Smithsonian exhibition coming to Grinnell

GRINNELL — Grinnell College, a Smithsonian affiliate, was selected by the Smithsonian’s Museums on Main Street program to host a traveling exhibition in Grinnell.

“Spark! Places of Innovation,” a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian, highlights how innovation has shaped small towns across the country, said Grinnell College in a press release last week.

An exhibition examining the ingenuity and tenacity of rural America opens at the Spaulding Transportation Center at Grinnell City Hall Sept. 9 “Spark!” and will be on view through Oct. 20.

The exhibition will be on display at the Monticello Heritage and Cultural Center from Oct. 26-Dec. 8, the Newton Public Library from Dec. 14-Feb. 2 and the Larkin Library and Envisioning Center in Tabor from Feb. 8-March 30.

“Spark! Places of Innovation” highlights innovation in rural America from the perspective of the people who lived it, the press release says.

The exhibition features stories and images from more than 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 interactive activities, objects and videos, “Spark!” reveals the leaders, challenges, successes and future of innovation in each featured town, the press release says.

The exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, 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.