The International Peace Museum facts for kids
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| Former name | Dayton International Peace Museum |
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| Established | May 27, 2003 |
| Location | 10 N. Ludlow Street Dayton, OH, 45402, USA |
| Type | Peace museum |
The International Peace Museum (once called the Dayton International Peace Museum) is a special place in downtown Dayton, Ohio, USA. It's a non-profit museum dedicated to peace. Its main goal is to help create a more fair, kind, and peaceful world through learning and working together.
The museum's programs and exhibits are fair to everyone and don't favor any one group. They focus on solving problems without fighting, being fair to all people, standing up for what's right, being accepting of others, and protecting our planet. It also remembers the 1995 Dayton Agreement, which helped end a war in Bosnia. This museum is known as "America's only brick-and-mortar peace museum," meaning it's the only one with a physical building.
Besides being a regular museum, it's also a place for people who want to be part of a peaceful community. The museum has exhibits that stay for a long time, ones that change, and some that travel to other places. These exhibits show how people have used non-violence to solve problems and how we can live in a way that protects nature. The museum usually hosts two or three new exhibits each year.
Located in the Courthouse Plaza Building, the Peace Museum has a library and a fun, interactive room for kids. It also has a studio, a special gallery called the Jack Meagher Gallery, and a small gift shop. The museum holds many events like book clubs, live music, storytelling, and talks from guest speakers.
You can visit the museum on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 AM to 5 PM. From Tuesday to Thursday, it's open for school trips and group tours that are booked ahead of time. It costs $5 to get in, but if you are a member, it's free!
Contents
The Museum's Story
The Dayton International Peace Museum was started in 2004 by farmers Ralph and Christine Dull, along with J. Frederick Arment, Lisa Wolters, and Steve Fryburg. The very first peace museum in the world opened in Switzerland in 1902. Kevin Kelly is the current Executive Director of the museum.
This museum was the second peace museum in the United States. The first one, The Peace Museum in Chicago, Illinois, closed in 2006. The International Peace Museum is now the only full-sized peace museum in the Western Hemisphere that still has a physical building. Peace Museum Colorado opened in 2018, but it focuses mainly on "Peace Heroes."
In 2005, the museum moved into Dayton's historic Isaac Pollack House. In 2014, this old building from 1877 was updated with new technology. This new equipment helped the museum create cool multimedia and interactive exhibits. It also allowed them to share programs and virtual exhibits in different rooms.
Ralph and Christine Dull were peace activists for a long time. They were part of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and won many awards for their books and work in the local area. Ralph received the 2009 Pioneer of Ohio Award and a national award for caring for the environment.
After the Dulls left, the museum continued to focus on making changes in the local community. They met with local leaders and encouraged people to think about peace in many different ways. In 2017, the museum worked with the University of Dayton, Dayton Philharmonic, and other art groups on a project called "Building Peace Through the Arts."
More recently, after the 2019 Dayton shooting and an increase in gun violence, the museum worked with the Facing Project. They published a book with 16 true stories from people who survived gun violence. The book, Facing Gun Violence: It’s Always Close to Home for Someone, came out on August 1, 2020.
In September 2021, the museum temporarily closed because of the pandemic. During that time, they offered online yoga classes, discussions, and educational talks. It reopened in May 2022 in a new building on Courthouse Square. Their first new exhibit after reopening was a photo series by Bernard Kleina about Martin Luther King Jr.'s Chicago Freedom Movement.
What the Museum Does Now
The museum is part of many important groups that work for peace around the world. These include the Peace in Our Cities initiative and the Austrian Service Abroad program. They are also on the advisory board for the International Network of Museums of Peace in Kyoto. The museum works with groups like International Cities of Peace, the University of Dayton Human Rights Center, and the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The museum has many exhibits that stay for a long time and others that change. A very important exhibit is about the Dayton Peace Accords. This exhibit has interactive screens and panels. It is the most detailed exhibit of its kind. It was made digital for its 25th anniversary in 2020 and you can see it on the museum's website. The museum also shows the "positive work people are doing all over the world to promote peace," including local "Dayton Peace Heroes."
Besides exhibits, the museum has ongoing programs. These include "Building Peace" talks by guest speakers on many topics. They also have community discussions about Martin Luther King Jr.'s writings called "MLK Dialogues." The museum also hosts a summer camp for kids every year. They offer programs on Kingian Nonviolence, which is about solving problems peacefully. Other programs teach about mediation (helping people solve disagreements), peace literacy (understanding peace), and compassionate education (learning with kindness). The Dayton Peace Trail celebrates local places connected to peace and justice.
The museum has also held bigger events for the community. After the 2019 Dayton shooting, they partnered with former NFL player Chris Borland for the first Dayton Peace Festival. This three-day event included music and free yoga. It also had serious discussions about gun violence and the community.
The museum's current Executive Director, Kevin Kelly, has also written articles for local newspapers. He writes about racial and social justice. He has written about the importance of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis. He connects their ideas to current events like the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, political disagreements, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The museum is also the official place where all the fiction and non-fiction books submitted to the Dayton Literary Peace Prize are kept. Famous winners of the Richard Holbrooke Award include John Irving, Alice Hoffman, Elie Wiesel, Chanel Miller, and Hala Alyan.
The Isaac Pollack House
The Isaac Pollack House was built in 1877. It was the home of the Dayton International Peace Museum from 2004 until September 2021. Isaac Pollack came to Dayton from France in 1854. He started a business selling whisky and wine with another immigrant, Soloman Ruah. Both men became important leaders in the community. Pollack was especially known for helping to defend Cincinnati during the American Civil War.
After the war, both men started building identical houses next to each other. These houses were built in the Renaissance and Baroque styles, and no expense was spared. They had hand-carved stone and oak floors. The roofs were fancy Mansard roofs. When the houses were finished in 1877, the families flipped a coin to decide who got which house. Pollack ended up with the house at 319 West Third Avenue. Pollack retired and moved out of the house in 1903. He passed away in 1908.
After the Pollack family, the house had several different owners. It was mostly used as a home and a dance studio. In 1954, Montgomery County bought both houses. They tore down Ruah's house next door, but they kept the Pollack House standing. In 1974, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Three years later, in 1977, the county sold it. It was then moved to its current spot on Monument Avenue.
In 2005, the Isaac Pollack House became the museum's home until September 2021. On May 27, 2022, the Museum reopened with a special ceremony. It is now in its new location at 10 N Ludlow St, near Courthouse Plaza.
Images for kids
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Event at International Peace Museum
See also
- Peace museum
- The International Peace Museum
- List of peace activists
- The Peace Museum, Chicago
