AN American-based museum showcasing Palestinian art and culture has announced the opening date and location of a new Scottish branch.
The Palestine Museum US was founded by Palestinian American businessman Faisal Saleh, who said they "couldn't have found a better location" for their first European location.
The original museum, located in Woodbridge, Connecticut, opened its doors on April 22, 2018, becoming the first museum in the Americas devoted to Palestinian art.
The museum features historical documents, photography, film, oral histories, mixed and digital media, literary arts, public lectures, and live performances.
Now, the team have announced it will open a museum in Edinburgh. The team is to take over the former Arusha Gallery on Dundas Street, where it will be run by local volunteers.
On a post on social media, it was announced doors will open on May 17, 2025.
The first exhibition will be a retrospective of Palestinian art from the past decade. I
t will feature artist Samia Halaby, who won a special mention at last year’s Venice Biennale, and work by 81-year-old Nabil Anani, who is regarded as a key founder of the contemporary Palestinian art movement.
Sana Farah Bishara, a Nazareth-born sculptor based in Haifa, will also feature, as well as recent works created in Gaza by Mohammed Alhaj and Maisara Baroud.
Last year, the team launched an initiative to open a museum in the building that previously held the Israeli embassy in Dublin following Israel’s announcement that it would shut down. However, the attempt failed.
The Connecticut location researches and preservers Palestinian history by showcasing the Palestinian experience, pre- and post-Nakbah, in Palestine and in the diaspora.
Saleh was born in El-Bireh (Ramallah), to a refugee family from the pre-1948 Palestinian village of Salameh (Jaffa).
Arriving in the United States in 1969 at age 17, he earned a BA in Economics and an MBA in Business Management, and founded several companies.
Salah told the Art Newspaper: “We couldn't have found a better location. Edinburgh's rich cultural landscape and commitment to artistic expression make it the perfect hub for our satellite museum.
"We look forward to sharing the stories and talents of Palestinian artists with the community and beyond.”
The Palestine Museum is an independent, non-political, nonreligious, not-for-profit organisation.
