Patent Office of Obverse Innovation and Engineering Exhibit

The Somerville Arts Council and the Inside- OUT Gallery are pleased to be a part of   an amazing archeological discovery-- right here in Somerville. Rare and strange artifacts were recently discovered from the mysterious( and defunct)  Patent Office of Obverse Innovation and Engineering. The recent discovery of several subterranean chambers during construction at the MaxPac site on Clyde Street now promise a greater insight into this most enigmatic of federal departments. Filled with unopened packages and patent applications, the Clyde Street site opens a window on innovation of the last century.

Notated historical consultant, Hilary Scott who has been the formost authority on the subject, collaborated with the Arts Council to bring these curious finds to the public.

About Patent Office of Obverse Innovation and Engineering
Established by President Ulysses S. Grant in the turbulent years following the Civil War, the Patent Office of Obverse Innovation and Engineering (POOIE) served as a clearinghouse for some of the most innovative, dangerous and bizarre inventions of the Gilded Age. Headquartered in a large Victorian on Clyde Street in Somerville Massachusetts, the patent applications deemed “sensitive” or “downright odd” by Patent officials in Washington were forwarded to the Somerville office. The staff appeared to have never exceeded twenty, but their identities remain unknown, and given the destruction that overtook the premises, are likely to remain so. On August 12, 1919, a loud buzzing was heard throughout the central part of Somerville, reaching as far as Winter Hill. In the morning the Clyde Street building had vanished completely.

The Patent Office innovators & excavators:
The June Window of the Patent Office of Obverse Innovation and Engineering was developed and curated from the creative mind of Hilary Scott as part of a collaboration with several local artists to exhibit such an fantastical display.
Featured artists include:

Hilary Scott
http://eclecticsculpture.com/

Skunk
http://www.skunkadelia.com/

M.L. Van Nice
http://www.madoysterstudios.org/?q=vannice

Suzanne Lubeck
http://lubeckbeadedcrochetjewelry.blogspot.com/

Faye Dupras
http://foreignlandscapes.com/

David Colombo
http://www.davidcolombo.com/