Stockton, California

Taking its title from Plato’s reference to ‘necessity being the mother of invention, the special exhibition Necessity’s Children: 150 Years of Local Inventions presents a sampling of the 2,300+ patents that have been awarded to residents of Stockton since the late 1850s. Given this city’s role in the development of local agriculture, it is not surprising that the majority of Stockton patents relate directly to both new and improved machinery that has helped to make San Joaquin County the seventh most productive agricultural county in the United States.While it is impossible for the museum to highlight all of the many patents that have been held by Stocktonians over the past 150 years, they will be accessible via a searchable database. Using search criteria such as the inventor’s name, the date the patent was awarded, its title or a general descriptive phrase, museum visitors will be able to view patents for everything from tomato harvesters to horse pacifiers.

This exhibition will open in the newly-named Tuleburg Gallery (formerly the Upper West Gallery), at a special reception on Thursday, November 18, at 7:00 p.m. (along with Centuries of Progress: American World's Fairs, 1853-1982) Both will remain on display through February 6, 2011.

Hours:

Wednesdays through Fridays, 1:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Saturdays & Sundays, 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.
1st & 3rd Thursdays, 1:30 to 9:00 p.m.