Spark! Innovation in Rural America Showcased in Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition
Release Date: Monday 2023-10-16
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. The exhibition examining the ingenuity and tenacity of rural America opens at the Herrett Center for Arts & Science on Saturday, October 14th, at 1:00 p.m. “Spark!” will be on exhibit through Saturday, November 25th.
The Herrett Center for Arts & Science and the surrounding community has been chosen by the Idaho Humanities Council to host “Spark!” as part of the Museum on Main Street program—a national/state/local partnership to bring exhibitions and programs to rural cultural organizations. The exhibition is touring six communities in Idaho, and will conclude its tour in Idaho on March 2, 2024, in Marsing.
“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.
The exhibit is organized into four different categories of innovation: social, artistic, technological and cultural. Examples of innovation include the Art & Environment Initiative in Meadville, Pennsylvania, that collaborates with community members through public art projects that revitalize, beautify and help transform shared spaces. And the University of New Mexico-Taos Hub of Internet-based Vocation and Education (HIVE) that brought together educators, environmentalists and local leaders to create coworking space, a small business support center and on-site UMN-Taos classes.
“‘Spark!’ allows us to reflect on the Magic Valley’s history, present and future and we are excited to explore what the future may hold for our communities,” said museum director Joey Heck. “We want to convene conversations about innovation in our own towns and have developed local exhibitions and public programs to complement the Smithsonian exhibition.” Alongside “Spark!”, the Herrett Center will feature small exhibitions about the innovative methods of museum-founder Norman Herrett, as well as the enormous irrigation projects that helped shape the future of the Magic Valley.
Designed for small-town museums, libraries and cultural organizations, “Spark!” will serve as a community meeting place for conversations about innovation. With the support and guidance of state humanities councils, these towns will develop complementary exhibits, host public programs and facilitate educational initiatives 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.
The public is invited to attend an opening reception for the exhibition on October 14th at 1:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
The Herrett Center for Arts and Science is located on the northeast side of the College of Southern Idaho main campus in Twin Falls, ID. The museum’s public hours are Tuesdays and Fridays 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM, Wednesdays and Thursdays 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and Saturdays 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The museum is closed Sundays, Mondays, and federal holidays. Admission to the galleries is free.
This is exhibit is free and open during normal business hours.
Exhibition Description
Spark! Places of Innovation, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program, dives into innovation and invention happening in rural America. In small towns across America, people are creating new products, taking risks, meeting challenges together, and seizing upon exciting opportunities that change local life and sometimes reach far beyond. Spark! features stories from over 30 rural communities across the nation that reveal the dynamic relationship between place and creativity. Technical, social, cultural, artistic, or a combination of all of these—every innovation is as unique as each community.
Spark! Places of Innovation is part of MoMS, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, state humanities councils across the nation, and local host organizations. To learn more, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org.
Explore the ingenuity and tenacity of rural Americans in Spark! Places of Innovation.
Herrett Center Contact: Joey Heck, (208) 732-6668; jheck@csi.edu
State Council Contact: Doug Exton, Idaho Humanities Council, (208) 345-5346
Smithsonian Contact: Jennifer Schommer, (202) 633-3121; schommerj@si.edu