Union Station’s latest traveling exhibit is titled “The Art of the Brick”. It is an art exhibit, but what makes it unique is the medium used by artist Nathan Sawaya is not paint or clay, but LEGO® bricks. If you are a parent of a young child like I am you probably hear about these traveling exhibits and think they sound interesting, but are not sure if your child would feel the same. Don’t worry moms of younger kids, today I braved this latest display with two preschoolers, I am happy to say we all loved it and here are my reasons why I think you should take your little ones to check it out as well.
It is fun for the whole family. If you are a parent of a younger child you will relate to this; you are looking for something to do and thinking alright, where am I going to go watch my kid play this week? It was nice to have an outing that stimulated our adult minds as well. What I loved about The Art of the Brick was the kids loved looking at these awesome displays made from something they play with almost every day, while my husband and I enjoyed how each Lego sculpture not only had information about the actual sculpture but also about the work of art it was based on. We all left having learned something new.
It is a great introduction to art. It does not look like a typical art gallery, but this was very much an art exhibit. It was a fun way to talk to five-year-olds about art and concepts used in art. I especially loved the “In Pieces” section of the show. It was like a game of I Spy for the kids. They had to find where in the painting the artist used Lego pieces and then where in the room that Lego sculpture was. What I loved was it really got them to look at the piece of art closely, which is huge for two preschool sized attention spans.
The Art of the Brick
promoted positive self-talk. Not only am I a mom, but I am also a counselor so this point alone would have made me want to take my son to this exhibition. I loved reading the captions to the boys because the artist spoke so much about having self-confidence, identity, believing in yourself and following your dreams. He also wrote about perseverance and not letting other people’s opinions get to you. The counselor part of me was swooning; getting to talk to them about these concepts with a visual representation was remarkable.
It has a large hands-on area. If you are a parent of a little one you are probably breathing a sigh of relief right now. Yes, after all of the "do not touch" areas, The Art of the Brick does have an area for everyone to touch, build, and play. There are Batman Legos, castle Legos, large bricks, light up bricks, there is something for everyone and all ages. They also have instructions on how to step up your Lego building game. You can learn how to build a curve or create a two sided brick. This room, of course, was a big hit.
It is in a great location to make a day of fun. There is so much to offer at Union Station and Crown Center that it is hard to not take advantage of at least some of it. Before you leave The Art of the Brick be sure to grab a 20% off coupon to Legoland, located at Crown Center, and have a Lego-filled day. There is also a free train museum that we love to go to located on the main level of Union Station. If the exhibit got your creative juices flowing Kaleidoscope is nearby and is a wonderful free option. We chose to walk The Link over to Crown Center to enjoy lunch delivered by a train at Fritz’s, followed by exploring Crown Center’s latest free traveling exhibit, Funville. After walking The Link back, we explored Union Station a little before heading back home.
If you have been thinking about taking your younger children to The Art of the Brick I would encourage you to go check it out. We had a wonderful time and the kids were talking over lunch about how they wanted to build their own creations when they got home. Any outing that leaves your child wanting to be creative and push their own boundaries is a win in my book.
You can read more about the exhibit here
