From the Secretary: Celebrating innovation
The English word “innovation” derives from the Latin innovatio, meaning “renewal” or “change.” Innovation begins with creative ideas, but it is not complete until inventive ideas are put to practical use. Innovation abounds at the Smithsonian, but too often, it is too little celebrated.
The patent model for the buoyancy device invented by Abraham Lincoln.
Most “new ideas” at the Smithsonian have a rich history. For example, what we now know as the Donald W. Reynolds Center was originally the Patent Office Building, authorized by President Andrew Jackson on July 4, 1836 and completed in 1842. It was dubbed the “noblest of Washington buildings” by Walt Whitman, and its Greek Revival architecture helped it become widely known as a “temple of invention.” A large collection of U.S. patent models came to us in 1925, and our collections now contain more than 10,000 of these models of American inventiveness. One patent model–an engine design for the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor by John Ericsson—is housed in a case in my office; another on view in the American History Museum is credited as the only patent issued to a President of the United States.
Fascinated with machinery, water transportation and canal infrastructure, the young Abraham Lincoln designed a flotation system for ships that allowed them to become more buoyant on demand. Inflatable chambers could help lift grounded boats out of shoals or over obstructions into deeper water—without the need to unload cargo. Lincoln produced a model with the help of Walter Davis, a Springfield mechanic, which received a patent in 1849. The model, “Buoying Vessels over Shoals,” can be viewed at MAH’s Lincoln exhibition until May 30.
(Fisher, "The Great Horseshoe Fall," Niagara 1820, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum) Niagara Falls represented the American beliefs about abundant natural resources for fueling the nation’s progress in the 19th century. When Abraham Lincoln was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, he and his family were traveling back home from their trip to Niagara Falls aboard the steamboat Globe in 1848 up the Detroit River, and came upon another steamboat, Canada, that had run aground on Fighting Island. Witnessing the crew buoying the boat over the shallow waters no doubt reminded Lincoln of the time when he was 22 years old in April 1831, and his flatboat, hauling cargo to the market in New Orleans, ran aground on the Rutledge milldam in New Salem, Ill. Directing the crew to unload the cargo, Lincoln ran into the village, borrowed an augur from the cooper shop, bored a hole in the end of the boat hanging over the dam, and rolled some barrels onto the hanging end. Once the water drained out of the flatboat, he plugged the hole and then guided the boat over the dam. These experiences inspired him to invent a system to lift aground vessels in shallow waters and help guide them to deeper waters.
‘Great Experiments’ at our Exhibitions
The incredible outpouring of new ideas in the 1800s led Americans to believe our nation harbored a unique genius for innovation. This age of invention will be captured by a new exhibition, The Great American Hall of Wonders, opening July 15 at the American Art Museum, featuring stories of successful and unsuccessful experiments of the past. The exhibition will highlight the history of invention in America and display paintings by artists such as John James Audubon, Thomas Moran, and Charles Willson Peale, as well as a variety of patent models. SAAM has collaborated with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to offer public programs about contemporary inventors and inventions. Curator Claire Perry will discuss what makes our nation a “great experiment,” and explore current innovative trends July 14, at 6 p.m. In November, SAAM will install a small exhibition, Inventing a Better Mousetrap: Patent Models from the Rothschild Collection, with 35 patented 19th-century inventions from Alan Rothschild’s personal collection, one of the world’s largest.
"Spinal Diagnosis-a regenerate case no. 2" by Sandile Zulu, 2010. Fire, water, air, earth, Flexi plywood, collection of the artist. (Photo by Franko Khoury, National Museum of African Art)
At the Smithsonian, innovation is celebrated in history, but it is also happening right now. Recently, researchers from MNH undertook an expedition to Guyana to obtain the first scientific sample collection of fishes from the Cuyuni River. Gold mining operations on the river are threatening the ecosystem, so the expedition was critical in helping to survey fish species, since many are disappearing. The researchers collected more than 5,000 specimens, but before they could return to Washington, D.C., they were faced with the daunting task of identifying each and every specimen in order to obtain an export permit. Their innovation? They posted high-quality photographs on a Facebook page and asked for help—which arrived almost instantaneously. Within a day, scientists from all over the world joined forces and identified over 90-percent of the fish specimens.
