History
The Arab American Cultural Institute (AACI) is a non-profit "(501 (c) (3)), non-sectarian, non-partisan cultural organization formed in 2003.
The founding members were Americans with roots in various Arab countries. They longed to satisfy their sense of collective pride. They needed an accessible forum for cultural expression and an interested audience. They sought to represent the admirable image of Arabs and acknowledge their cultural contributions.
As the organization matured other factions of the community joined. Those are not Arabs or Arab-Americans but rather Arab lovers, friends, and experts. They too wanted a place to express and enhance their interests.
Today we have members with roots in both the Arab land and the West. All joined by their living in Minnesota and their interest in the Arab culture. Similarly our audience is a mix of Arab-Americans, Arab-interested Minnesotans and culturally curious folks.
The launching of the organization was celebrated with a two-day festival with lots of music, food, book exhibition, lectures and workshops. Over the years, the organization offered social, artistic and educational events including Arab nights series, Film screening series, Lectures series, musical concerts, dance performances and visual art exhibitions.
We hope to continue our rally towards enriching the cultural milieu of Minnesota through beautiful representation of its Arab-Americans.
