Inventive Minds is a changing exhibition gallery that introduces Museum visitors to the Lemelson Center’s mission to foster an appreciation for the central role of invention and innovation in the history of the United States. In our ongoing work to document American inventors and increase our understanding of the inventive process, the Lemelson Center works with the Museum's archivists and curators to collect, preserve, and share the historical records of inventors and innovators from all segments of American society.
Through first-person videos, artifacts, and archival materials, visitors to Inventive Minds learn about the traits that successful inventors share—insatiable curiosity, keen problem-solving skills, tenacity, and flexibility in the face of failure—and explore the creative spirit of American invention.
From September 2016 through August 2017, the gallery features the stories of historic and contemporary inventors whose work on socially-responsible technologies creates profound change for the common good. Click on the links to the right to learn more about Inventive Minds: Inventing Green.
