Strategic Plan 2011-2015

Envision Strategic Plan2011–2015

1651 Benjamin Franklin ParkwayPhiladelphia, PA 19103 | USA

Env i s i on Peace Museum

f os t e r s insight

i n t o t he mean i ngs and

roo t s o f peace

wh i l e empowering

v i s i t o r s t o ove rcome

v i o l ence and i n j u s t i ce

i n t he i r lives

and t he wo r l d .

Teaching Peace | Chal lenging Injust ice | Encouraging Hope

Photo of the Shanti Sena (Gandhian “Peace Army”)

Portraits.Americans Who Tell the Truth by Robert Shetterly

Tree protected through ordination and robes. San Sai , Chiang Mai Thailand, December 28, 2006.

Photograph courtesy of bertrudestein at Creative Commons. Like their counterparts in Thailand, monks ordain a tree in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia. Photograph courtesy of © Sprague Photo Stock/Sean Sprague.

The Warrior by J. Kadir Cannon

Page2 Photo Suggestions

Protest on Tahir: Some rights reserved by Floris Van Cauwelaert

2 | FROM THE DIRECTOR Envision Peace Museum Strategic Plan 2011–2015

This quote from Dr. King means so much to me that I use a

variation of it to guide my work. I amend it to “Envision Peace

Museum is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means

by which we arrive at that goal.” It reminds me that we—the

Board, staff, advisors, and volunteers of Envision—are not

merely striving to create a building with a meaningful collection

that highlights peace. We are creating an institution linked to a

movement—a people-powered museum that, while highlighting

the best and brightest of peace-builders and peace movements,

also creates a space for all people to experiment with peace.

For Envision to be a peace museum worth its name, it must be

deeply participatory—empowering its visitors and bridging racial,

class, and political divides in its exhibits, its programs, its staffing,

and more.

To some, this might sound unrealistically

ambitious. I beg to differ.

Just over one year ago, Envision Peace Museum

began a process of strategic planning, a process

that has culminated in what you see before

you. Our approach has been rigorous and has

accomplished what the best strategic planning

processes do: clarified our vision, emboldened

From the Director

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Buddhist nun at peace rally, Sri Lanka Photo: Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

Tahrir Square, Cairo, 2011 Photo: Floris Van Cauwelaert

3 | FROM THE DIRECTOR Envision Peace Museum Strategic Plan 2011–2015

our mission, developed widely resonant goals, and strengthened

relationships with our key stakeholder groups.

But beyond all this, the planning process

has shown how so many of us in the

world yearn for peace, how confused and

uncertain we are about the concept, and

how deeply we need spaces that are both

safe and challenging in which to explore

peace together. We need spaces that

inspire the quality of dialogue that can

heal our fractured civil society, and where

we can experiment with tools for building

peace and justice without using our fists,

guns, bombs, or hatred. On top of all this, we need to know how

to do such work even in the face of powerful and entrenched

opposition, whether at home or abroad.

This Strategic Plan is part of the dialogue, part of the learning,

and part of making the Museum by fulfilling our Mission now—

fostering insight into the meanings and roots of peace while

empowering visitors to confront violence and injustice in their lives

and in the world. I hope the Mission and Plan excite you. Even

more, I hope you are inspired to become involved with Envision

Peace Museum, to be one who boldly explores and experiments

with peace.

Michael Gagné, Executive Director

Envision Peace Museum

Concept map, Envision Strategic Planning Conference, June 2010 Photo: Lynda Greenwade

4 | INTRODUCTION Envision Peace Museum Strategic Plan 2011–2015

AFSC Exhibit (with collaboration by Envision): Windows and Mirrors Photo: Michael Gagné

Cost

Envision Peace Museum will be a public

face for peace and nonviolent action,

worldwide. An independent, not-for-

profit institution, Envision uses museum

exhibitions, programs and dialogue to

foster insight into the meanings and roots

of peace, and challenges us to confront

the many forms of violence in our own

lives and in the world.

