EVERGREEN, Colo. — The Center for the Arts Evergreen (CAE) is hosting a "Brick by Brick" pop-up exhibit to showcase art that is entirely built from Legos.
The unique exhibition was created by high school senior Mason Martin as part of his capstone project before graduation.
“It started when I dropped a Lego set, and it fell apart,” said Martin. “[I thought], 'Oh no, I don't have the instructions. What do I do with all these pieces?’ I can make my own thing, I realized. It clicked and took off from there.”
The exhibition showcases nearly 50 unique, custom builds. From landscapes and castles complete with little Lego characters to larger-than-life sculptures, each piece is made entirely of the little plastic bricks.
“It’s a different type of art,” said Sara Miller, executive director for CAE. “We love being able to bring the community together through art. Lego gives us young people and gives us adults who are working in that world. We love that.”
Martin had volunteered at CAE in the past and reached out to Miller to see if they would be open to a Lego art exhibition. She was thrilled at the idea and helped him throughout a process that was more complex than he thought it would be.
“It was a big whirlwind of a bunch of things to do really quickly, all the time,” said Martin. “We judged them all. Got them all here. We painted all the pedestals because they had been scratched and dented. Got them displayed, fixed the lighting, whole bunch of things. It just came together. And seeing it now is fantastic.”
“We had let [Martin] know that this was going to be fast and furious at the end, but he kept his cool,” shared Miller. “He was very communicative, and he was a great partner to work with.”
Martin organized the event, submitted his own art, reached out to artists, and helped judge the pieces in a number of categories and age ranges. He didn’t have to look very far to find a prominent figure in the world of Lego art, Colorado native Moto, who competed on season two of "LEGO Masters."
“It truly gives you the concepts of engineering, where you have to make something that holds together,” said Moto. “But also there's that incredible creative, artistic side that's really playful and fun.”
Moto, other artists, and gallery viewers came away impressed at the quality of the exhibition and of Martin’s job as a curator.
“He's an incredible builder, absolutely fantastic work,” said Moto. “But then to have the rest of us invited to participate in something they'll enjoy is just incredible. Then to have your work in a museum, that's a dream of every artist. I think that's just amazing.”
If you would like to check out the exhibition yourself, you don’t have much time. "Brick by Brick: LEGO Brick Build Art" is only running from March 13 through March 22. Center for the Arts Evergreen is located at 31880 Rocky Village Drive.
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