Robert Fisher
Staff Reporter
BANCROFT – Chris Houston, president of the Canadian Peace Museum, was in high spirits last Wednesday. The transfer of title to the building where the museum will be housed took place little more than an hour before he gave the Gazette a tour of the facility and spoke about the concept for the museum.
The building on Valleyview Drive formerly housed a heating and ventilation company. An anonymous buyer purchased the building in the mid-1980s and transferred ownership to the North Hastings Community Trust; an organization that works in poverty reduction, food sovereignty and harm reduction, among its activities.
The trust used the building as a community space. There is also a community garden at the back of the building. The trust decided it did not need the facility any longer and have donated it to the museum. Houston explained that there are some stipulations in the transfer including continuing to make the space available to the community and continuing to operate the community garden.
“We’re actually delighted,” Houston said, about the how the building must be used, “because we, the museum, you want people through the doors,” and keeping parts of the facility as community space will help serve that objective.
The main floor includes a large room at the front, which will likely remain the community space and other, smaller rooms around the main room which will be display areas. There is a large garage area at the back which can possibly be turned into a café in part. Part of the garage area will house an ambulance that was used in Syria which will be one of the displays.
The upper floor was partially constructed apartments. Houston said the museum may use some of the space for storage or office space or for local community groups to hold meetings. He is also considering finishing one of the apartment units to be used by a visiting curator or artist in residence, for example.
The community garden was designed by Algonquin artist Sherry Crawford. Houston anticipates the space may include some seating, perhaps a bridge over a small creek; a tranquil space, in addition to its current purpose of helping feed the community.
Several displays are already in place on the upper floor, made up of artifacts which have been donated or loaned to the museum. There is a photography display from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees which documents refugees from around the world.
Houston’s favourite display is a collection of 1,000 portraits of women who were nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize to highlight how few women have won the award since its inception. Of the nearly 140 individuals and organizations to win the award, only 19 have been women. The group PeaceWomen Across the Globe organized the project.
“Each one of these is a portrait and a little story.” The exhibit can fill a room when displayed, Houston said.
The Royal Canadian Mint and Canada Post have donated stamps and coins representing peace. “You’ll see LGBTQ inclusion. You’ll see conservation. You’ll see feminism. You’ll see issues of racial equity,” explained Houston, his enthusiasm and passion evident.
Books will create a library of peace. The museum has an example of an air strike warning system used in Syria which uses acoustic sensors to predict the flight path of planes. The system warns hospitals and residents. “It reduces the lethality of air strikes.”
“I think sometimes these stories get lost on people because we do speak about numbers and I hope that the museum can humanize some of these things,” by displaying actual stories of real people to help, hopefully, “people see beyond the numbers.”
The museum will have an Indigenous component in the exhibits and has Indigenous representation on its advisory board and board of directors.
Houston also spoke about trust. While trust in traditional media is lower than in the past, trust in museums remains high, over 80 per cent. Museums, he explained, are still viewed as impartial and factual. That trust provides a jumping off point to help educate and bring people together.
The community space will open almost immediately. Houston is hopeful some of the exhibit space can be opened this year. More of the space will open as fundraising allows.
Third annual Stories of Peace Awards
The Canadian Peace Museum will host its third Stories of Peace Awards Sept. 21at the Bancroft Village Playhouse. The event showcases short films and paintings which depict the artists’ concept of peace.
“It’s essentially, there’s a competition where people submit (on the theme) what does peace mean to them,” museum president Chris Houston explained.
Paintings will be displayed in the playhouse and films, not more than 60 seconds long, will be screened in the theatre.
“The core mandate of the museum,” Houston said, “is to promote peace and to provoke conversations around peace.”
Sept. 21 is also International Day of Peace. The CN Tower in Toronto will be lit to mark the day. Houston is also trying to get Niagara Falls to light the falls in honour of the day. Bancroft mayor Paul Jenkins, in 2024, proclaimed Sept. 21 as Day of Peace in the town.
“We’re trying to normalize conversations about peace,” Houston said, simply.
The first two years, school groups won the top award. There are no categories or groupings, the event is an open submission. “Last year, there were so many good entries that we, basically, did runner-up prizes that we didn’t plan to do.”
Houston said they have received entries from refugee camps in Bangladesh and other international entries. The top prize is $500. Winning entries are showcased on the museum website, canadianpeacemuseum.ca. Food is being provided by Jimmy’s Italian Kitchen in Napanee
“It’s a chance to amplify positive messages for us, as well. So it feels really good,” noted Houston as an ancillary benefit to the event. The winning videos the past two years, he said, are, “brilliant. They’re really brilliant. They really touch your heart.”
People can submit award entries until Sept. 19. Go to canadianpeacemuseum.ca/awards for more information. The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. Sept. 21.
robert@thevalleygazette.ca
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