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Articlesbeing told. Thus drawn in, the visitormoves on to the third level, goingdeeper into the war or the militaryevent and discovering its impact. If thistransformational process issuccessful, the visitor will have abetter understanding both of the warand of its various types of impact.The interior court of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England has beencovered by glass, which allows for an opening to the exterior.La cour intérieure du National Maritime Museum à Greenwich (Angleterre) a étérecouverte d’une immense verrière qui confère à l’ensemble une ouverture sur l’extérieur.Photo : André Kirouac.the impact of war and the values ofpeace. Early in 2008, the leadership ofthe Naval Reserve of Canada, part ofthe Canadian Forces and owner of themuseum, approved its mission, whichimplies a desire to one day see the endof war.Transforming Military ExhibitionsIn terms of exhibition design, it isessential to establish a link between amuseum’s mission and what isconveyed to its visitors. In Canada, asin many other countries, exhibitions inmilitary museums, with fewexceptions, take the form of a cabinetof curiosities. Assorted objects aredisplayed to illustrate a particularconflict or arranged chronologically.Often, the objective is simply to showthe museum’s collections in a single,and very lengthy, permanentexhibition.Liberating military museums fromthis ossification will not be easy,because it entails asking the peoplewho run them, often military men, tochange their way of thinking and theirmuseological approach. At the NavalMuseum of Québec, an exhibition canbe read on three levels. The entireapproach, from initial design to thepreparation of signage, is based on thepresentation of key objects thatepitomize the impact of war. A keyobject is carefully chosen for itspotential to establish a link with one ormore people who were associated withit. The visitor’s direct contact with thekey object is the first level of reading;the written description of therelationship between the witness andthe object constitutes the second level.Through this relationship, the visitoridentifies with the witness andbecomes interested in the story that isTurning the visitor towards peaceBy viewing these key objects —carefully selected tangible evidence —and reading their related stories, thevisitor connects with the actors whoowned and used the objects. Therelationship between object and actorallows the visitor to identify with theactor, and to gain an understanding ofthe significance of the object, theactor, and, ultimately, the conflictitself. This increased awareness of theimpact of a conflict should arouse adesire for peace that will guide theactions of the visitor towards thisobjective in order to avoid warwhenever possible, as itsconsequences are disastrous forsociety. The military museum can be aforce for promoting peace among thegeneral population and its leaders. Asan institution that preserves thetangible memory of wars, it has a dutyto make these objects bear witnessand to send a message from thecombatants: “No more wars!” Militarymuseums have a social responsibilityto work towards lasting peace. Nobodywould wish for wars in order to expandtheir military collections. If we arewilling to acknowledge that, then wemust orient our actions towards a timewhen there will no longer be a need tocollect, a time when there will be nomore wars.André Kirouac has been theDirector of the Naval Museum ofQuébec since 1997. For over 30 years,he has worked in museums, both inthe Province of Quebec and in theUnited States, that deal with naval ormaritime history. He also holds aMasters degree in museology from theUniversity of Quebec at Montreal.kirouac.AND@Forces.gc.caISSUE 01 MAGAZINE 23