Construction Begins This Spring on Courage Museum Installations
By Moira McLaughlin
January 27, 2026
Imagine a world where empathy is fostered and understanding is encouraged; where young people lead through courageous action, and where everyone has access to opportunity and feels a sense of belonging.
This is the world that the Courage Museum, which will open in 2027, is striving to create, one of possibility, opportunity, community, healing, and yes, courage.
By learning about what courage looks like, the people who exhibit it, and the change it has sparked, visitors will engage with interactive exhibits and be inspired to see themselves, each other, and the world differently. They will learn about the courage of others in order to begin to recognize the courage in themselves and the positive impact they too can have on the world to create a better place for everyone.
“The Courage Museum will elevate the stories of people who have been impacted by violence so that we can build greater empathy and greater understanding and show that courage isn’t just for big names and big leaders, but that courage lives in everybody,” said Dr. Manuelito Biag, Managing Director of Education, who is leading the museum’s youth-centered learning and leadership initiatives. “Visitors will walk away with the feeling that they too can be courageous.”
Visitors will learn about how to:
• reimagine systems for better, for healing, for community, for shared purpose,
• build greater empathy and greater understanding and
• understand that courage isn’t just for leaders and famous people, but rather it’s a practice that anyone can cultivate.
A visitor explores the space where the Courage Museum, with its six anchor exhibit installations, will open in 2027.
Courageous Teaching
Construction will begin on the installations and Education Center this Spring. The museum will feature six anchor installations: “See Your Courage,” “Bearing Witness,” “Rethink” “Empathy Mirrors,” “Change Is Real,” and “Activating Courage.” Designed primarily for the next generation of leaders, ages 14-22, and the adults in their lives, the museum is being created in partnership with renowned museum designer Jake Barton, founder and principal of the experience design firm Local Projects. Their past work includes the 9/11 National Memorial and Museum in New York City, the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, and Planet Word in Washington, DC, among others.
The interactive exhibits will highlight the science and biological impacts of violence, the transformational impact of empathy, the role that systems and institutions play in shaping the opportunities and experiences of individuals and communities, and the everyday actions anyone can take to prevent violence.
A visitor journey will begin with “See Your Courage.” Standing side-by-side with others in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror, visitors will encounter handwritten messages of courage left behind by previous guests.
“You’re seeing yourself, but you’re also seeing yourself in community,” Biag explained. “It’s a reminder that courage is relational and something we do together.”
A key part of the museum is the “Rethink Gallery,” which Biag describes as the “brain of the museum.” This space features nine interactive installations that challenge the assumption that violence is inevitable. Visitors will examine how systems, such as culture, access to resources, rules, and connections, can either produce harm or support healing. When these systems work together to uplift the community, people have what they need to thrive. That leads to safety, understanding, and connections, instead of violence and division.
The Youth Advisory Council, part of the Courage Museum, met this summer to provide advice and feedback on the museum exhibits, storytelling, and public programming.
Courageous Heart
The Courage Museum is also about inspiration and helping visitors think through practical, nonviolent strategies to prevent, mitigate, and heal from conflict.
Through interactive activities, visitors will encounter real-world scenarios and be invited to choose how they would engage. These experiences are designed to help youth develop skills that strengthen observation, cultivate empathy, and create the foundation for confidence to speak up when something isn’t right.
“The exhibits are about helping people listen more deeply, notice the system forces around them, and feel empowered to act – especially young people,” said Biag.
Empathy is woven throughout the museum experience. In one interactive experience, visitors respond to various prompts by stepping into or out of a shared circle, visually revealing “Common Ground” among participants and opening the door to meaningful dialogue.
“Empathy is like a muscle,” Biag noted. “It can be taught, strengthened, and sustained. And when empathy is paired with action, that’s courage.”
At the heart of the museum are the “Empathy Mirrors,” intimate stations featuring short documentary films of real people – students, athletes, writers, skateboarders, and others – sharing firsthand stories of harm, resilience, and courage.
“You’ll sit in these stations and listen to these powerful firsthand accounts of personal narratives of violence, discrimination, healing, and action through these short documentary films,” said Biag.
The point is for visitors to reflect on the stories, ask critical questions, and consider the role of empathy in building safer and more connected communities.
As visitors prepare to leave the museum, they will have the opportunity to use a tablet called the “Courage Creator” to collect and scan images, messages, or moments that inspired them and have them printed on a poster to take home. The hope is that these artifacts will live on – in bedrooms, school lockers, and shared spaces – as daily reminders that courage is not abstract.
“Courage is something we practice, again and again, in how we see others, ourselves, and how we choose to act,” Biag said.
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