The Art of the Brick | The World's Most Elaborate Display of LEGO® Art
May 25 - September 1, 2019
Presented by CEFCU
THE ART OF THE BRICK takes LEGO somewhere you wouldn’t expect and shows you things you have never seen before. The goal with this collection of art is to demonstrate the potential of imagination and the power of creativity.- Nathan Sawaya, artist
THE ART OF THE BRICK, a captivating touring exhibition, features intriguing works of art made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world, the LEGO® brick. This critically acclaimed collection of creative and inspiring pieces constructed using only LEGO bricks is created by renowned contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya.
Designed to inspire ingenuity and creativity, is the world's most elaborate display of LEGO brick art, featuring more than 100 artworks. The collection highlights original pieces as well as re-imagined versions of some of the world's most famous masterpieces made exclusively from LEGO bricks, such as van Gogh's "Starry Night" and da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" as well as a gallery showcasing an innovative, multimedia collection of LEGO brick-infused photography produced in tandem with award-winning photographer Dean West.
Visitors will have the opportunity to get up-close and in-person with the fan favorite, "Yellow," a life-size sculpture of a man ripping his chest open with thousands of yellow LEGO bricks cascading from the cavity. In addition, visitors will be able to walk under a 20-foot-long T-Rex dinosaur skeleton made out of bricks and come face-to-face with a giant LEGO skull.
THE ART OF THE BRICK is the first major museum exhibition to use LEGO bricks as the sole art medium. Sawaya transforms LEGO bricks into tremendous and thought-provoking sculptures, elevating the toy to the realm of art. 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 contemporary art.
Interactive Activity Area
THE ART OF THE BRICK is sure to inspire the artist within. Take inspiration from Sawaya’s artwork to create your own LEGO brick sculptures in an interactive activity area, where you can build whatever you can imagine.
Exhibition sponsors
The Peoria Riverfront Museum gratefully acknowledges our exhibition presenter, CEFCU, and our exhibition sponsors, the Gilmore Foundation and the Visionary Society.
Photo: "Yellow," Nathan Sawaya
Brick Building Challenge!
Sat, Jul 27 | 2-4 pm
Permanent Collections Gallery (Interactive area of Art of the Brick)
Join in the creative brick building fun with your friends and family at the museum! Each session enjoy a new challenge to build or spin our challenge wheel for a challenge all your own. Work as a team or solo, either way you’ll have fun with this structured building time. Does not include taking home brick creations.
Upcoming Dates: Aug 17, Aug 24
Free for Members & with Art of the Brick Admission
More info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
Chemistry Demonstrations
Sat, Jul 27 | 1-2 pm
Lobby
Stand back, watch out, and enjoy chemistry in action! Bradley University Chemistry Club students provide activities and perform chemistry demonstrations.
Free to members and with general admission.
More info available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
Brick's Night Out
Fri, Aug 3 | 7-9 pm
Lobby, Art of the Brick
Try something new for date night or a night out with friends by bring them to The Art of the Brick experience during adults-only, evening hours. Be inspired by more than 80 jaw-dropping brick creations, then design your own brick masterpiece to add to our display. Cash bar available. One drink ticket included with ticket.
Ages 21+
Upcoming Dates: Aug 30
$12 Members | $18 Public
Buy tickets online now - click here.
More info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
Relax Under the Stars | FREE Noon Event!
Wed, Aug 7 | Noon-1 pm
First Wednesday of every month, Noon-1 pm
Dome Planetarium
Stressed at work? Need a break from your hectic day? Come to Dome Planetarium and calm down. Enjoy a short star talk, then let your tension float away under starry skies with soothing background music. First Wednesday of every month at noon.
Free parking in the museum's parking garage, just bring in your ticket to be validated at the Front Desk. If you arrive past Noon, it will be dark in the Dome. Please pause for a few moments to allow your eyes to adjust to the dark. Someone will help you find your seats. Food and drink welcome in the Dome.
