Lego exhibit at the museum a fine work of art
At least 1 million LEGOs have gone into a model of Columbus that is both real and imagined, and is on view at the Columbus Museum of Art.
However, according to members of the OHIOLug (Ohio LEGO Users Group) who built the model, the number of Legos probably is closer to 5 million.
“We stopped counting after a million,” said Josh Wilke, president of OHIOLug. “That’s a fun question that we don’t have an answer to. There are a lot of Legos that are completely hidden in the exhibit.”
“Think Outside the Brick: The Creative Art of LEGO,” the annual Lego exhibit presented by the museum, is on view through Aug. 20. In addition to the model that depicts Columbus — 8 by 30 feet and 6 feet tall — in the museum’s Forum room, there is a smaller LEGO exhibit that features holidays and activities of the 12 months of the year and is located in an auxiliary space just outside the room.
All have been built by OHIOLug — whose members range in age from 20 to 70 years old and at least a third of whom are women. The exhibit, which has been a feature for nine years at the museum, presents real components of Columbus including buildings, rivers and people, as well as fantastic elements. Look for these new ones: underwater features such as aquatic animals and sunken treasure; a flying saucer cruising over the city; the return of the 6-foot-tall Rhodes Tower (the model had to be rebuilt after some structural damage) and, in a nod to the upcoming Memorial Tournament, an 18-hole putt-putt course that includes holes with themes of dinosaurs, Super Mario and outer space, among others.
“Perhaps this year more than others we’re taking more creative license,” Wilke said.
The exhibit, ordinarily held during the holiday season, was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. OHIOLug members worked on components independently and assembled the scene over two days in April.
Wilkes said the exhibit — like LEGOs — has remained enduringly popular. Each year he hears many of the same questions and comments:
“That’s all LEGOs?” (yes)
“What kind of glue did you use? (no glue)
“Where can I buy that LEGO set? (You can’t. Every part of the exhibit is MOC, or “my own creation.”)
Wilke said that there is “so much depth to the display that nobody can see everything.”
Each builder, he said, tries to tell a story or put little Easter eggs or special references into the display. This year’s new “Sesame Street” characters — Big Bird, Bert and Ernie — might go unnoticed by many, as did random Harry Potter figures in years past.
Wilke, 40, started playing with LEGOs as a 5-year-old and never stopped.
“I think their enduring appeal is that they’ve remained unchanged for so many years,” he said. “The LEGOs you played with at your grandfather’s house are about the same as you would buy today.”
The construction toys — named for the Danish words “leg got” or “play well” — originated in 1932 in a Denmark carpentry shop. According to various internet sites, about 75 billion LEGOs are sold each year in more than 140 countries. There are an accumulative 400 billion LEGO bricks in the world.
And why does a LEGO exhibit belong in an art museum?
“I think for too long a lot of people have thought about museums as places where expensive paintings hang. But there can be a different approach to art,” “Wilke said.
“LEGOs are an accessible art form. They’re an art medium. You can make mosaics or murals. It can be an engineering endeavor. And more and more, it’s become a display piece. There are just so many things you can do with LEGOs. There is no limit.”
At a glance
“Think Outside the Brick: The Creative Art of LEGO” continues through Aug. 20 at the Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad Street. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, until 9 p.m. Thursdays. Admission: $18, or $9 for senior citizens, students and ages 4 to 17; $5 for all Thursdays 5 to 9 p.m.; free for age 3 and younger, members, veterans and active military and family, and free to all on Sundays. Call 614-221-6801 or visit www.columbusmuseum.org.