The Art of the Brick at Indiana State Museum :: CityMoms Report
The news just seems to be 'clicking' together: The Art of the Brick has arrived to the Indiana State Museum! So we sent one of theCityMoms resident writers - Katie - downtown to check it out. Her verdict? "LEGO!" {Get it? Too much? Ok read on...}
What is Art of the Brick?
According to the Indiana State Museum's website, it's a "blockbuster traveling exhibit featuring more than 80 pieces of art made entirely out of LEGO® bricks. The pieces take an ordinary toy and elevate it to the realm of art, and the experience will have visitors marveling at the incredible creativity behind artist Nathan Sawaya’s work."
What did Katie think of The Art of the Brick? Here's what she said:
Do your kids love LEGOS? {Do I even need to ask that question?} From September 29 to January 6, Indianapolis will be able to enjoy the traveling exhibit The Art of the Brick, a collection of amazing art pieces made entirely of Lego bricks from artist Nathan Sawaya. The exhibit includes both representations of already famous art {think The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, and Michelangelo’s statue David – all made of LEGOS} as well as original art pieces. Many of the original pieces are of human forms and are inspired by various aspects of the human mind and experience as well as the artist’s own transformation throughout his life {Sawaya is a former New York City corporate lawyer who left that career to become an artist}. My family of 4 had so much fun reading the titles of each piece and discussing what we thought each represented. I think my kids’ minds were blown seeing the work of a true “master builder” {The LEGO Movie? Anyone?}.
MORE INDIANA STATE MUSEUM FUN FOR THE FAM RIGHT HERE:
The Cardboard Engineering exhibit - a CityMoms report
For another fun activity with the kids – the total number of bricks used is listed for each piece and my kids tried to guess how many {usually being WAY too low with their guess, because each piece required an incredible number of bricks!}. I was looking forward to seeing the “fan favorite” piece Yellow. Made entirely of yellow bricks, it’s a head and torso of a man who is using his hands to open up his chest, from which hundreds of LEGO bricks spill out. When my kids spotted this piece, they actually ran across the gallery to get a closer look – it was a really neat moment seeing my children be so instantly drawn to a piece of art, despite the background noises of me hissing, “Don’t run!”
After all the excitement of seeing the LEGO art, your children will probably be rearing to make some of their own, and just outside the exhibit are several tables where they can do just that. There is also a table dedicated to DUPLOS for younger children.
MORE FUN ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH THE KIDS: Museum of Miniature Houses - another CityMoms Report!
Fun facts about Art of the Brick:
A life-sized human form sculpture typically takes Sawaya 2 – 4 weeks to complete and is comprised of 15,000 – 20,000 bricks.
The final piece in the exhibit is a T. Rex measuring over 20 feet in length and containing 80,020 bricks. It’s the second largest piece Sawaya has ever created.
Sawaya buys the bricks used for his artwork just like any other LEGO customer and spends over six figures on bricks each year!
With fall weather approaching, many of us are already scoping out family friendly indoor activities to last us through the cold weather and help everyone keep their sanity. Indiana State Museum has got you covered with two brand new, creative and inspiring exhibits the whole family can enjoy. Watch for our coverage soon on their other new exhibit, Cardboard Engineering!
MORE INFO: The Indiana State Museum is located at 650 W. Washington Street, in downtown Indianapolis - look for it on the 3rd floor. ART OF THE BRICK will be on display thru January 6, 2019 and is included with general admission. Visit the Indiana State Museum website for additional details or call {317} 232-1637.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Katie Windes de Puente has been a member of theCityMoms for as long as we can remember! As momma of Isabel and David, she’s a frequent hostess for our monthly outings to splash pads, parks and Newfields for the wee Wonders preschool art class. We can also safely say that Katie is never seen without her bright smile. She’s a frequent contributor to theCityMoms bank of local photos as she wields a keen eye with her iPhone, and we’re blessed to have Katie on our team of volunteers and writers.