Please note that all are welcome, but this program may not be suitable for young children. It is designed to give people a quiet time to relax, and periods of long sitting can be difficult for some young ones.
Upcoming Dates: September 4, October 2, November 6, December 4
More info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
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The Wizard of Oz: Dinner & A Movie
Fri, Aug 9 | 6 PM
Grand Lobby & Giant Screen Theater
Doors open at 6 pm, dinner is served at 6:30 PM
Dust off your ruby slippers because we’re off to see the Wizard at Peoria Riverfront Museum’s The Wizard of Oz: Dinner & A Movie! Join us in celebration of the 80th anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz” with a themed dinner and special 3D screening of the 1939 film on the Giant Screen! Check out the Yellow Brick Sculptures in THE ART OF THE BRICK and explore our other museum galleries. Participate in hands-on activities and interact with your favorite characters from The Spirit of Oz troupe. Be sure to take home a pair of green spectacles and a souvenir photo to remember the wonderful evening!
Ticket includes:
Meet & greet with The Spirit of Oz characters
Wizard of Oz themed dinner
Special 3D screening of The Wizard of Oz
2 drink tickets
Popcorn
Souvenir photo
Admission to museum galleries (including The Art of the Brick)
Hands on activities
Dinner is open seating at tables of 8 and 10.
Buy tickets online now - click here.
To request a vegetarian meal contact DStief@peoriariverfrontmuseum.org
LASER LIGHT NIGHT | Laser Floyd
Sat, Aug 10
6 pm | Laser Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
7 pm | Laser Floyd: The Wall
Dome Planetarium
Sit back, relax, look up and rock out! Listen to your favorite music - The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, U2, and more - while being dazzled by the multicolored laser light show on the Dome. Enhance your experience - pick up spectrum glasses and refreshments from our concession stand and enjoy the show! 35-50 min. (Note: These shows contain lyrics to popular songs and some may not be suitable for all ages.)
Members: $5 one show, $8 both shows | Public: $7 one show, $12 both shows
To get combo price tickets call 309.686.7000 or visit the ticket desk in person
For the full Laser Light Nights schedule - click here!
Buy tickets online now - click here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
An Evening with Nathan Sawaya
Featuring an Interview by Ed Sutkowski of “Interesting People”
Sat, Aug 10 | 6 pm
Giant Screen Theater
Meet the creative genius behind the fantastic sculpture featured in Art of the Brick, Nathan Sawaya. Learn about his creative process, how he took the leap from his “ordinary” job as a lawyer to becoming an artist who sculpts with LEGO® bricks, and more as he is interviewed live in our Giant Screen Theater by Ed Sutkowski.
Reception with light refreshments to follow.
$8 Members | $10 Public
Buy tickets online now - click here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
March of the Brick
Sat, Aug 10 | 12:30-1:30 pm
IL River Classroom
Get inspired by our “The Art of the Brick | The World's Most Elaborate Display of LEGO® Art Exhibition” and join us for a class using bricks to create stop motion animation. Students will spend the day creating a short stop motion animation, and then editing their animations. By the end of the day the class the students will have a completed stop motion animation that they will be able to show off to all their friends. Please provide a parent/guardian email for this class so that we may email the student's completed animation.
Ages 9-13
$15 members | $20 public
Register online now - click here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
Meet & Greet with Nathan Sawaya
Sat, Aug 10 | 1:30-3 pm
Grand Lobby
Join us in the Lobby for a chance to meet the creative genius behind the fantastic sculptures featured in Art of the Brick, Nathan Sawaya. Nathan will be on hand to greet guests, take photos, and sign books in the Lobby! "The Art of the Brick: A Life in LEGO", will be available for purchase in the Museum Store and the Lobby. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity!
Free & Open to the Public
Art Club
Tue, Aug 13 | 1 pm
Auditorium
Art Club is a monthly meeting of people who love art. We select a different topic each month, and enjoy a casual staff-led discussion (with Powerpoint slides) accompanied by coffee and treats. Participants are encouraged, though not required, to submit discussion suggestions of art that is related to the topic. It's like a book club, but without as much homework!
