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Smithsonian Exhibit Exploring Innovation in Rural America Comes to North Carolina in May 2025

SPARK exhibit sign

North Carolina Humanities is bringing the Smithsonian Institution exhibition Spark! Places of Innovation to North Carolina. Exploring the places, people, and circumstances that spark innovation and invention in rural communities, Spark! will tour in six North Carolina communities between May 2025 – February 2026.

The tour begins with Good Stewards of Rockingham hosting the exhibition in Mayodan in May 2025. From there, the exhibition travels to the Beaufort Branch of Carteret County Public Library in Beaufort, Iredell Museums in Statesville, Alamance County Public Libraries’ May Memorial Library in Burlington, and Madison County Arts Council in Marshall. The tour concludes at Person County Museum of History in Roxboro in February 2026. See below for the full tour schedule.

Every invention and innovation is someone’s attempt to turn a problem into a solution. The results: Old neighborhoods are revitalized, historic business districts are rejuvenated, new festivals and cultural attractions are generated and much more. Spark! Places of Innovation, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian, highlights how innovation in rural America has shaped small towns across the country from the perspective of the people who have lived it. The exhibition features stories and images from over 30 communities across the nation gathered through a crowdsourcing initiative. The exhibition is organized into four different categories of innovation: social, artistic, technological and cultural. Through photographs, hands-on interactives, objects and videos, Spark! reveals the leaders, challenges, successes, and future of innovation in each featured town.

Spark! will serve as a community meeting place for conversations about innovation. With program support and grant funding from North Carolina Humanities, the six selected host organizations will develop complementary exhibits and offer public programs and events that prompt discussions about local North Carolina issues, history, people, and stories.

Photo by Emily Boren.

North Carolina Humanities has proudly partnered with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service for over a decade to bring eight unique Smithsonian exhibitions to over 30 different North Carolina small-town and rural museums, community colleges, libraries, and historic sites. In 2025 Spark! is nationally touring in Arizona, Florida, Maryland, and North Carolina. To stay up to date with the North Carolina 2025 – 2026 tour of Spark! Places of Innovation please visit nchumanities.org.

North Carolina Humanities Selected Exhibition Host OrganizationCityTour Dates*
Good Stewards of RockinghamMayodanMay 21, 2025 – July 6, 2025
Carteret County Public Library – Beaufort Branch LibraryBeaufortJuly 10, 2025 – Aug 20, 2025
Iredell MuseumsStatesvilleAug 24, 2025 – Oct 5, 2024
Alamance County Public Libraries – May Memorial Library BurlingtonOct 9, 2025 – Nov 19, 2025
Madison County Arts CouncilMarshall Nov 23, 2025 – Jan 13, 2026
Person County Museum of HistoryRoxboroJan 17, 2026 – Feb 28, 2026
*dates are subject to change

About the exhibition: Spark! Places of Innovation is part of Museum on Main Street (MoMS), a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, including North Carolina Humanities, and local host organizations. 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. North Carolina Humanities has worked with SITES for over a decade to bring MoMS exhibitions to North Carolina’s small towns and rural communities. Spark! Places of Innovation was inspired by Places of Invention, an exhibition developed by the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Note: Exhibition descriptions are provided by SITES. To learn more about Spark! Places of Innovation and other MoMS exhibitions, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org.

About North Carolina Humanities: Through public humanities programs and grantmaking, North Carolina Humanities connects North Carolinians with cultural experiences that spur dialogue, deepen human connections, and inspire community. North Carolina Humanities is a nonpartisan, statewide nonprofit, and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. To learn more, visit www.nchumanities.org.

NC Humanities Press Contact: Melanie Moore Richeson, mmoore@nchumanities.org