The Museum’s significance arises from ever increased public

awareness of the tragic and wasteful consequences that result

when violence and coercion are used in situations of conflict.

Recognizing that conflict is normal in life, Envision illuminates and

encourages effective nonviolent methods of responses—within

the individual, the family, communities, the nation, and the world.

Museums have been shown to be a most trusted source of

information in society, surpassing books, magazines, radio, TV

news, the internet, and school learning. As a museum institution

and member of the Association of American Museums (AAM),

Envision recognizes the responsibilities inherent in this trust.

The Museum’s programs will meet professional standards for

accuracy and objectivity. In serving the public, Envision employs

a coordinated system of programs to educate, inspire, and

Introduction

“There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.”

— Victor Hugo

Costs of War by J. Kadir Cannon


equip individuals to use nonviolent responses in their everyday

lives. The Museum’s programs will include interactive exhibits,

discussion groups, classes, workshops, lectures, film programs,

public forums, newsletters, and publications. Envision pursues

its mission in a spirit of mixed play and learning, reaching out

especially to families, children and youth, community groups,

educators, peace activists, military personnel, veterans, tourists,

and museum experience seekers. As this Strategic Plan

describes, Envision’s planning process has included participation

by all these groups, and will continue to do so as the Plan is

updated and revised in the future.

www.envisionpeacemuseum.org

Envision Strategic Planning Conference, June 2010 Photo: Lynda Greenwade


Envision’s formal strategic planning process began in June 2009,

when the Museum Board appointed its first Director and charged

him with initiating a strategic plan that would include

the participation of broad segments of the Museum’s

future audience. While development of the plan

was always understood to be a clear responsibility

of the Envision Board, constituent involvement and

community building were seen as essential from the

very start. The Board pursued four principal means to

achieve this:

• The engagement of a skilled and experienced

strategic planning consultant committed to

participatory processes.

• Pre-conference interviews with a representative group of

community leaders and museum professionals to help

identify key issues.

• A planning conference which brought together diverse

stakeholders to lay the groundwork for the plan.

• Post-conference testing of the draft Strategic Plan by those

who had expressed interest, support, and commitment.

Process leadership: In late fall of 2009, the Board engaged

Andy Mozenter of Concentrics, Inc., as its strategic planning

consultant. Under his direction, the Board formed a strategic

planning committee, and plans were initiated for a planning

conference. One of the Board committee’s first steps was the

Background




creation of a conference steering committee composed of

leaders in various areas which the Board anticipated would

become key audience groups or Museum “stakeholders.” The

steering committee advised on conference organization and was

responsible for inviting other leaders in their respective areas to

the conference.

Pre-conference Interviews: In advance of the Conference,

interviews were conducted with 14 leaders in key

related fields. Interviewees were asked a common set

of questions aimed at testing the museum’s current

assumptions of the Museum as currently planned, and

at identifying the core issues to be addressed in the

Museum’s development. Among those interviewed were

founders and presidents of major national and regional

museums, and prominent leaders in peace institutions,

the arts and heritage world, business,

tourism, and marketing. The pre-

conference interviews provided

valuable insights, information and

advice on the Museum’s development

and operation, and became

fundamental in developing the

Strategic Plan.

Strategic Planning Conference:

This event was held at Moore College

of Art in Philadelphia, June 4-5, 2010.

Over two days, 83 highly motivated Envision Strategic Planning Conference, June 2010 Photo: Lynda Greenwade



and knowledgeable individuals worked together with passion

and energy for the future of a single idea: a peace museum in the

city of Philadelphia. Among these individuals were museum and

agency CEOs and senior staff, peace educators from all levels of

education, peace activists, marketing and fundraising specialists,

high-school youth, foundation staff,

grassroots community workers, conflict

resolution and mediation specialists,

business leaders, legislative staff, and

a wide variety of creative professionals

including filmmakers, photographers,

muralists, exhibit designers, and architects.

