Tell us your story of innovation!
Be a host for the traveling Smithsonian exhibition:
Spark! Places of Innovation.
Application now open for communities in Arizona to participate in 2025!
Spark! Places of Innovation asks, what makes rural Arizona a place of innovation? What new ideas have been sparked when people come together to solve a problem or create meaning? Is it our desire for social improvement? Is it our concern about natural resources…or the scarcity of resources? Is it our unique natural landscapes or environmental changes that affect our lives and livelihoods? All of these and more can inspire innovation.
Designed for small-town museums, libraries, cultural organizations, and more, Spark! Places of Innovation will feature stories of innovation from across the nation and inspire visitors to reflect on how innovation shapes communities, including their own. Arizona towns will develop complementary exhibits, public programs, and educational resources that tell their local stories and invite visitors to celebrate innovation.
Arizona Humanities (AH) is accepting applications from Arizona communities to host an exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution. Please note: this exhibition is intended for rural communities. Any rural Arizona-based nonprofit organizations; tribal and governmental entities; and educational institutions are encouraged to apply.
 The traveling exhibition will visit six (6) communities in Arizona beginning June 2025. AH covers all expenses, including shipping, publicity, travel to two (2) host workshops and an installation workshop, and provides each site with $2,500 for public programming.
- Deadline to Apply: May 31, 2024
- AH Staff Visits: June 2024
- Selection Date: June 30, 2024
- Exhibition Tour: June 14, 2025 – March 28, 2026
Read the Application Guidelines
Applications must be submitted electronically through the AH online dashboard. Paper applications will not be accepted. Applicants will be required to select the top three dates that work best for them to host according to the schedule below:
About Spark! Places of Innovation
Spark! is a traveling exhibition brought to Arizona in partnership with AH and the Smithsonian Institution as part of the Museum on Main Street program. Museum on Main Street is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the state humanities councils across the country. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress
Questions?
Contact Julianne Cheng at jcheng@azhumanities.org | 602-257-0335 x25
