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The Art of The Brick LEGO Exhibit at The Franklin Institute ~ February 7 – October 4

February 6, 2015 By

The Art of The Brick Exhibit at Franklin Institute

‘The World’s Largest Display of LEGO Art’

It’s LEGO time!!

Those young or old who have ever played with a set of LEGO blocks before, must see this blockbuster exhibit, The Art of the Brick, at The Franklin Institute.

The world’s largest display of LEGO art, is a traveling exhibition debuting in Philadelphia, which opens Saturday, February 7 and ends Sunday, October 4, 2015. This exhibit is named one of CNN’s top ten “Global must see exhibitions”, which has been created by artist Nathan Sawaya.

The Art of the Brick displays more than 100 works of art, all made completely of LEGOs. This impressive collection not only features original pieces such as a 20- foot-long T-Rex dinosaur skeleton that visitors can walk under, but as well as recreations of famous art masterpieces such as Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. At the conclusion of the exhibit guests are invited to sign a LEGO brick and add it to the Philadelphia LEGO wall of art!

This is one incredible display of creativity that you won’t want to miss!!

Experience The Art of the Brick

Artist Nathan Sawaya, originally from Oregon, is an acclaimed New York-based artist who was the first artist to ever take LEGO into the art world and his touring exhibition – THE ART OF THE BRICK®.

Sawaya’s childhood dreams were always fun and creative. He drew cartoons, wrote stories, perfected magic tricks and of course also played with LEGO. His days were filled with imagination. After attending college in New York to become a lawyer and years of million dollar mergers, Sawaya realized that he would rather be creating art than in board rooms negotiating contracts. He walked away from law and  is an author, speaker and one of the most popular, award-winning contemporary artists of our time.

Visitors will be able to explore 3-D classic sculptures such as Rodin’s The Thinker, re-creations of acclaimed artworks, and even a life-sized Liberty Bell created by Sawaya, made exclusively for Philadelphia, and much more. Keeping in mind that each work is made up of anywhere from a couple hundred to tens of thousands of LEGO bricks.

Opening Day Activities – Sarturday, February 7

Kicking off at 10 am, the opening day child-like shenanigans will include the debut of the interactive play area Ben’s Brick House, a LEGO-builder challenge, robot demonstrations and more.

Visitors from 10 am to 3 pm can experience appearances by Star Wars characters such as Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and C-3PO.

At 10 am, noon and 2 pm, families can enjoy a free screening of The LEGO Movie in the Franklin Theater.

In Franklin Hall from 10 am to 5 pm, enjoy LEGO robotics demonstrations, as visitors learn the engineering side of the LEGO world!

For more information regarding opening day, click here.

Enjoy this cool intro!

LEGO FACTS

  • The name ‘LEGO’ is an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well”
  • The LEGO Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen. The company has passed from father to son and is now owned by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, a grandchild of the founder.
  • Introduced in the United States in 1962, the first LEGO came in loose sets of bricks.
  • The company has made 400 billion LEGO elements or 62 bricks for every person on the planet.
  • The bricks produced today have the same bumps and holes, and can still interlock with those produced in 1958.

For more LEGO facts, Click Here.

The Art of The Brick LEGO Exhibit

Location

The Franklin Institute
222 North 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Dates

February 7 – October 4, 2015
Closed April 23, 2015

Hours

Monday – Sunday  |  9:30 am – 9:00 pm  |  Last ticket sold at 7:30 pm

Advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended  |  Buy Online: Click Here

Cost

Adults $29.95 & Children $24.95 (Ages 3-11) (Daytime tickets includes general admission)  |   After 5 pm (last tix sold at 7:30 pm),  Adults $19.95 & Children $14.95 (Ages 3-11)  |  Members  –  Adults $9.95 & Children $7.95

Phone

(215) 448-1200

Web Site

All Photos & Images Courtesy of The Franklin Institute

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