This month's topic is Grant Wood's American Gothic.
If you would like to discuss a piece please email: goden@peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.
Coffee and treats are served. Please bring your own coffee cup!
Free to members & with general admission.
More info available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
Tiny Tot Explorers
Thu, Aug 15 | 11-11:30 am
IL River Classroom
Join us every third Thursday for Tiny Tot Explorers! Preschoolers and their adult caregivers will enjoy a story and hands-on art or science activities related to the book. Each month will have a different theme that correlates to one or more of the museum’s pillars of art, science, history and achievement!
We designated 2019 The Year of Invention at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, and August happens to be Inventor’s Month, so our theme will be…Inventors and inventions!
Free for members and with general admission.
Backyard Butterflies
Thursdays, Aug 15-Sep 5 | 4:30-5:30 pm
Studio 3
Come learn about the life-cycle of butterflies, identify common backyard butterflies and caterpillars, examine the difference between host and nectar plants, and learn how to raise butterflies. Join butterfly enthusiast, Katie Ehnle, for this 4 week class!
Ages 6-10
$30 Members | $35 Public
Register online now - click here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
Wine & Cheese Under the Stars
Apollo: 50 Years | 90+ Point*
Fri, Aug 16 | 7-9 pm
Dome Planetarium
Relax and enjoy a variety of wine, gourmet cheese and crackers under a spectacular full-dome night sky. We will start the evening with a tour of the night sky, finding constellations and planets. After a break to socialize and ask our astronomy expert your questions, we will fly through the Solar System and beyond with our immersive Uniview software. 2019 is the 50th anniversary of Apollo missions 9-12, including Apollo 11, the first landing on the Moon. Learn about the history of the Apollo program and take a tour of the landing sites while enjoying wine and cheese in our beautiful planetarium.
Special pricing includes up to 3 glass of 90-point wine, soft drinks, fine cheeses, and a charcuterie board. Doors open at 6:50 pm.
$45 members | $55 public
Buy tickets online now - click here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
Ages 21+. Up to 3 glasses of wine included in ticket. All supplies provided for programs unless otherwise noted. All paid programs require a minimum number of participants to run or will be cancelled two business days prior to the start date. Pre-registration required.
Van Gogh: Of Wheat Fields and Clouded Skies
Fri, Aug 23 | 6-7:30 pm
Sat, Aug 24 | 6-7:30 pm
Sun, Aug 25 | 2-3:30 pm
Sun, Aug 25 | 4:30-6 pm
Giant Screen Theater
A new look at Van Gogh, through the legacy of the largest private collector of artworks by the Dutch painter: Helene Kröller-Müller (1869-1939), who, in the early 20th Century, ended up buying nearly 300 of his works, paintings and drawings included.
The story unfolds of a woman who, in Van Gogh’s spiritual torment could recognize her own, showing priceless artistic treasures and the rare, naturalistic and architectural beauty of the Kröller-Müller Museum set in the vast De Hoge Weluge park, as well as visual extracts of the Milanese, Florentine, Roman and Palladian Renaissance. It tells the tormented, existential parable of a painter, seen through passages from his brother Theo’s letters, which set the pace of the exhibition, and it shows images of the places he lived and stayed in, from Paris to Provence.
The opportunity to tell the story of this collection and of the burning passion for art that led to it, is an outstanding exhibition on Van Gogh. ‘Amid wheat fields and clouded skies’ at the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza, brings together 40 paintings and 85 drawings from the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Holland, now home to Helene’s heritage.
This is an exhibition that will not only tell us about Van Gogh’s art and his genius, but it will also allow us to understand the importance of drawing as part of his artistic technique. His seemingly instinctive, ‘au premier coup’ canvases were the result of long, preparatory studies, not sketches but complete works of art in themselves, where the broken flow of lines that characterizes the style of his paintings, can already be found.
