A traveling museum exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution that focuses on innovation in rural America is now open in Newton, the third of four host cities in Iowa.
Erin Chambers, the city’s community development director, says Newton leaders are thrilled to have been picked to be the temporary home of the display called “Spark! Places of Innovation.”
Chambers says, “We have a high-quality, national-museum quality exhibit on display free of charge for anybody who wants to come to Newton and check it out.”
The exhibit uses photographs, hands-on activities, objects, and videos to tell the stories of how rural communities tackled modern challenges. It’s organized into four themes — social, artistic, technological, and cultural innovation.
Chambers says the display provides real-life examples of small towns solving big problems, which plays well in Jasper County.
“Newton has a very strong history of entrepreneurship and innovation, which, because that’s the topic of this exhibit, really interested the historic preservation commission,” Chambers says, “to the end that the Newton HPC has partnered with the Jasper County Historical Society to augment the Smithsonian exhibit with Jasper County-related content.”
After earlier stops in Grinnell and Monticello, the exhibit is at Legacy Plaza in Newton through January 30th. Its final Iowa stop will be in Tabor, February 8th through March 30th.