Some gigantic butterflies, bees and plants are headed to Tucson.
All made of Lego bricks.
Next September 11, the Tucson Botanical Gardens will open “Nature Connects,” an exhibit that features giant sculptures — 26 of them make up 13 individual displays. They’re all nature-centric, and all made from Legos by New York artist Sean Kenney. The show will run through Jan. 3, 2016.
The Gardens’ executive director Michelle Conklin says she’s been thinking about bringing this exhibit in for three years.
“But it’s a $100,000 commitment to bring it in for four months, and I thought that was too much money.”
But some of Conklin’s colleagues around the country have had the Lego show, and they couldn’t stop raving about it.
“They said ‘You are crazy if you don’t do it; it’s the best thing we’ve ever done,’” said Conklin.
“So I got statistics and went to our board,” she said. The board liked how it boosted the profile and attendance of other gardens the Lego show had been in.
And Conklin got the go-ahead.
“This is big, big for Tucson, and we have exclusivity for Arizona,” she said. “It brings the message of the ecosystem through play … and takes the most popular hobby in the world and connects it to nature.”
The Lego sculptures make up a whole gallery of works that relate to nature. They will be scattered throughout the gardens.
In addition to the show, the Botanical Gardens will have a playroom packed with 50,000 individual Lego bricks. Interactive activities for children will teach them about nature while getting creative with the toys.
