Free Summer Fun: Famous LEGO Art Exhibit Visits Tampa

When Nathan Sawaya was 10 years old, he asked his parents for a dog. When they refused, he built himself a life-size dog out of LEGO bricks.

The determined boy grew up to become an NYC corporate lawyer. But later, Nathan returned to his art. Today, he travels the world showcasing his inspiring collection of more than 100 pieces of art made exclusively from LEGO bricks.

LEGO Art on Display in Tampa

This summer, Nathan Sawaya’s The Art of the Brick is on display in Tampa and it’s completely free to visit courtesy of the Vinik Family Foundation.

Life-size LEGO sculptures are Nathan’s specialty and the typical human form sculpture consists of 15,000-25,000 bricks.

The largest sculpture on display at The Art of the Brick is made of 80,020 LEGO bricks. It’s a T-rex dinosaur skeleton that looked life-like enough to make my brave four-year-old hide behind me.

In addition to the T-rex and human sculptures, the exhibit features famous works of art like Van Gogh’s The Starry Night re-imagined in LEGO form, a giant replica of a Moai statue from Easter Island, and lots of fun, colorful pieces.

It’s inspiring to look at these amazing pieces of art and grasp how they are made completely of the same little plastic building blocks most of us have buckets of at home.

The Brick Yard

If viewing the collection has you and your kids itching to build, you’re in luck. You can spend as much time as you like building your own creations in The Brick Yard before you leave.

The Brick Yard was no doubt the highlight of the day for my son. He could have stayed there all day combing through the giant piles of LEGOs, choosing his favorite colored bricks, constructing towers and testing LEGO vehicles.

And sure enough, the first thing he did when we got home was pull out his LEGOs and get back to work. Maybe someday we’ll have a life-size LEGO pet in our home too.

We’ll surely head back to The Art of the Brick once or twice more since it’s in town all summer long. And it’s air conditioned. And did I mention that it’s FREE?

What To Know Before You Go

The Art of the Brick

Dates:  Friday, June 23 – Monday, Sept. 4, 2017

Location:  802 E. Whiting St., Tampa, FL 33602 (Formerly District 3)

Hours:  Wednesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Cost:  FREE – No ticket or pre-registration required

Parking:  There are several daily parking lots nearby. I parked in a lot across the street for $3 but there are $1 lots available if you’re willing to walk a bit further.

Will you visit The Art of the Brick Tampa? Tell us what you think in the comments below!