What is it about a particular place that excites a creative mind and makes it a “place of invention?” How do creative people shape the spaces in which they work? What combinations of elements make one place a hotbed of innovation while a similar place may founder? These questions and many more were discussed at the first Lemelson Institute through case studies of creative people, new and existing spaces, and innovative regions.
The findings of the Lemelson Institute offer insight into the qualities of physical space that are conducive to innovation; the ways that creative people shape the spaces in which they work; and common creative features among places ranging from the garages and basements of independent inventors to academic or government laboratories to regions and cyberspace.
Circular image above: Lemelson Center director Art Molella photographed the moon through Dorothy Lemelson's telescope during the Places of Invention Lemelson Institute, August 2007. © Smithsonian Institution; photo by Art Molella
