A message from Zack Klim, Director, Museum of the Peace Corps Experience
It doesn’t matter whether you served in the 1970s or the 2020s, in the Philippines or Paraguay, one characteristic that defines the Peace Corps community is our ability to navigate differences and build collaborative relationships.
Now imagine a cultural institution where this trademark of the Peace Corps is front and center in storytelling, arts and literature, and cultural exchange activities. A space where we invite the public to bear witness to our accomplishments, our struggles, and our penchant to embrace otherness for the public good.
This is what we are building at the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience (MPCE). We are assembling a coalition of partners and seeking a permanent exhibition space to share our knowledge of the world and the people in it – to reduce fear, build tolerance, and lessen hostility.
Collectively, we’ve weathered one of the most tumultuous elections in American history. It has been a national dialogue dominated by identity politics – and for many of us the conversation has failed to bring us closer together. We deserve better. At the Museum, we are creating a space where the Peace Corps community can lead a discourse about what it means to be American.
Please consider making a donation to support our essential work to center peace and human dignity in our nation’s museum landscape. Your contributions will help us:
- BUILD traveling exhibits bringing the collection to the International Peace Museum, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (details forthcoming), Peace Corps Park, the NPCA Peace Corps Connect 2025 conference, and other locations across the nation.
- PRESERVE more artifacts and stories like Museum Founder Martin Kaplan’s Camel Bell, Dr. Kathleen Malu’s embroidery, and Net Chalker’s book locker.
- PRESENT more programs like the Many Faces of Peace Corps YouTube Live pilot and Dr. John Fleming’s Mission to Malawi book launch.
Emerging museums like ours need all different kinds of support. If you’re interested in volunteering with us, have leads on corporate sponsors or other resources to help us grow, shoot me an email and we’ll find a time to talk.
Sincerely,