Pope John Paul II Cultural Center

The primary goal of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center is to express the faith, life and mission of the Catholic Church as illuminated by the pontificate of John Paul II. The Foundation hoped to attract Catholics and non-Catholics from around the world, including Washington D.C. residents, tourists, school children and religious scholars. ESI’s challenge was to design exhibits that express the Catholic faith to an audience with different levels of knowledge about the religion, its doctrine, history and traditions. ESI met frequently with representatives from the Foundation to develop the visitor program, including an intensive two-week period during which our team explored the exhibit content with a committee of clergymen and Catholic scholars.

At the beginning of their visit to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, individuals choose one of seven themes to help them focus their time at the Center. Each theme illuminates information from a different perspective so when a visitor returns for another visit, they can choose a different theme and experience the Center in a new and equally compelling way. After viewing an orientation film, guests can explore five main galleries dedicated to topics such as Church History, Faith, Wonder, Community and Imagination.

Several of the galleries allow visitors to record or write a message that expresses their ideas about faith. If they choose to share their messages, their testimonials become part of a living exhibit that continuously brings new meaning to the collective understanding of faith and community.

Visit the client's website at jp2cc.org