The Art of the Brick at Union Station
The Art of the Brick is the most recent exhibit at Union Station Kansas City. Artist, Nathan Sawaya, was inspired to create 3D sculptures using Lego bricks as his art medium. The pieces on display in the exhibit include 3-Dimensional looks at famous masterpieces, as if paintings came to life in LEGO form, as well as 2D portraits and pieces, and one-of-a-kind 3 Dimensional designs. Visitors explore over 100 pieces of art. The photos below feature some of our favorite works of art featured in the exhibit.
The Art of the Brick Hours (thru May 28): Monday - Thursday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sunday: 12 - 5 p.m.; Saturday, February 24: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Note: Last admittance is one hour before exhibit closing each day.
The Art of the Brick Tickets: ADULT (13+) General Admission: $15.95, CHILD (AGE 3-12) General Admission: $11.95. Union Station Science City Members: $10.00/ea. Note: Purchase an Art of the Brick ticket and add a Science City visit at a reduced rate. General Admission: $8.00, Groups (15+): $5.00 (Admission to Science City is free for members).
The artist explored many fun and creative ways to use LEGO bricks to create art. One of the girls' favorite exhibits showcased famous pieces recreated with LEGO bricks. Sawaya recreated some famous pieces as flat, 2-Dimensional LEGO representations of paintings. For other pieces, he imagined paintings as 3 Dimensional sculptures, and for others he recreated famous sculptures using the bricks. This fun approach to classical art was inspiring and engaging. This was one of the favorite aspects to the exhibit:
Other aspects of the exhibit showcase fun one-of-a-kind creations utilizing LEGO bricks. These larger than life ideas are whimsical and creative:
This Dinosaur Skeleton made of LEGO bricks was a hands-down crowd favorite!
This section of the exhibit was especially fun. The artist created objects with LEGO bricks, then a photographer used the same objects (dog, dress, umbrella, clouds, railroad tracks) and included the LEGO pieces in his real-life photography. With a bit of Photoshop magic, you wind up with whimsical photography. (I didn't include photos of the completed work here... I encourage you to visit the exhibit to see for yourself!).
The artist EVEN created a model of the exhibit for visitors to enjoy!
We loved the homage to Kansas City with this LEGO fountain!
At the end of the exhibit, visitors are invited into a room with hundreds of LEGO bricks where you may create and display your own masterpieces.
The Art of the Brick is a creative and inspiring exhibit the entire family enjoys. I recommend a Science City membership (visit Science City, the Planetarium - we caught a show after the exhibit, and Model Rail Experience to make the most of your day at Union Station). Also, if your family travels often, Science City memberships are reciprocal with other museums where you will enjoy free or discounted admission adding to the value of your membership.
We spent about an hour exploring The Art of the Brick and recommend it as a great family outing this season in Kansas City.
dszc Getty Images/iStockphoto
Union Station
30 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64108
BUILDING HOURS MONDAY - SUNDAY 6AM - MIDNIGHT SCIENCE CITY HOURS MONDAY - SATURDAY 10 A.M. - 5 P.M. SUNDAY NOON - 5 P.M.