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 2018 through December 2019, the Inventive Minds gallery features a selection of stories illustrating the creativity of women inventors over more than a century. The exhibition will be updated with new inventors' stories in April and August 2019, so we invite you to check back often.
Click on the links to the right to learn more about Inventive Minds: Women Inventors.