A highlight of the conference was a visit by

Philadelphia’s Mayor Michael Nutter, who

delivered an inspiring message of support.

By the conference conclusion, a “common

ground” vision emerged, plus significant

commitment among participants to support

the development of the Museum

going forward.

Post conference Plan review: Following

the conference, the strategic planning

committee of the Board and the Director

worked with the conference outcomes

as foundational materials for the final plan. The committee

created a draft strategic plan for review and testing by Envision’s

support community: its Board, staff, advisors, interviewees,


Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter addresses the Conference, June 2010 Photo: Lynda Greenwade


planning conference participants, and past donors. Based on the

comments received, the Board approved a public document for

circulation in January 2011.

Peace Fence, Christmas, San Diego CA, USA Photo: beachblogger42


PARENTS W

ITHCHILD

REN EXPERIENCE SEEKERS

TOURISTS

VETERANS

PEACE ACTIVISTS

HISTORY/M

ILITARY

EXPE

RTS

SCHO

OLTR

IPS

• Large groups of school children and their teachers and summer camps• Education, tours individualized to curriculum and youth learning

• Victims or witnesses of violence (gun, domestic, battle, prejudice, etc.)• Appeal to human side of peace, provide therapy, solidarity, and empowerment

• Families from withincity or those on vacation

(short/long)• Exhibits must appeal

to young children (fun, simple,educational)

• Museum goers seeking a “hands-on” unique experience• Interactive exhibits that come alive (”one of a kind”)

• Those visiting sites such as Liberty Bell,

Constitution Center• Hook to attract with Philly’s

Revolutionary War / Ben Franklin crowd

• Those working in a campaign/ organization, or those who admire peacemakers• Practical education along with forum to connect and discuss efforts

• Historians (amateur/academic)

• Museum must cater to the historical/

diplomatic elements surrounding peace

EnvisionPeaceMuseum

11 | STRATEGIC PLAN Envision Peace Museum Strategic Plan 2011–2015

STRATEGIC PLAN 2011–2015

Envision Peace Museum fosters insight into the meanings and roots of peace while empowering visitors to overcome violence and injustice in their lives and the world.

Mission Statement

ENVISION…That Another World Is Possible

Building concept design Elena Kerr, Drexel University


IMPACT

Envision is dedicated, first and foremost, to the fulfillment of the

Museum’s mission and to challenging visitors to engage with the

subject of peace and peace-building in profound and potentially

transformational ways. By showcasing the inspiring stories and

powerful tools of peace builders and change-agents throughout

the world, Envision seeks to empower visitors to understand

peace more fully, commit to it more deeply, and work for it

more effectively.

RESPECT

Envision is committed to honesty, respect, open communication,

and mutual support among members of its staff, the museum’s

stakeholders, and the general public. Being respectful means

being relevant and responsive, participatory and provocative,

accessible and transparent. No one is excluded from the

opportunity the Museum presents to be a “peace-builder.”

Core Values“Toward a changed world…”

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hope of its children… This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.”

Dwight Eisenhower Military Leader, President of the United States

Rosa Parks’ historic bus action Photo: ©Corbis



Exhibits and educational programs, stories and tools - all are

designed with an eye to inclusivity and empowerment across

lines of age, ethnicity, economic class, education, physical ability,

and political perspective.

EXCELLENCE

Envision is committed to honoring and exceeding professional

museum standards. Envision staff performs its professional duties

with honesty, integrity, and transparency commensurate with its

responsibilities and its accountability to the Board, the Museum’s

advisory Boards, and the Museum’s support communities.

Envision strives for and provides the highest quality programs,

exhibitions, publications, and public service. Envision will remain

politically independent and courageous in sharing stories, tools,

and programs. Its aim is to highlight questions from multiple

perspectives and within context—illuminating and exploring root

causes and broadest possible actions and outcomes.

