Dr. Einstein often said he thought in pictures, not words. His imaginative methods for working out problems are well established, but did you know that he intentionally fueled his subconscious by taking breaks to play his violin or walk across Princeton?
The 2025 pop-up exhibit, “Einstein’s Brain: Mind of a Genius,” offers a glimpse into the workings of the human brain and how one of history’s greatest thinkers used ingenuity, visualizations, experience, and persistence to reveal a wholly new understanding of the universe.
Exhibit visitors can explore questions about the human mind, how we think, and what role creativity played in Einstein’s work. They can even try a few visualization challenges for themselves.
We are creating two versions of the exhibit.
The first is for families and will open May 9 across from Concord Pet store at the Princeton Shopping Center, North Harrison Street, Princeton. The other, for a general audience, will be on display in Dohm Alley, next to 102 Nassau Street in Princeton, opening May 21. Both are outdoors and open around the clock. They include:
— The Structure of the Human Brain
— Einstein’s Thinking Processes and the Power of Play
— What We Have Learned (Or Not) From Examining Einstein’s Brain
— Where is Einstein’s Brain Today?
— Minds-on Mental Challenges
Sponsored by the William Watt Family Foundation and the FirstBank Charitable Foundation. Special thanks to the Princeton Shopping Center, Stanley Dohm, Experience Princeton, and the Municipality of Princeton.
Sample panels from the Nassau Street exhibit opening May 21, 2025. Photos of Einstein’s brain used by permission, OHA 184.06 Harvey Collection, Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine.
