Brooke Springer
203.322.1646 x6538
bspringer@stamfordmuseum.org

(Stamford, Connecticut—Jan. 1, 2008) … More than just child’s play, the nearly iconic LEGO® brick has become an art medium all its own. Stamford Museum & Nature Center presents Architecture of the Imagination: The Lure of the LEGO® Brick featuring Nathan Sawaya: The Art of the Brick, opening March 2, 2008. A special Members’ Preview will be held Saturday, March 1, 2008, at 5:30 p.m.

“LEGO® is a phenomenon,” explains Curator of Collections Rosa Portell. “They are deceptively simple, but it is in this sheer simplicity that their success lies. The uses are only limited to the imaginations of their creators.”

New York-based “brick artist” Nathan Sawaya has elevated LEGO® construction to an art form. Besides recreating objects and buildings – which he does, brilliantly – Sawaya uses the LEGO® brick as other artist’s use canvas, stone, or clay: to express himself and to challenge viewers to interpret his creations. His amazing “Red, Yellow, and Blue” series explores emotion through the human form, reaching an artistic level not usually associated with a toy. Sawaya has been featured on some of the biggest talk shows around including The Today Show, Late Night with David Letterman and The Colbert Report. His works are on display in major museums across the country. Visitors to Architecture of the Imagination will have the opportunity to see Sawaya at work on a new piece on Sunday, June 29.

For more information on Nathan Sawaya and The Art of the Brick, visit www.brickartist.com.

A second part of the exhibition, All Aboard with Bill Probert and Friends, explores LEGO® bricks as engineering tools. Bill Probert of Fairfield, a LEGO® train aficionado and hobbyist extraordinaire, will share his one-of-a-kind trains and lead a group of Stamford High School students in creating a constantly evolving trainscape. During the run of the exhibition, visitors can come and watch the students at work adding buildings and other elements to the layout.

In the last portion of the exhibition, visitors will be invited to try their hand at creating their own brick masterpieces in an interactive, hands-on portion of the exhibition.

Donations of LEGO® bricks are being sought for the hands-on, interactive portion of this exhibition. Please donate new or gently used bricks in the Bendel Mansion (main building) lobby.

Architecture of the Imagination: The Lure of the LEGO® Brick featuring Nathan Sawaya: The Art of the Brick will be on view in the Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s Bendel Mansion Museum Galleries Sunday, March 2, 2008 through Sunday, August 17, 2008.

For more information, visit www.stamfordmuseum.org or call 203.322.1646 ext.6521. Members: FREE; Non-Members: Free with gate admission: Adults $8, Seniors & Students $6, Children (4-17) $4, Under 3 FREE.

Getting there
The Bendel Mansion Museum Galleries are open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stamford Museum & Nature Center is located at 39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford, CT (3/4 mile North of Merritt Parkway Exit 35.)