FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“THE ART OF THE BRICK”
Shatters Attendance Records at Lancaster Museum of Art

Nearly as many people visit the all-LEGO® art show as attend the museum in a given year.

LANCASTER, Pennsylvania (May 29, 2007) – A recent exhibit at the Lancaster Museum of Art in Pennsylvania, The Art of the Brick, was an astonishing success that drew an estimated 25,000 people during its 45-day run, according to museum officials. That is just 10,000 people shy of the 42-year-old museum’s average annual attendance of 35,000 in a given year.

The Art of the Brick features more than 30 sculptures and portraits made exclusively from standard LEGO® toy building blocks. It is the first solo art exhibition for artist Nathan Sawaya and the first its kind ever in the U.S.

“Visitors came from as far as England and Canada to see this show,” said Lancaster Museum of Art Executive Director Cindi Morrison. “On opening day, we had to open the doors five hours early to accommodate the hundreds of guests waiting in line outside. In my 28 years in this business, I have never seen a response to a show like this before.”

Morrison attributed the overwhelming and record-shattering attendance to the popularity of Sawaya’s art with kids young and old.

“Children are drawn to Nathan’s art because it is made out of the same toys they play with at home and the adults love his work because it is visually stunning,” said Morrison. “We included an interactive element that encouraged kids to build their own LEGO art. This allowed the adults another opportunity to be awe-struck by Nathan’s sculptures while children were occupied at the building table trying their hand at their own LEGO models.”

News coverage of the exhibit was record-breaking for the museum as well. Coverage of the installation was also international and included articles, reviews and critiques in publications such as Newsweek, Lancaster New Era, Patriot News, Baltimore Sun, The London Globe, BBC, Daily Express, Daily Star, Metro, Sunday Mirror and in publications as far reaching as South Africa and Romania. In addition, Philadelphia Inquirer Art Critic, Victoria Donohoe, called The Art of the Brick, “a must see show.”

Nearly one million colorful LEGO pieces transformed into whimsical and awe-inspiring art filled the 1,000-square-foot von Hess Gallery at the Lancaster Museum of Art. Other activities that the museum hosted as part of the six-week exhibit included a LEGO Easter Egg Hunt for 150 families and an interactive Art Walk Weekend with Sawaya creating LEGO sculptures while thousands of peopled watched and asked the artist questions.

The Art of the Brick is currently preparing to open at the Discovery Center in Rockford, IL on June 15, 2007 and will be on display there until Labor Day. After which the exhibit is currently looking for other interested venues. For more information, visit www.brickartist.com or contact info@brickartist.com.
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