About Town - The Art of the Brick Exhibit – Lakeview Museum
On Tuesday I had about 90 minutes free after work before needing to be somewhere so I decided to stop by Lakeview Museum and see The Art of the Brick exhibit that is on display.
Nathan Sawaya is an artist who uses LegosTM to create sculptural art and his work is stunning. At one end of the gallery, there was a short video of Sawaya talking about his work and what led him to it. He explained that he used to be a corporate attorney in New York City and after a long day of staring at contracts, he felt the need to be creative.
He started creating art from metal and wire but one night he picked up a set of Legos from his youth and began forming shapes. He said it was not long before he realized he had found his passion. He now makes his living from the sale of his Lego sculptures and his contentment was palpable through the video.
There were a handful of adults standing with me, watching this video and when it finished we all glanced at each other with the same look of wistfulness and a bit of guilt. You could read our minds at that moment and we were all thinking the same thing. “What is my passion and how do I find it?”
Though the medium was Legos, the children at the exhibit didn’t seem very interested in it but were thrilled with the Lego Building Station just to the side of the gallery. That was understandable because the sculptures are of a more mature theme. The adults in the gallery were mesmerized and all could be found at various locations around the gallery, staring at one of the sculptures and lost in thought. A longing for passion and creativity, imagination and fulfillment was born in that gallery for many of us. And that, I believe, is the magic and value of art.
The Art of the Brick exhibit runs at the Lakeview Museum until September 6. Summer gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10a-5p, Sunday 12p-5p and ticket prices are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors 60+, and $4 for children 3-17.
Legos, Nathan Sawaya, Peoria, art, exhibit, museum in About Town 
Reader Comments (6)
These works are so cool!! Thank you for posting pix. 8^)
Really fascinating. Inspiring, too. I've heard of Legos art, but not seen that much of it.
Wow, those look really interesting! I wish we had more cool stuff around here to check out. :)
Wow, that's really cool! I love playing with Legos...thankful I teach kindergarteners on Sundays so I get to play. =)
That is just too dang cool. There was a Lego Hagrid from Harry Potter at our mall for the longest time.
Wow! Those are AMAZING! That first one? OMG ... with the nightmare I've gone thru with my arm not working for the last four years .... it gave me chills. So glad I visited you today and saw this post!