Ford Motor Company Fund, Smithsonian Bring Spark!Lab to Anchorage, Opening the Doors to Innovation and Invention

The newest Spark!Lab opens at Anchorage Museum with experiments, games and activities to stimulate the imagination and spark creativity

Spark!Lab is a unique, hands-on educational experience for children and families

Spark!Lab is one of several educational programs supported by Ford Motor Company Fund in collaboration with the Smithsonian

ANCHORAGE, AK -- March 06, 2015: Spark!Lab, the hands-on invention experience from the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, is opening its newest location at the Anchorage Museum in Alaska. With the support of Ford Motor Company Fund, Spark!Lab will engage children and families in the invention process through science experiments, games, activities and special programs, such as SparkNite, a look at the innovation and inventions of Alaska’s history and Arctic environment.

“A spark of imagination and understanding what it means to invent can open up new opportunities and take a young person a long way toward success in education and career”

The Anchorage Spark!Lab, one of only five across the country, encourages creativity, collaboration and problem solving by inviting visitors to tinker and explore, as they develop new skills and confidence in their abilities.

“A spark of imagination and understanding what it means to invent can open up new opportunities and take a young person a long way toward success in education and career,” said Pamela Alexander, director of Community Development, Ford Motor Company Fund. “When learning is fun, it can plant the seeds of exploration and discovery, and open a child’s eyes to the possibilities of what they can achieve.”

Developed by the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History, the Spark!Lab at the Anchorage Museum, which is attached to the Discovery Center, is made possible through the support of the Ford Motor Company Fund.

Spark!Lab at Anchorage Museum opens to the public at 10 a.m. on March 6.

The original Spark!Lab opened in 2008 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. That Spark!Lab is undergoing renovations with support from Ford Fund and will reopen July 1, 2015. Ford Fund contributions also support a Spark!Lab in Kansas City, in addition to this new facility in Anchorage.