LA Public Library new art exhibit celebrates innovation, invention

“No Prior Art: Illustrations of Invention,” an ambitious forthcoming exhibition and program series from the Library Foundation of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Public Library, draws from the LAPL’s patent and intellectual property resources and ultimately explores the broad nature of human creativity.

The exhibition set to start this fall delves into creators’ unexpected stories and diverse perspectives through the work of more than a dozen artists and makers at the crossroads of art, science and social impact.

“We are thrilled to participate in PST ART: Art & Science Collide with ‘No Prior Art,’ a dynamic initiative that celebrates the universal impulse for creation, shining a spotlight on unique stories of interdisciplinary ingenuity and lesser-known inventors,” Stacy Lieberman, president and CEO of the LFLA, said in a statement. “This landmark exhibition and exciting range of public programs at libraries across the city will help more Angelenos connect with the free access to information, cutting-edge technology, and endless inspiration that the Los Angeles Public Library provides.”

On view from Sept. 14, 2024 through May 11, 2025 at LAPL’s Central Library the exhibition features approximately 150 sculptures, photographs, drawings, models, inventions and new commissions, spotlighting the imaginative spirit of creators throughout U.S. history. The exhibition’s title is a play on words based on a legal term that’s integral to the patent application process — “no prior art” indicates that an invention must be thoroughly unique and have no clear precedent in existing patents.

“From our extensive patent and intellectual property resources to makerspaces in Central Library’s Octavia Lab and the Koreatown Media Lab at Pio Pico-Koreatown Branch Library, the Los Angeles Public Library is an essential resource for inventors and entrepreneurs of all ages,” City Librarian John F. Szabo said in a statement. “No Prior Art and the dynamic citywide schedule of public programs will wonderfully showcase how our libraries empower creators and support innovation.”

Interdisciplinary artist Shervone Neckles’ sculpture “BEACON,” created with Beam Center and Lewis Latimer House Museum in 2021, will light the pathway that leads attendees into the exhibition.

“BEACON” was inspired by Lewis H. Latimer (1848-1928), the son of an escaped slave, according to the LFLA. Latimer was an inventor, engineer and poet who obtained patents for carbon filaments that made electric lighting more reliable and affordable.

Neckles’ piece “is a monolithic, black metal sculpture” based on the illustration in Latimer’s 1881 patent. Its huge filament lights up in response to the proximity of exhibition visitors, event organizers said.

“As visitors move through the exhibition, they will traverse between distinct, yet related, worlds of invention and innovation,” according to the LFLA.

An area of the exhibit is dedicated to Los Angeles-based fine arts printer and publisher Mixografia that will demonstrate the unique patented process of 3-D printing, showcasing a recent work of art by Analia Saban as an example of the process.

A replica prison cell will be on display as part of the artist collective Temporary Services’ installation “Prisoners’ Inventions.” This exhibits the inventive methods inmates use to improve their living situations despite harsh conditions and limited access to materials.

“Artist and filmmaker Ben Caldwell and his KAOS Network, a community-based Afrofuturistic innovation lab in Leimert Park, will be highlighted in a section dedicated to work that directly connects to LA communities,” organizers said.

Long Beach-based artist Pippa Garner’s original drawings and invention prototypes will be displayed, including several specially fabricated works in collaboration with the artist and based on materials drawn from her archives at STARS Gallery.

“Garner rose to prominence in the 1980s after a series of publications featuring whimsical inventions that subtly critiqued American consumerism,” event organizers said. “In the decades since, she has continued exploring the body, car culture, and the nature of idea generation.”

In its first public showing, Pasadena artist Ben Sakoguchi’s “Great American Inventors” series combines history, humor and social commentary into a presentation of 33 paintings that show American inventors — from electric guitar inventor Les Paul to the inventor of Kevlar, Stephanie Kwolek, to Hedy Lamarr, the Hollywood star who famously moonlighted as an inventor. The series continues Sakoguchi’s “Orange Crate Label” paintings, which he started in the 1970s and revived in the 1990s, inspired by the graphics and images he saw on the orange crates stacked behind his parents’ grocery store.

“Plant patent photographs from the Central Library’s collection and 19th century three-dimensional miniature patent models will demonstrate the artistic element that accompanies the engineering or scientific discoveries being described in a patent application,” according to the LFLA.

Miniature patent models loaned from the Hagley Museum and Library in Delaware will highlight early inventions from California, such as a machine for opening oysters circa 1877. A patent for a side-saddle improvement from 1866, an 1878 chair for window cleaning and other examples will spotlight women’s inventions submitted at a time when intellectual property was the only form of property women in the U.S. could legally own.

“The plant patents show how even our food is an evolving technology, as grower/inventors seek to devise new strains that are more resistant to pests, disease, and the effects of climate change,” organizers said.

On loan from Raymond Hall, a university professor and creator of the @physicsfun Instagram video series, is a collection of toys that demonstrate properties of physics. Hall’s toys were included in the exhibition to impart the importance of play to making scientific and artistic discoveries. From the classic “drinking bird” patented in 1946 to the mirascope, a device that makes a stunning optical illusion and was discovered inadvertently in 1969 by Caliste Landry while working as a custodian at UC Santa Barbara, “these unassuming toys can prompt a deeper exploration of physics principles while highlighting the beauty and aesthetic qualities inherent to physics and related sciences,” according to the LFLA.

“No Prior Art aims to dispel the myth that only exceptional geniuses can invent, while highlighting the communal and collaborative nature of creation,” Todd Lerew, exhibition curator and LFLA director of special projects, said in a statement. “Through an eclectic range of compelling stories and artworks, the exhibition reveals the experimental and inventive process common to creative advancements in the arts as well as in sciences and beyond.”

The free exhibition will open Sept. 14 and continue through May 11, 2025, in the Getty and Annenberg Galleries on the second floor of the Los Angeles Central Library during the library’s standard operating hours.

New commissions

Ellen Harvey’s special commission for “No Prior Art,” “The Utopia Machine,” examines how everyone can factor into positive social impact.

“Through a unique, crowd-sourced and ever-evolving fictional patent drawing, Harvey will respond to ideas submitted by patrons, program participants, and exhibition visitors about what they feel would make the world into a utopia,” organizers said. “She will use these prompts to create fanciful drawings inspired by the aesthetics of 19th-century patent models that will all combine and interact to create a dramatic salon-style installation, ‘The Utopia Machine.'”

Chicago-based Marc Fischer has also contributed a commissioned work that will highlight a wide range of LA-based inventions from recent decades. Fischer’s piece features a series of publications exploring subjects ranging from virtual and augmented reality, to wearable technology for animals, to exercise equipment, “providing distinctive perspectives on the inventive spirit,” according to the LFLA.

Public programs

In addition to “No Prior Art,” a citywide series of over 50 free events coinciding with the exhibition will further explore creativity and invention. Foundation officials aim to highlight the resources that are available from the LA Public Library system, including hands-on technology in the Octavia Lab makerspace at Central Library and the Koreatown Media Lab at the Pio Pico-Koreatown Branch Library.

The schedule of these programs and events will be released at a later date, foundation officials said.