Grinnell, Iowa – Every invention and innovation is someone’s attempt to turn a problem into a solution. The results: Old neighborhoods revitalized, historic business districts rejuvenated, new festivals and cultural attractions generated and much more. “Spark! Places of Innovation,” a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian, highlights how innovation has shaped small towns across the country. An exhibition examining the ingenuity and tenacity of rural America opens at the Spaulding Transportation Center at Grinnell City Hall on September 9, 2024. “Spark!” will be on view through October 20, 2024.
Grinnell College, a Smithsonian Affiliate, was selected by the Smithsonian’s Museums on Main Street program to host the “Spark!” exhibition in Grinnell before sponsoring its tour across Iowa until the summer of 2025. The exhibition will be on display at the Monticello Heritage and Cultural Center (October 26–December 8, 2024), the Newton Public Library (December 14, 2024–February 2, 2025), and the Larkin Library and Envisioning Center in Tabor (February 8–March 30, 2025).
“Spark! Places of Innovation” highlights innovation in rural America from the perspective of the people who lived it. The exhibition features stories and images from over 30 communities across the nation gathered through a crowdsourcing initiative. These places of innovation examined their existing assets, characteristics, people, resources and history to tackle the challenges of today with creative solutions and chart new directions for their future. Through photographs, hands-on interactives, objects and videos, “Spark!” reveals the leaders, challenges, successes and future of innovation in each featured town.
“‘Spark!’ allows us to reflect on Grinnell’s history, present and future and we are excited to explore what the future may hold for our community,” said Sarah Smith, director of outreach programming and events in the Office of Community Partnerships, Planning, and Research. “We want to convene conversations about innovation in our own community and have developed local exhibitions and public programs to complement the Smithsonian exhibition.”
Designed for small-town museums, libraries and cultural organizations, “Spark!” will serve as a community meeting place for conversations about innovation, hosting public programs to raise people’s understanding about their own history, the joys and challenges of living rural, how change has impacted their community, and prompt discussion of goals for the future.
The exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, and local host organizations. “Spark!” was inspired by “Places of Invention,” an exhibition developed by the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. To learn more about “Spark! Places of Innovation” and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org.
SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 70 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. For exhibition description and tour schedules, visit www.sites.si.edu.
WHEN:
September 9–October 20, 2024
Monday-Friday 7:30am–4:30pm
WHERE:
Spaulding Transportation Center at Grinnell City Hall
520 4th Ave Grinnell, IA 50112
Please enter at the west side of the building.
