Humanities Nebraska (HN) (humanitiesnebraska.org) is now accepting community applications for “SPARK! Places of Innovation,” a Smithsonian Museum on Main Street (MoMS) exhibition that will tour Nebraska from June 2026 through March 2027. Applications are due February 15.
Inspired by an exhibition at the National Museum of American History, 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.
SPARK! offers a springboard for diverse local programming in the humanities, sciences, and arts. Visitors will be inspired to learn how innovation has shaped their own communities and how they may be innovators themselves. Community members will come together in conversation about their history, present and future.
Applications will be accepted from libraries and other community centers as well as from museums. Nebraska sites will be selected to host the exhibition for about six weeks each between June 2026 and March 2027, with support and materials from Humanities Nebraska and the Museum on Main Street program. The selected hosts will be asked to help promote the exhibition, develop a companion local exhibit, and offer educational programming related to the theme.
An application and more information about hosting SPARK! is available on the HN website at humanitiesnebraska.org or by contacting Mary Yager at mary@humanitiesnebraska.org or (402) 474-2131. Applications are due February 15.