Hands-on fun awaits at Leonardo’s Lab

Leondaro da Vinci inspires exhibit at Springfield Museums

By C ori U rban Special to The Republican

Powers, director of science at the museums. “All of us have imaginations, and it’s important for us to make time to use them and to understand that even playful ideas can sometimes change the world for the better.” aerodynamics. Inspired by his reverse-print method, they can write backwards so it seems correct when viewed in a mirror. They can also put their own spin on his most famous work, The Mona Lisa, using different art techniques.

THE

ARTWORK

AND invention of Leonardo da Vinci continue to inspire generations of people worldwide, and an exhibition, Leonardo’s Lab — on exhibit until April 23 at the Springfield Science Museum — is doing just that in Western Massachusetts.

“We hope that museum visitors will be excited to learn more about the way he used his imagination to produce so many things the world had never seen before, from wild inventions to the most famous art in the world,” said Jenny

Visitors to the exhibit can immerse themselves in the mind of da Vinci, the original “Renaissance Man.” Explore all the fascinating facets of his work across multiple disciplines in hands-on ways while building, sketching, testing and designing via activities tied to his era and ideas. The brain challenges, opportunities for creative expression and intriguing ideas are for children and adults alike.

Visitors can recreate da Vinci’s tool-and-hardware-free interlocking bridge and assemble an air-powered flying ‘copter, making changes to improve the

“The best thing about this exhibit is that it is entirely handson,” Powers said. “Whether it’s building, drawing, engineering or other creative thinking, this exhibit is full of tactile experiences that we hope can serve everyone.”

Parents, grandparents or other caregivers will have fun engaging and solving challenges with the children that they bring to the museum, she said. “We hope kids will feel inspired to use their own creativity to make the world a better place.”

For more information, go to springfieldmuseums.org/ exhibitions/leonardos-lab.