If the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) wasn’t already awesome enough, guests will be excited to know they just added an exhibit that’s sure to draw in the crowds. Your Star Wars lego set is cool, but Oregon-raised and renowned artist Nathan Samaya takes building LEGOs to a whole other level with the world’s largest LEGO art display.
The Art of the Brick is set to open to the public tomorrow, February 18, 2017 with over 100 different works on show. This exhibit is said to run through until May 29, 2017, at OMSI, and will cost $3.75 to $5.75 more than the general admission price at the Portland museum.
Sawaya, who was raised in Veneta, Oregon, is also unvelieing a piece made especially for Portland, which features a life-size human form colored with the pattern of the PDX airport carpet.

“I use LEGO bricks as my medium because I enjoy seeing people’s reactions to artwork created from something with which they are familiar,” Sawaya stated in a press release. “Everyone can relate to it since it is a toy that many children have at home. I want to elevate this simple plaything to a place it has never been before.”
It’s interesting to note Sawaya uses the same LEGOs as everybody else uses, but he actually uses glue to piece them together for stability. A life-size human sculpture uses an impressive 15,000 to 20,000 bricks, and can take up to four weeks to complete.
There will be impressive life-size sculptures in The Art of the Brick, including his 20-foot tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, as well as Sawya’s iconic work known as “Yellow”.

Other featured art will include recreated masterpieces such as Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. And what fun would it be to just come see the amazing LEGO sculptures? At the end of the exhibit, bins full of LEGOs will be available for kids and adults to build themselves, with guided step-by-step creations.
“This exhibition is one that opens the door to a variety of complex topics through a simple toy most of us played with as children,” stated Nancy Stueber, OMSI president, and CEO. “It shows that art and science are very much linked together, and this exhibit is a fun and whimsical way to make both accessible to audiences of all ages.”
Visit OMSI’s website: https:// www.omsi.edu for more details. To read more about the Art of the Brick Exhibit, visit: http:// www.brickartist.com.
h/t oregonlive
