CARTERET COUNTY, N.C. (July 7, 2025) – Innovation often begins in small communities, where creativity and determination come together to solve real-world problems. A new traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution brings national attention to how rural America turns local challenges into forward-thinking solutions.

The Carteret County Public Library will host “Spark! Places of Innovation” from Thursday, July 10, through Aug. 19. Presented in partnership with North Carolina Humanities, Spark! is part of the Museum on Main Street program, a collaboration that brings Smithsonian exhibitions to rural towns across the country.

The exhibition explores how innovation takes shape in communities through personal stories, photographs, hands-on interactives and video. It features the experiences of more than 30 towns that have used local history, culture, people and resources to drive progress and revitalize their regions.

“‘Spark!’ allows us to reflect on Carteret County’s history, present and future,” said Dorothy Howell, Carteret County library director. “We are excited to explore what innovation means in our community and to host programs that connect our past to the possibilities ahead.”

Organized into four categories — social, artistic, technological and cultural — the exhibit includes examples like the Art & Environment Initiative in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where public art revitalizes neighborhoods, and the University of New Mexico-Taos HIVE, which provides space for small businesses, education and collaboration.

In addition to the exhibition, the library will offer several free public events and local displays:

• Dr. Stan Rule, local historian and blogger, will present a talk on the disappearing history of cabin communities on Core Banks. His research and oral histories preserve the stories and traditions of families who lived there before the creation of Cape Lookout National Seashore.
• Barbara McCreary, a retired teacher and librarian, will read from her children’s book that celebrates Eastern North Carolina’s local history and coastal beauty. Free copies of the book will be given to young attendees.
• A decoy carving exhibit, in collaboration with the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum, will feature photographs by Baxter Miller and spotlight multigenerational carving families from Carteret County.

“Spark! Places of Innovation” is designed for small-town libraries, museums and cultural institutions, and encourages reflection on how change has shaped — and continues to shape — rural communities. The exhibition will visit six North Carolina communities between May 2025 and February 2026. For the full schedule, visit www.nchumanities.org.

The local presentation is sponsored by the Friends of the Carteret County Public Library.

Community members are encouraged to attend the exhibition, participate in events and celebrate Carteret County’s spirit of innovation.

For more information, visit www.carteretcountypubliclibrary.org.

Local contacts:

Millie Sparks, program and outreach coordinator
Carteret County Public Library
252-515-3501 | millie.sparks@carteretcountync.gov

Dorothy Howell, library director
Carteret County Public Library
252-648-1808 | dorothy.howell@carteretcountync.gov

North Carolina Humanities contact:
Melanie Moore Richeson
mmoore@nchumanities.org 

Smithsonian contact:
Jennifer Schommer
202-633-3121 | schommerj@si.edu

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