SUSTAINABILITY

Envision will design with a responsible, long-term, sustainability

mindset and set a standard in green design/practice. Exhibits

will illuminate the important ecological components in human

interactions and conflicts and the need to incorporate these in

any meaningful conception of peace and peace-building.


Lily Yeh Artist, Social Pioneer Photo: Arts and Healing Network

“When I see brokenness, poverty and crime in inner cities, I also see the enormous potential and readiness for transformation and rebirth. We are creating an art form that comes from the heart and reflects the pain and sorrow of people’s lives. It also expresses joy, beauty, and love. This process lays the foundation of building a genuine community in which people are reconnected with their families, sustained by meaningful work,nurtured by the care of each other and will together raise and educate their children. Then we witness social change in action.”

Lily Yeh


Envision Peace Museum will be America’s premier site for

learning about peace.

Envision Peace Museum will showcase the myriad approaches

to building peace and justice with provocative and experiential

exhibits—with particular emphasis on those that have proven

most effective. A leader in peace education, scholarship, and

popularization through exhibits and programs, Envision will

build a reputation on innovation, creative engagement, and

transformational visitor experiences.

Vision Statement

Exhibit concept design Danae Colomer and Amanda Zanski, FIT/SUNY

Exhibit concept diagram Danae Colomer and Amanda Zanski, FIT/SUNY

Concept designs created for Envision by FIT students Danae Colomer and Amanda Zanski


Envision will be “the” place where all manner of work for peace

and justice is showcased through stories, art, workshops,

theatre, immersive environments, and events that attract and

serve diverse audiences.

Envision will be a place where people of

all ages connect, a space where lively and

passionate conversations among scholars

and peace-builders intertwine with the

sounds of music and storytelling—an

invigorating and exciting, intergenerational

learning environment that inspires all

who come.

Envision is a museum dedicated to the best in us—to our diverse

visions of a just and peaceful world, and to people willing to

experiment with peace. It is, fundamentally, a laboratory for

learning, inspiration, and transformation.

Tree protected through ordination and robes. San Sai , Chiang Mai Thailand, December 28, 2006.

Photograph courtesy of bertrudestein at Creative Commons. Like their counterparts in Thailand, monks ordain a tree in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia. Photograph courtesy of © Sprague Photo Stock/Sean Sprague.

Tree protected through ordination by monks, Thailand, Photo: Bertrudestein, Creative Commons

Exhibit concept design: Orange Revolution Stacy Kenny and Francisca Saieh, FIT/SUNY


To realize its vision, Envision will work to accomplish the following

goals over a three to five year time frame:

GOAL 1 | Launch the first phase of a physical museum that delivers powerful visitor experiences while building the foundation for the ultimate Museum.

GOAL 2 | Build an important and lasting institution and brand—a “go to” location for exploring peace and peace-building.

GOAL 3 | Establish a powerful web platform and presence for a dynamic and popular online Museum.

GOAL 4 | Develop strong, passionate leadership at the Board, staff, advisory, and grassroots levels—Leadership that remains responsive to the Envision community as it grows and develops, while adhering to professional museum standards.

GOAL 5 | Build a strong and sustainable financial foundation that incorporates an effective fundraising structure to fulfill the Museum’s long-term mission.

GOAL 6 | Develop and implement inspired programs that serve many targeted audiences, and provide easy access and opportunities for individuals to share their discoveries with others.

Strategic Goals


18 | ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Envision Peace Museum Strategic Plan 2011–2015

This Strategic Plan was prepared with generous assistance from:

Concentrics Inc., West Chester, PA

Legacy Grants Group, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Amy Rees, a+b studios, Graphic Design

Thomas H. and Mary Williams Shoemaker Fund

Ann and John Wallace

also…

The Conference Steering Committee

Conference Attendees

Pre-conference Interviewees

and…

The many other supporters of Envision Peace Museum

Thank you!

Peace play Photos: Friends Select School

Documents

Strategic Plan 2011-2015