| Why a Peace
Museum?
To choose violence and conflict is easy. Pick up a gun. Drop a bomb.
Ignore the rights of others. To choose peace is more difficult. The
arsenal of peace has no weapons but nonviolence, compassion, faith, and
reason.
If peace is to be a viable alternative
in a world inundated with violence, the message of peace must have
constant presence. It needs to be available to those who would choose
and work for peace, but who often feel alone or defeated. It needs to be
a message heard over and over by children. It needs to be incorporated
into everyday activities. Its promise needs to resonate in the streets.
To achieve its lofty goals, peace needs
to be grounded. It needs a sign for all to see, a building that gives
honor to the messengers of peace, past, present, and future. Like art
museums around the world, a peace museum can give room for recognition,
experimentation, education, training, and appreciation. Peace, like
art, needs a space to breathe while the world determines whether or
not its message is worthwhile.
The
Dayton
International Peace
Museum
can be such a space, a high-profile place where Daytonians and people
across the
Miami
Valley
can find the arsenal of peace. Though many peace centers, institutes,
and similar organizations exist around world,
Dayton’s burgeoning peace community can contribute
exponentially to the worldwide peace-building movement. The Museum is
not meant to compete with or supercede other groups and organizations.
Its success will be based on how it encourages, supports, and
supplements the already diverse and unwieldy spirit of peace that is
underrated and unheard by many in our community.
Possible concept of peace museums and related institutions
by Ursula-Marie Ruser, Adobe Acrobat file
For other peace museums:
International Network of Museums for Peace
The peace people of the world outnumber the violent by far in our
global community, yet for the most part we; our governments, media and
society, give much more attention to the "culture of violence and
competition" than they do to the "culture of peace and cooperation".
If we gave as much energy, resources and attention to the "culture of
peace and justice" we could make it a global reality. Steve
Fryburg, Director
Why in Dayton?
The success of the Dayton Peace Accords in stopping
the violence in war-torn
Bosnia
has become an internationally recognized story of conflict resolution.
Yet as the warring parties and world’s attention converged on
Dayton
that summer of 1995, the media missed a compelling and important story.
Dayton
has a thriving peace community with a rich heritage and diverse message
about the many practical ways to achieve peace in our lives and the
world.
Thanks to the lingering glow of the international
spotlight,
Dayton
and the
Miami
Valley
have an unprecedented opportunity to create something of lasting value.
The
Dayton International
Peace
Museum
, as proposed in this Plan, will be a dynamic and creative forum
dedicated to the legacy and promise of peaceful ideas and methods. With
exhibits that bring to life the history and heroes of peace, and events
that give courage to those choosing nonviolence, the Museum will have a
positive impact on Daytonians and visitors from around the world.
The
Dayton
International Peace
Museum
will serve as a central assembly for peace events where veteran peace
advocates as well as those with interest or curiosity can learn about and
attend the many functions that take place in our community. Most of all, the
Museum will be an active, living place where children and young people can
discover positive alternatives to the conflict and violence that bombard
their lives.
With your help and support, the
Dayton
Peace
Museum
will be the cornerstone of a culture of nonviolence in our community and
in making
Dayton
a true city of peace.
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