George Washington Carver

Shampoo from peanuts? Ink from sweet potatoes? With imagination and scientific skill, George Washington Carver developed hundreds of unexpected products from everyday plants.

Although he is best known for his work on a common legume (the peanut), this exhibition reveals he was an exceptionally uncommon man: outstanding scholar, innovative scientist, pioneering conservationist, and impassioned educator.

Related quote

[The] exhibit is a tremendous retrospective of [Carver’s] entire life – his struggles; his significant accomplishments as a scientist, conservationist, educator, [and] humanitarian.” – Earl Calloway, the Chicago Defender

Through more than one hundred of Carver’s personal belongings, videos, models, and hands-on interactives, this exhibition presents his extraordinary life—from a birth in slavery to international renown as a scientist and humanitarian. Learn more about this trail-blazing proponent of sustainability, who believed that “nature produces no waste” and neither should man.

The exhibition is organized by The Field Museum in collaboration with Tuskegee University and the National Park Service. It is sponsored in Chicago by Motorola Foundation and Sara Lee Foundation.

Gallery Requirements:
Approximately 4,500 ft2 (418 m2)
Shipping:
One-way, inbound, paid by host venue
  Language:
English

Additional Information:

Contact Us:

Amy Bornkamp, Senior Manager of Exhibition Planning & Partnerships. (001) 312-665-7404
Hilary Hansen Sanders, Traveling Exhibitions Manager. (001) 312-665-7370

Map:

Where in the World is George Washington Carver?