iNSPIRE: 50 Years of Innovation from Apple

Get a little behind-the-scenes information about the newest permanent exhibit at The Mimms Museum of Technology and Art, iNSPIRE.

Visit Roswell: iNSPIRE 50 Years of Innovation from Apple tells the story of a company that began 50 years ago and has since become one of the world's most well-known brands. How did the idea for this exhibit come about?

The Mimms: We already had a strong Apple collection, including several rare early pieces, and Apple’s 50th anniversary gave us the perfect reason to think much bigger. We realized we had an opportunity to tell not just the story of computers, but how Apple changed the way we work, communicate, create, listen to music, and live our everyday lives. That idea became iNSPIRE.

Visit Roswell: How did you go about acquiring the historical items on display from some of the earliest employees at Apple? Are there any interesting stories about how some of the items came to be in the exhibit?

The Mimms: Many of these pieces came through years of collecting and relationships with people who were actually there in Apple’s earliest days. Some items came directly from early employees, engineers, and designers; others surfaced through private collections and auctions. One of the most exciting parts is that we’re often not just acquiring an object—we’re also learning the personal story behind it, sometimes from the very person who used it, designed it, or helped build it.

Visit Roswell: What’s a really interesting item that you think people should look out for in the exhibit?

The Mimms: It’s almost impossible to choose just one, but we have several original Apple I computers, along with extraordinarily rare early artifacts. One favorite is Apple check No. 2, dated March 19, 1976—before Apple was officially incorporated—and signed by both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. We also have Disk II serial number 1 and a Disk II controller hand-wired by Woz. These aren’t replicas; they are tangible pieces from the very beginning of Apple.

Visit Roswell: There are quite a few hands-on and interactive areas in this exhibit, can you tell us about them?

The Mimms: We never wanted iNSPIRE to feel like a room full of technology behind glass. Visitors can explore working computers and software from different eras, discover where today’s devices came from, test their knowledge with trivia challenges, enjoy music experiences, and browse a touchscreen timeline of Apple’s products, people, and milestones. A popular activity is the Art Wall, where visitors create artwork on an iPad and watch it appear on a massive LED display, then be combined into collaborative works that blend technology, creativity, and participation in a uniquely Apple-inspired way.

Visit Roswell: How do you think iNSPIRE ties into the rest of the museum?

The Mimms: Perfectly, because the Mimms Museum is really about the people, ideas and moments that changed our world. Apple’s story connects technology with design, creativity, music, art and culture—which is exactly why the museum evolved beyond being a computer museum. iNSPIRE helps show that technology isn’t separate from our lives; it shapes them.

Visit Roswell: Some of the early Apple employees visited the opening of the exhibit. Can you share some of their stories as they saw the memorabilia?

The Mimms: That was one of the most meaningful parts of opening the exhibit. People who helped build Apple’s early history were suddenly standing in front of objects, photographs and documents connected to their own lives. They shared stories, corrected details, recognized people, and remembered moments that never made it into the history books.

Visit Roswell: iNSPIRE has only been open since April, but are there future plans for the exhibit as Apple continues to grow?

The Mimms: Definitely. iNSPIRE is a permanent exhibit, not a temporary anniversary show. Apple’s story is still being written, so the exhibit is designed to grow and evolve as technology changes and as new artifacts and stories come to light. We also continue to hear from former employees and collectors, which means the story keeps getting richer.

Visit Roswell: Since technology is always growing and changing, what’s next for Mimms Museum of Technology and Art?

The Mimms: A lot. iNSPIRE is an important step in a much larger vision for the museum. We’re looking toward a future expansion that would allow us to tell even more stories—from Georgia’s role in technology to robotics, artificial intelligence, music, gaming and the inventions that continue to reshape everyday life. Our goal is not simply to preserve the past. It’s to use the past to inspire people to imagine what comes next.

For more information and to make your plans to visit The Mimms Museum of Technology and Art, visit their website.