"Xilonoma Chamusquius" by Henrique Oliveira, 2010. Wood, fire, plaster, hardware, pigment, collection of the artist, Henrique Oliveira. (Photo by Franko Khoury, National Museum of African Art)
Innovation has long been a hallmark of great art. The Museum of African Art’s “Artists in Dialogue” series invites two artists to explore each other’s work, style and materials. The artists interpret and transform each other’s artistic styles and produce new works of art. The current series (on display until Dec. 4) features Sandile Zulu from Johannesburg, South Africa, and Henrique Oliveira from San Paolo, Brazil. Known for his paintings of wood “canvases” stretching to 70 feet, Oliveira gives his viewers the sense of existing within the artwork. Zulu explores the relationship between physical and social conditions. Using fire, water, air and earth, he burns carefully designed patterns into canvases. Oliveira passed along his trademark material “tapumes” (weathered wood) to Zulu who, in turn, shared with Oliveira his working-with-fire technique.
A Google technician uses a special imaging device to capture a street view of the Japanese Screens gallery (Gallery 5) at the Freer Gallery of Art. (Photo by John Tsantes, Freer and Sackler Galleries)
The Freer Gallery collaborated with Google to be part of Google’s innovative Art Project, which launched in February. Using Google Street View technology, the project lets online visitors stroll through the halls of the Freer and examine artworks in brushstroke detail through gigapixel imaging. It allows the public to interact with art, while inspiring them to see the actual works. Honoring the mission of the gallery’s founder, Charles Lang Freer, to highlight connections between Asian and Western artistic traditions, the gallery selected 100 works from its collections of Asian and American art, spanning 6,000 years and numerous cultures.
Partnering with the University of Chicago’s Smart Museum, the Sackler Gallery presents Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan (on display until July 31), a major traveling exhibition showcasing sixth-century Chinese Buddhist sculpture. The limestone caves in which the sculptures were carved suffered severe damage during the early 20th century when its artifacts were chiseled away, making it difficult for today’s visitors to appreciate or understand the majestic achievements of the ancient artists. The Smart Museum digitally “restored” the caves and the missing pieces of the sculpture using innovative technology, creating a 3-D simulated, kinetic recreation of one of the largest stone temples. If you have not seen this, don’t wait.
Gallery views of Xiangtangshan. (Photo by Freer and Sackler staff photographer, John Tsantes)
Hands-on Innovation
At the American History Museum, innovation is at the heart of the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center of Invention and Innovation, where the motto is “Everyone is an inventor.” Invention at Play is an interactive, engaging and fun exhibition celebrating the similar ways children and adults play and the creative processes inventors and innovators use in science, technology and other fields. Using an interdisciplinary approach that illustrates connections among science, art, history, music and technology, the Center encourages kids to engage in invention through interactive exhibitions. The Center allows the public to meet and interact with inventors such as Daniella Reichstetter, CEO of Gyrobike, who will talk on June 4 about an invention designed to replace training wheels on children’s bikes. Using a battery-powered gyroscope, the Gyrowheel senses unbalanced biking and re-centers the bike underneath the rider’s weight at the point when tipping starts to occur. Wish they had this when I was growing up!
A Spark!Lab volunteer awards a patent to a young visitor for his invention. (Photo courtesy of Stephen J. Boitano)
Innovation at the Smithsonian occurs in history, art, culture and science—especially in education. On May 4 and 5, Assistant Secretary of Education Claudine Brown and the head of the National Science Resources Center, Sally Schuler, brought together over 80 educational specialists from around the Smithsonian to discuss STEAM, or a new way in which STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math) can use art to stimulate k-12 students’ interest in science while promoting creativity. If there is any organization ideally positioned to be a leader in crossing the boundaries between art and science, the Smithsonian is it.
Innovation in our Future
There are also exciting innovative concepts in our future. In spring 2012, the Hirshhorn will embark on a large-scale exhibition that will involve an entire building. Internationally renowned artist Doug Aitken will transform the Hirshhorn’s circular building into “liquid architecture” by illuminating the entire museum’s façade with animation, using nearly a dozen high-definition projectors. The 360-degree projection will make the museum appear as though it is floating, and visitors will need to walk around the museum’s exterior to fully appreciate the artwork.
Doug Aitken, conceptual rendering for 360-degree projection installation commissioned by the Hirshhorn, scheduled for 2012. (Photo: Doug Aitken Workshop)
If levitating the Hirshhorn using lighting is not enough, in fall 2012 we look forward to the launching of the Seasonal Inflatable Structure (SIS), designed by firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Fondly known as the “bubble,” the SIS has already been recognized by Architect, the magazine of the American Institute of Architects, with the Progressive Architecture Award. The SIS is designed to foster social outreach and an intellectual and artistic exchange, and groups are lining up to be the first to use it.
Just as the old Patent Office Building has been transformed into an exciting and creative space for art and education, the Smithsonian today is becoming a place where innovation and the renewal it brings are celebrated. We hold innovation in high esteem for its role in our nation’s history, for what it means to us today, and for the excitement it creates for our future.
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Posted: 11 May 2011
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