| The Museum of Innocence Vision -- Help Make It Happen |
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| Mother & Child & Butterflys |
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Join Us in the
Museum of Innocence Vision
"He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it. Columbus cherished a vision of another world, and he discovered it. Copernicus fostered the vision of a multiplicity of worlds and wider universe and he revealed it; Buddha beheld the vision of a spiritual world of stainless beauty and perfect peace,
and he entered it." James Allen
The Museum of Innocence will be a visible, beautiful and prestigious part of the community for many future generations. It will make a visual impact sprawling over 20 acres. The center will attract hotels, restaurants, and other related retail businesses and services. This cultural center will serve the local communities, and it will attract visitors nationally and internationally. Because there has never been a museum designed to deal exclusively with family dynamics in the history of this planet, it will set precedence for the rest of the world. It will become a role model and inspiration to all.
"What a new face courage puts on everything! A determined man, by his very attitude and tone of his voice, puts a stop to defeat, and begins to conquer."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The creation of The Museum of Innocence and Cultural Center will become historical. The world will have its eyes on us. (Some to say it will fail, and others eager to visit). This concept will stimulate the public imagination so intensely there will be thousands who will want to write, talk, or be a part of the center in any way possible. When MOI is completed, it will be studied under a microscope. The exhibits, buildings, auditorium, chapels, gardens, and wall will set standards for similar projects around the world. TV documentaries, thousands of photographs, videos, will be made and viewed. The museum will be featured in major magazine articles. In time MOI will become a significant leader in shaping the philosophy and social attitudes in modern society. It will evolve as a strong voice and leader relating to family concepts and children.
Museum's Symbol The Butterfly
The MOI Committee is very conscious of the importance of a logo and symbol. There is much myth and legend about the butterfly historically and globally. Butterflies which are very beautiful are considered creatures of light and air. They go through metamorphism from lowly caterpillar to gorgeous butterfly. Butterflies have been the inspiration of writers, poets, and artists for centuries. It is believed they bring good luck and hope. They are synonymous with deceased souls, peace, freedom, and rebirth. Consequently the MOI committee has chosen a butterfly in flight to be its symbol. The butterfly in flight symbol will be carried forward in everything that represents MOI to the public and ultimately repeat itself throughout the facility museum and exhibits.
"They found hope in art." Tamim Ansary
(Article in Parade magazine 11/30/03)
MOI will be a center for individuals and families recognizing, healing and finding a path to happiness. Through the many outstanding exhibits, the chapel, gardens and memorial wall an atmosphere of acknowledgement, validation, acceptance, love, and hope will be created. The founder of MOI knows silence has been the greatest ally of the perpetuation of child abuse in all its heinous forms. The founder realizes the practice child abuse may never be permanently stopped. They do believe creating exhibit halls of exposure about the practice can impact public awareness and consciousness. That could be the first step towards minimizing family violence.
The museum will feature two types of exhibits. The first would be the permanent exhibits. The second type would be special exhibits which could last any where from a one day performance to as long as a year. The exhibits will examine current events and themes dealing with the historical/social attitudes of marriage, children, and child rearing on a global basis.
( Re: history of childrearing One half of the children born die before their eighth year. This is nature's law; why try to contradict it? Jean Jacques Rousseau Author of most widely read child rearing book in its day. 1762)
The exhibits will deal with major aspects of child abuse which are adults suffering from past abuse, survivors who have overcome past devastation, perpetrators and the present day victims. Many visitors will discover themselves to be in one or more of these stages of child abuse. Some may have intense reaction to what they see. Through the well designed exhibits, visitors will learn how to identify the many forms of abuse practiced and where to find help. They will discover there is hope and recovery from past unhealed injuries. For some viewers, a visit to the museum may even bring long desired closure in their lives. Some exhibits will be only for viewing or listening and others will invite visitor participation and opinion. All the exhibits will be in coordination with a psychiatric and forensic advisory board. Included in the permanent exhibits will be a presentation demonstrating the high price society pays for the indulgence of child abuse, the denial of its existence, and society"s refusal to resolve it.
("Family violence costs the nation from $5 to $10 billion annually in medical expenses, police and court costs, shelters and foster care, sick leave, absenteeism, and none productivity.")
Medical News, American Medical Association
The practice of child abuse and all that goes with it manifests itself in crime, over crowded prisons, alcohol and drug abuse, violence in schools, state operated institutions for unwanted children, and more. The exhibits will be a combination of mixed media of paintings, music, audio effects, puppets, actual items of clothing, toys or furniture of old case histories, sculpture, photos, videos, computer graphics, neon sculpture, marquis lights and unlimited creative special effects. At the center's exit will be a rack offering a selection of free material about the museum, help resources, and related information. Because MOI is an art museum and cultural center it will display non-abuse art wherever the public may visit and hold temporary special exhibits. There will also be a section dedicated to acknowledging and honoring all the healthy families who have given society the many wonderful people who make this world a better place. From past experience of art exhibits of this type, we know that they will have a powerful impact upon the visitors. At all times MOI will have available a psychiatric crisis team.