1h 30m
Members: $8.50 Adult, $7.50 Senior, $6.50 Child | Public: $10.50 Adult, $9.50 Senior, $8.50 Child
Buy tickets online now - click here. Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.863.3046
Wine & Art | Georgia O'Keefe, Ram's Head White Hollyhock and Little Hills
Sat, Aug 24 | 7-9 pm
Studio 2
Spend the evening relaxing and creating at one of our Wine & Art Night events! Local artist, Eugene Nana Ekow Maison, will guide you in creating your own unique version of Georgia O'Keefe's Ram's Head White Hollyhock and Little Hills! All materials, wine and light snacks are provided. Seating is limited, so register early!
Ages 21+
$30 Members | $36 Public
Register online now - click here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
All supplies provided for workshops unless otherwise noted. All paid workshops require a minimum number of participants to run or will be cancelled two business days prior to the start date. Pre-registration required. If you are interested in scheduling a private Wine & Art for a special occasion or for your organization, contact Heather at 309.863.3046.
Brick's Night Out
Fri, Aug 30 | 7-9 pm
Lobby, Art of the Brick
Try something new for date night or a night out with friends by bring them to The Art of the Brick experience during adults-only, evening hours. Be inspired by more than 80 jaw-dropping brick creations, then design your own brick masterpiece to add to our display. Cash bar available. One drink ticket included with ticket.
Ages 21+
$12 Members | $18 Public
Buy tickets online now - click here.
More info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
Cabernet & Clay | Wheel Thrown Pottery
Sat, Aug 31 | 6:30-9 pm
Studio 1
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the simple pleasure of making something with your own two hands. Local teacher and artist, Al Corpuz, will lead you in a variety of ceramic techniques, including glazing, wheel throwing, and hand-building! Best of all, once you’ve created it, we’ll fire and glaze it for you! All events will include a variety of wine and light snacks, and finished pieces will be ready for pickup within 10 business days.
$30 members | $36 public
Register online now - click here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.863.3046.
Ages 21+. All supplies provided for workshops unless otherwise noted. All paid workshops require a minimum number of participants to run or will be cancelled two business days prior to the start date. Pre-registration required. If you are interested in scheduling a private Cabernet & Clay for a special occasion or for your organization, contact Shelby at 309.863.3015.
Relax Under the Stars | FREE Noon Event!
Wed, Sep 4 | Noon-1 pm
First Wednesday of every month, 12-1 pm
Dome Planetarium
Stressed at work? Need a break from your hectic day? Come to Dome Planetarium and calm down. Enjoy a short star talk, then let your tension float away under starry skies with soothing background music. First Wednesday of every month at noon.
Free parking in the museum's parking garage. If you arrive past Noon, it will be dark in the Dome. Please pause for a few minutes to allow your eyes to adjust to the dark. Food and drink welcome in the Dome.
Please note that all are welcome, but this program may not be suitable for young children. It is designed to give people a quiet time to relax, and periods of long sitting can be difficult for some young ones.
Upcoming Dates: October 2, November 6, December 4
More info also available at the Museum or by phone: 309.686.7000.
MOON
September 14 - November 10
A new exhibition is coming to the Peoria Riverfront Museum soon!
"MOON" will feature a one-of-a-kind 13-foot (4-meter) diameter illuminated moon made especially for the museum by by UK artist Luke Jerram. Lit from within the giant moon displays exacting 120-dpi detailed imagery of the lunar surface created by NASA imagery. Objects from NASA and space-related artifacts will also be on display.
The museum gratefully acknowledges our "MOON" sponsors, Commerce Bank and the Corporate Visionary Society Council.
Tiny Tot Explorers
Thu, Sep 19 | 11-11:30 am
IL River Classroom
Join us every third Thursday for Tiny Tot Explorers! Preschoolers and their adult caregivers will enjoy a story and hands-on art or science activities related to the book. Each month will have a different theme that correlates to one or more of the museum’s pillars of art, science, history and achievement!
September is National Honey Month and National Honey Bee Month, so our theme is…Bees!
Free for members and with general admission.
