Picturing Women Inventors Exhibit
A traveling poster exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Picturing Women Inventors showcases the breakthroughs, motivations, and challenges women encountered while pursuing their goals as inventors. On display from March 1-31, 2022, on the third floor of Missouri State University’s Meyer Library, this exhibition is sponsored by SHSMO–Springfield.
Exploring the inventions of eleven highly accomplished American women, Picturing Women Inventors highlights stories like those of Alexis Lewis, who at age 12 invented a simpler way to transport families and their belongings, having been inspired by the plight of Somalian refugees. Computer pioneers and businesswomen join athletes, engineers, and even teenagers in this remarkable group of inventors curated to educate and inspire young people to see themselves as future inventors. Companion displays highlight women innovators from Missouri like Lucy Wortham James, Annie Turnbo Malone, Nell Donnelly Reed, and Rose O’Neill.
Picturing Women Inventors is distributed at no cost to schools, libraries, museums, and community organizations by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). It is sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies IF/THEN Initiative and Ericsson.