Peace: The Exhibition - Pushing Boundaries and Broadening Visitor Expectations at the Canadian War Museum
Thursday, October 18 - 12:45pm to 2:00pm
Presenter:
Amber Lloydlangston, Assistant Historian, Canadian War Museum
Download the presentation materials (1.2 MB)
Session Description
The Canadian War Museum will present Peace: The Exhibition from 30 May 2013 until 9 February 2014. This 7,000 square foot temporary show will explore the choices and actions of Canadians for peace from First Nations complex and nuanced activities before contact with Europeans, through to the intricacies of Canadian involvement in Afghanistan today. This wide-ranging exhibition will explore the ways in which, over time, Canadians have chosen to Negotiate, Organize, and Intervene for peace.
In this workshop, I will guide participants through the steps the Canadian War Museum has taken to develop Peace: The Exhibition.
- Why has the CWM chosen to prepare an exhibition on peace?
- How did we decide what stories to include?
- What is our presentation strategy?
- How have we worked to manage different stakeholder expectations?
- How can you apply our lessons to your institutions?
My goal in presenting the workshop is to help other museum professionals consider how they might present subjects that are potentially controversial for their institutions, subjects that at first blush might seem rather foreign to their institution's mandate. Through group activities and discussion, this workshop will engage museum professionals to ask new questions about the goals of their institutions and how they might be met in new and exciting ways.
In the experience of the Canadian War Museum, when we have pushed boundaries and presented potentially controversial subjects, we have enhanced our position as a "destination museum".
