FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE ART OF THE BRICK
WORLD’S LARGEST CONSTRUCTION TOY BECOMES LIFE’S WORK FOR ARTIST

LANCASTER, Pennsylvania (August 22, 2006) -- What seems like child's play to others is one artist’s life work.

The Art of the Brick clicks into place at the Lancaster Museum of Art from April 7 to May 20, 2007. It is the first major museum exhibition in the United States to focus exclusively on the use of the popular LEGO® building block as an art medium and artist Nathan Sawaya takes it to new heights.

This 33-year-old New York artist will be exhibiting more than twenty-five works created solely from standard LEGO bricks over the period 2002 – 2006 with several new ones created specifically for this gallery showing. Nearly one million colorful LEGO pieces transformed into whimsical and awe-inspiring images will be on display in the 500-square-foot von Hess Gallery.

Sawaya’s ability to transform this common toy into something meaningful, his devotion to spatial perfection and the way he conceptualizes action, enables him to elevate what almost every child has played with into the status of art.

“These works are very personal to me, since they reflect my growth as an artist as I strove to discover my creative identity," said Sawaya. “The museum exhibit is accessible because it engages the child in all of us while simultaneously illuminating sophisticated and complex concepts.”

The upcoming exhibit at the Lancaster Museum of Art is Sawaya’s debut solo showing. However, his work is in collections including:

• The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY
• Time Warner Center public art display in New York, NY
• Qwest Field public art display in Seattle, WA
• LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad, CA
• FAO Schwarz in New York, NY
• The Toy Museum in Bellaire, OH
• The Dreier Collection in Santa Barbara, CA
• The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, VA (debuting October 2006)
• The New Orleans Public Library public art display in New Orleans, LA (debuting November 2006)

Sawaya could have used paint or clay to express his art, ideas and emotions. But instead he chose the 70-year-old children’s toy made from ABS plastic. The name 'LEGO' is an abbreviation of the two Danish words "leg godt", meaning “play well”.

The brick in its present form was launched in 1958. The interlocking principle with its tubes makes it unique, and offers unlimited building possibilities. In fact, according to The LEGO Group there are actually more than 900 million different ways of combining six eight-stud bricks of the same color … ensuring Sawaya will have endless opportunities to create new art for future museum showings.

“My purpose and vision of the museum tour is to inspire children young and old to explore and challenge their own creative potential,” said Sawaya. “Until now a majority of my work has been featured online at my virtual gallery, www.brickartist.com, now anyone can get up-close and share the same physical space with my art. It’s a dream come true.”

A reception is scheduled for Friday, April 6, 2007 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Lancaster Museum of Art is located at 135 North Lime Street. Museum hours are Monday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The museum is handicapped accessible on the first floor.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Cindi Morrison
Lancaster Museum of Art
info@lmapa.org
717-394-3497

Courtney Simmons
Brickartist.com
info@brickartist.com
760-942-9075

LEGO is a trademark of The LEGO Group.