October 4, 2025 – January 6, 2026
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Washington, D.C.
The Museum of the Peace Corps Experience (MPCE) is proud to present Peace by Design: Posters, Poems, and the Spirit of the Peace Corps, opening October 4, 2025, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. The exhibition runs through January 6, 2026.
This landmark exhibition reveals how peace takes shape—in bold posters, in acts of service, and in the words of poets. Peace by Design transports visitors into the early years of the Peace Corps, where idealism met design, citizen-to-citizen diplomacy, and the enduring power of art.
Rare Peace Corps promotional posters are paired with photographs, artifacts, and stories from the Peace Corps Iran program from the 1960s and 1970s Poetry in English and Persian illustrates how design and imagination shaped a movement of young people determined to build peace across borders. Highlights include iconic works by Norman Rockwell and Peter Max, original photographs from Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and stories from the nearly two thousand Americans who served in Iran during this period.
“Peace Corps posters are more than recruitment tools—they are cultural artifacts that embody shifting ideals of service, citizenship, and diplomacy across generations,” said Zack Klim, Ph.D., Executive Director of MPCE.
Presented in partnership with the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on how art, service, and human connection shape the meaning of peace across time. The Museum will launch a second exhibit in at the Library in 2026 to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of America and the 65th Anniversary of the Peace Corps.
Opening Reception: October 4, 2025 | 5:00–7:00 pm
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20001, 5th Floor
Register here
Media Contact:
Marisa Valdez
Exhibits Team Volunteer, MPCE
marisa.valdez@peacecorpsmuseum.org | 505-800-3343
General Inquiries: info@peacecorpsmuseum.org
