons, artifacts from museums, and Spanish and Arabic words. These themes appear naturally, as Milad prioritizes candor and creative flow in her work, “The work is made very intuitively and I’m placing and feeling it out as I go. I’m always going big.”. While Milad’s work is a powerful testament to the importance of her own cultural heritage, it simultaneously invites viewers to revel in and inform the art.
“I really want it to be a situation where anyone can approach the work and have their own experience,” she says. “At the same time, I love it when someone comes up to my work and has a shared perspective and can say, ‘I know exactly what that means.’ It’s about being included in the story and building community.”
Milad, Jackie. A Planet Breaks Open. 2022. 57.5 x 77.5 inches. https://jackiemilad.com/home.html.
Milad, Jackie. Always Ancient. 2021. https://jackiemilad. com/home.html.
Milad, Jackie. Shabti Revealed. 2024. https://jackiemilad.com/home.html.
Milad, Jackie. It Means Desert, Desert. 2020. https://jackiemilad.com/home.html.
Milad, Jackie. Stolen. 2021. https://jackiemilad.com/home.html.
Arab American Identities in Art - Georgia Achilles Alshaibi, Salma. “About Salma Alshaibi.” Salma Alshaibi, 2025. https://www.samaalshaibi.com/bio.
Bajaj, Kriti. “Interview With Salma Alshaibi.” Aesthetica Magazine, 2015. https://aestheticamagazine.com/interview-sama-alshaibi/.
Meranze, Theo. “Silence Speaks In Staccato: Interview with Saj Issa.” Office Magazine, 2024. https://officemagazine.net/silence-speaks-staccato.
Milad, Jackie. “About Jackie Milad.” Jackie Milad, 2025. https://jackiemilad.com/page/1-About.html.
Talass, Rawaa. “Egyptian-Honduran artist Jackie Milad’s tapestries create beauty from chaos.” Arab News, 2022. https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216426/lifestyle.
“Sama Alshaibi on Creativity and Alternate Narratives, Socio-Political Issues, Environmental Concerns and the Gendered Effects of War and Migration” Art Breath, 2023. https://artbreath.org/interviews/sama-alshaibi.
Storey, Nate. “Egyptian-Honduran Artist Jackie Milad Pays Tribute to an Avant-Garde Feminist Poet.” Surface Magazine, 2022. https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/artist-statement-jackie-milad/.
Yepanis, Stacia. “OtherPeoplesPixels Interviews Jackie Milad.” Other People’s Pixels, 2020. https://blog.otherpeoplespixels.com/otherpeoplespixels-interviews-jackie-milad.
The Influence of Middle Eastern Cuisine on American Cuisine - Ariana Lopez Orellana “The Evolution of Middle Eastern Cuisine in America.” Levant, levantla.com/the-evolution-of-middle-eastern-cuisine-in-america/. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
Perlmutter, Rachel. “My Trick to Perfectly Creamy, Fluffy Hummus Is so Simple (and Free!).” Kitchn, The Kitchn, 2 Feb. 2025, www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-hummus-from-scratch-cooking-lessons-from-thekitchn-107560.
“Falafel Recipe.” The New York Times, The New York Times, cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015257-falafel. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
Arab American Music - Benewa Donkor “Amr Diab Biography | Amr Diab Official Website.” Amr Diab, amrdiab.net/biography/.priority_high
“Fairuz.” Www.aub.edu.lb, www.aub.edu.lb/doctorates/recipients/Pages/fairuz-profile.aspx.priority_high
Joubert, Stefan. “Top 10 Arabic Singers You Should Know.” London Singing Institute, 24 Nov. 2023, www. londonsinginginstitute.co.uk/top-10-arabic-singers-you-should-know/.
“Lebanese Pop Star Nancy Ajram Named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Middle East.” UN News, 22 Oct. 2009, news.un.org/en/story/2009/10/318572. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.priority_high
“Nancy Ajram.” Wikipedia, 1 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Ajram.priority_high
Phillips, Lior. “5 Arab American Artists to Know in 2024: Lana Lubany, Felukah & More | GRAMMY.com.” Grammy.com, 2024, www.grammy.com/news/5-arab-american-artists-to-know-in-2024-lana-lubany-felukahsaint-levant.
Front Page Image washdems. “Washington State Democrats (@washdems) on Threads.” Threads, April 1, 2025. https://www. threads.com/@washdems/post/DH6YN24T-3a/april-is-arab-american-heritage-month-a-time-to-honor-and-celebrate-washingtons-.
