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On the Bright Side

January 6, 2012

On the Bright Side: Leonardo da Vinci's work comes to life at Hartwick museum show

An exhibit created five decades ago on exhibition at Hartwick College's Yager Museum celebrates the engineering concepts of a man who lived five centuries ago.

"The Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci" features 16 models, some of which are interactive, based on designs of the Renaissance artist and thinker.

"The museum doesn't often take traveling exhibits," Museum Coordinator Donna Anderson said Thursday.

But Anderson said the exhibit, which will be on display Tuesday when the museum re-opens, is a unique opportunity.

"It's specifically developed for children and families," Anderson said. "The exhibit is appealing to a lot of people because Leonardo is a household name. People feel a connection to him."

The models, which are fully operable, were developed by the IBM Corporation.

The models, based on the notebook drawings of da Vinci, show designs intended for flight, measuring distance, creating water power and for military uses.

"The exhibit explores part of his legacy that people might not know much about," Anderson said.

Even in his own time, the renderings in da Vinci's notebooks were mostly unknown concepts, she said.

"Some of them weren't seen again until the 19th century," she said.

The exhibit itself is also a piece of history.

"It's been traveling for more than 50 years," Anderson said. "The models themselves have a sort of historic value."

The Yager Museum is free to the public and open from noon to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

The exhibit runs through Jan. 27.

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