Spark!
Places of Innovation
Explore the ingenuity and tenacity of rural Americans.
Visit the Smithsonian exhibition “Spark! Places of Innovation” at the Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library, October 10 through November 21.
You’ll hear stories from people who turned community problems into real solutions. Old neighborhoods revitalized; historic business districts rejuvenated; cultural attractions generated. These towns are going places. Rural innovation –all it takes it a spark!
Presented in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council.
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.
The exhibit will be open during the Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library’s normal operating hours. See below:
| Monday | 9:00-7:00 |
| Tuesday | 9:00-7:00 |
| Wednesday | 9:00-7:00 |
| Thursday | 9:00-7:00 |
| Friday | 9:00-5:30 |
| Saturday | 9:00-5:30 |
| Sunday | 2:00-5:00 |
Programming
First Regional Library and the Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library are partnering with local organizations, educators, and community leaders to present a series of complementary public programs alongside the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit, Spark! Places of Innovation.
Brought to the community in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, this initiative pairs the national exhibition with local expertise to celebrate regional ingenuity, history, and creative problem-solving.
Opening Reception: Spark! Places of Innovation
Saturday, October 10, 1:00PM – 3:00PM
Location: Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library
Family Flick: Cars
Start a family conversation about community engagement and problem-solving with this fun favorite!
Saturday, October 10, 10:00AM
Location: Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library
Sparking Epiphanies: Giving Voice to Hidden History in Plain Sight
University of Mississippi Center for the Study of Southern Culture
Thursday, November 12, 5:30PM
Location: Tupelo Room of Barnard Observatory
Innovations at Insight Park
University of Mississippi Office for Research and Economic Development, Center for Manufacturing Excellence, National Center for Narrative Intelligence, and EdgeTheory
Thursday, October 22, 9:00AM
Location: University of Mississippi Insight Park
Trivia @ the Library: Civics
Tuesday, October 13, 5:30PM
Location: Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library
How to Citizen: Civics Skills for Everyone
University of Mississippi Department of Journalism
Saturday, October 24, 10:30AM – 1:00PM
Location: Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library
Opening Reception – Soul Force Magazine: Decades of Community Voices
Sunday, October 25, 3:00PM – 5:00PM
Location: Burns-Belfry Museum & Multicultural Center
Big Bad Business Series: Night of Genius
Oxford Lafayette Incorporated and Yoknapatawpha Arts Council
Tuesday, October 27, 6:00PM
Location: The Powerhouse
Community Development and Innovation in North Mississippi
University of Mississippi Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement and the John C. Stennis Institute of Government
Tuesday, November 3, 5:30PM
Location: Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library
Trivia @ the Library: Innovation and Invention
Tuesday, November 10, 5:30PM
Location: Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library
Spark Tank: A Hands-On Workshop for Solving Community Problems
University of Mississippi School of Business Administration
Saturday, November 14, 1:00PM
Location: Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library
Family Flick: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Celebrate creativity and innovation with this 1971 classic!
Saturday, November 14, 10:00AM
Location: Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library
Moving Spirits: Encountering the Ancestors Film Screening and Q&A
University of Mississippi Center for the Study of Southern Culture
Tuesday, November 17, 5:30PM
Location: Tupelo Room of Barnard Observatory
Partner Exhibits
On the Move: Historical Maps of Lafayette County and Mississippi
October 10 – November 21
Location: Lafayette County Historical and Genealogical Society Genealogy Room in the Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library
Soul Force Magazine: Decades of Community Voices
October 26 – 30
Location: Burns-Belfry Museum & Multicultural Center
Demystifying Place
University of Mississippi Center for the Study of Southern Culture
November 2 – 20
Location: Barnard Observatory, Gammill Gallery
Our Partners