"NO one knows how hard we struggle in our lives. We are lucky if we can show the world one page from our book of troubles. That?s why art is important." Saadat Ali from article by Tamim Ansary in Press Enterprise?s Parade Magazine, 11/30/03
The Circle of Miracles
"The dreamers are the saviors of the world. . . Composer, sculptor, painter, poet, prophet, sage, these are the makers of the after-world, the architects of heaven. The world is beautiful because they have lived; without them, laboring humanity would perish." James Allen
The Circle of Miracles is the next stop on a visitor's tour of the museum. At the top of the circle will be non denominational chapel. This chapel will have a narrow moat around it appearing as if the building is floating. Its roof will be wrought iron and cut glass with a water fountain at its peak. The water will flow quietly over the glass roof spilling in drops over the side of the roof into the moat below. They will appear as tears and be visible from the inside. This is the Chapel of Eternal Sorrow. This is the place where a person can finally be permitted to cry for the first or last time and be safe. This chapel is where visitors can release their years of tears in a loving environment. It will be a place where visitors can let go of their sorrow and be comforted this chapel will do their weeping.
It will be the only place on earth
where tears will never stop flowing
for the past, present, and future
generations of abused children.
A very attractive kiosk will be at either side of the entrance of the circle. Flowers, candles, incense, and related paraphernalia will be for sale. The path to the Circle of Miracles will begin from the exit of the museum?s last exhibit, open to the gardens and lead directly to the Circle. From that path to the chapel will be two paths leading to the gardens and the memorial wall.
The Circle of Miracles makes no judgments. Saint and sinner and victim and perpetrator are accepted and loved in the Circle of Miracles.
The only purpose of the Circle of Miracles is
to remain an unconditionally loving energy.
The power of this safe loving place will become a magnet to the needy. With the spirit and passion of thousands, a cumulative force will, in time, create a magical, spiritual energy. Invisible power will become the plasma of miracles. Quietly small and large miracles will begin to manifest upon some visitors. Known and unknown, some will feel transformation taking place. Others will experience dramatic miracles.
The Memorial Sculpture Gardens
The gardens are approximately three or more acres designed around a man made pond. There will be winding paths among a variety of large trees, ferns, flowers, shrubs, exotic grasses, and plants. Little foot bridges, pagodas, sculptures, fountains, benches, gazing balls, wishing wells, arbors, and more will fill the gardens. Trees, sculptures, benches, and anything donated will display bronze plaques in memory or honor of some child or family who donated the item. Among the sculptures will be clear crystal butterflies. Visitors may wander around the gardens as long as they choose.
They will discover memorials for the son of Charles Lindberg, little Ms. Van Dam, or Polly Klaus or baby Grace.
The Children's Memorial Wall
"How much a society values its children can be measured
by how well their children are treated. "
The fact that more than three children a day die from physical abuse or chronic neglect in the United States calls into question America's commitment to its young, especially as many of these deaths are preventable. National committee to Prevent Child Abuse
It is said there is nothing more painful than the loss of a child. The pain isn't less if the child is lost at the hands of its parents, caregiver, or a stranger. Even if the person responsible for the child's death appears to have no remorse, the other related family members do care. The best they can do with their eternal grief is to bury the child and live the rest of their lives emotionally handicapped in memory of horror. Families need a better place to deal with such extreme tragedy and their sorrow. Once again, the first time in history, families will have a place to acknowledge, honor, and memorialize the loss of a child due to disappearance, kidnap, accident, or homicide. Families can purchase a permanent space on the wall to remember their child. Each space will consist of a ceramic tile or bronze plaque with the name, place of birth, date of birth, date of disappearance or death, and cause of death of the child. A picture of the child will be displayed whenever one is available. In a gorgeously landscaped setting the wall will stand upon a slate or flagstone base which extends 30 ft in front of the wall. There will be computers nearby so the entire story of any child represented on the wall can be recalled on the computer. Comfortable benches will be scattered along the wall. There will be an eternal flame at the center.
The memorial wall gives the beloved's surviving families a means of closure and restoring dignity after a horrific and often unresolved experience.
The wall or walls will be exquisitely beautifully designed with marble, wrought iron, and original designed crystal butter flies MOI will commission leading producers of fine crystal. I.e.: Swarovski, Lalique, Steuben, Baccarat, to design clear crystal butterflies in flight to be placed at the sides and behind, starting above the memorial wall. The butterflies will be grouped into an ascending flock soaring into infinity.
These butterflies will symbolize the pure, innocent souls of children
remembered on the wall. They will become known as
The Butterflies of Innocence.
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