February 05, 2015
"The Art of the Brick," an exhibit that has traveled all over the world for seven years, lands at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute Saturday, Feb. 7. The show, which will remain open through Sunday, Sept. 6, features more than 100 sculptures of all sizes and colors. All are made out of Lego bricks by artist Nathan Sawaya.
Whether you're a child who finds solace in clicking little bricks together into fun designs or an adult who has felt the keen sting of one underfoot, chances are you've played with Legos. But unless you are Sawaya, you may have never considered making art out of them.
The artist has had a long love affair with the tiny brick toys, but it wasn't until he left college and became a lawyer that he considered turning his hobby into a career. Now he is a full-time artist based out of New York City, with art studios there and in Los Angeles.
Much of this new exhibit features recreations of major works of art. From "Mona Lisa" to the Moai statues of Easter Island, Sawaya has painstakingly recreated works of art from tiny bricks, sometimes allowing them to lie flat like a painting, other times emphasizing their three dimensions. If you're an art history fan, you'll appreciate which paint strokes turned into Lego bricks and which paintings Sawaya turned into three-dimensional dioramas. If you aren't into art history, you'll still recognize almost all of the pieces in this section, and it may just inspire you to find out more about the original works.
The show also features original works from Sawaya. Many of these take human form or are ordinary objects on a larger-than-life scale. These pieces are very surreal to see and, while fascinating, have a darker quality than Sawaya's other work. Personally, I'd probably move a child through this part of the exhibit quickly.
"In Pieces," a collaborative effort between Sawaya and photographer Dean West, is also featured and includes Lego sculptures and photography. Sawaya created pieces to fit into the vignettes West shot, and West used digital techniques to work the sculptures into his photos. The room where these works hang becomes a giant game of "I Spy."
Before you head out, you'll see a beautiful piece that Sawaya created just for Philadelphia - a Liberty Bell! You can see above that he "fixed" the bell's crack.
Don't miss "Ben's Brick House," a Lego-themed build-and-play space outside the exhibit. It will be open throughout the show's run, and visitors of all ages are encouraged to play with Lego bricks and complete design challenges.
Design and Build Lego Brick Challenge
10:30 a.m.-noon
Build your own Lego design at home and bring it to the Franklin Institute to be judged by experts and visitors for creativity, originality, construction and the written description. Winners will receive prizes and will be featured prominently in the exhibit for one month.
Special Appearance by the Classic Star Wars Characters
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
The popular Lego Star Wars characters - Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and C-3PO - will walk around the museum to meet with and take pictures with visitors. Darth Vader will even judge the Design and Build Lego Brick Challenge!
"The LEGO Movie"
10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.
Free screenings of the hit film featuring the voices of Chris Pratt and Will Ferrell will play for visitors all day.
Lego Robotics Demonstrations
10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Learn about the engineering side of Lego toys and see the Lego Mindstorm robots travel around a course used for competitions.
