The United States of America is at a critical juncture. A large fraction of the general public is persuaded that the nation’s prior pathways to prosperity are either closed or choked off by global competition.  The national mood demands more than plans and policies. It demands a major statement about America’s purpose in the 21st century. Exactly the right place exists in the Nation’s Capital to make such a statement: The Arts and Industries Building, situated directly to the east of the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall. Completed in 1881, it was the first building constructed as an exhibition space on the Mall. It was designed to house the collections of the 1876 Centennial Exposition—that era’s iPhones and iPads. Amazingly it's been empty and closed to the public since 2004. It could be the center of the most significant and lasting assertion of the importance of entrepreneurship, invention, and innovation that we as a country have made in decades. Philip Auerswald will discuss the past and future of "Making in America" and will share particulars on the specific concept for Makers on the Mall.