By Humanities Nebraska
Humanities Nebraska (HN) has announced six Nebraska communities will be hosting a Smithsonian Museum on Main Street (MoMS) exhibition. “SPARK! Places of Innovation,” will tour Nebraska from June 2026 through March 2027, visiting the communities of Aurora, Broken Bow, Chadron, Haigler, Madison and Verdigre.
“Each host site has been planning a local aspect to ‘Spark!’ that will encourage interaction by people in their respective areas,” said Mary Yager, HN associate director. “It’s exciting to see how Nebraskans will be able to engage in discussions and activities based on actual innovations that strengthen local communities.”
Inspired by an exhibition developed by the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, “SPARK!” is specially designed for small museums by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). It uses art, photography, artifacts and interactives to explore the unique combination of places, people and circumstances that spark innovation and invention in rural communities across the nation.
The schedule for this touring exibition will be as follows:
Broken Bow, June 13 - July 25, 2026 at Custer County Historical Society
Chadron, August 3 - Sept. 11, 2026 at Dawes County Historical Society
Haigler, Sep. 21 - Oct. 30, 2026 at Haigler Cornerstone Center
Madison, Nov. 9 - Dec. 18, 2026 at Madison Public Library
Verdigre, Jan. 5 - Feb. 13, 2027 at Verdigre Public Library
Aurora, Feb. 23 - March 27, 2027 at Plainsman Museum
This exhibition will be brought to Nebraska with the help of local funding support. Businesses and other organizations that are interested in sponsoring may contact Erin L. Moran, director of development, erin@humanitiesnebraska.org.
“SPARK! Places of Innovation” is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration of the Smithsonian Institution and Humanities Nebraska. Museum on Main Street is a partnership between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and state humanities councils nationwide that serves the small-town museums and citizens of rural America.
Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress. Humanities Nebraska is a private nonprofit with a mission to help people explore what connects us and makes us human. HN is a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and is funded in part by an appropriation from the Nebraska Legislature, private donations and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, a public-private partnership with state dollars matching private dollars to benefit the arts and humanities in Nebraska.