Featuring more than thirty sculptures never before seen at the Morris Museum, The Brick Art of Nathan Sawaya is one of the most popular art exhibits currently touring the globe. Sawaya has taken the small-scale toy and transformed it into an art medium all its own, resulting in awe-inspiring and thought provoking sculptures. The collection on display at The Morris Museum includes Sawaya's early work in mixed media with X-Ray, a human figured created from recycled bricks featuring a transparent heart. Also on display will be an exquisite example of a 3D sculpture that integrates 2D imagery in a sculpture titled Puddle. Sawaya's most iconic work of a man ripping his chest open, Yellow, will be making an encore appearance and continues to be a fan favorite.
About Nathan Sawaya
Nathan Sawaya is a New York-based artist who creates whimsical and awe inspiring works of art made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world, LEGO bricks. Sawaya's ability to transform this common building block 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.
"The museum exhibition is accessible because it engages the child in all of us while simultaneously illuminating sophisticated and complex concepts. Everyone can relate to the medium since it is a toy that many children have at home. My goal with every exhibition is to elevate this simple plaything to a place it has never been before."
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Sawaya moved to New York City to attend college at New York University. Following his undergraduate work, he went to NYU law school and became an attorney. It was then that he rediscovered his childhood passion for LEGO, not as a toy, but rather as a medium.
Today, Sawaya has more than 4 million colored bricks in his New York and Los Angeles art studios. His work takes shape primarily as three-dimensional sculptures and oversized portraits. For more information on Nathan Sawaya and The Brick Art of Nathan Sawaya, visit www.brickartist.com.
Special Programs
From November 14, 2013 to March 9, 2014, the Morris Museum is offering special programs for visitors. For more information, please email programs@morrismuseum.org or call 973.371.3706.
Building Workshop: Balloon Powered Brick Car
Saturday, November 23, 10:00am and 11:30am
Members $6, Non-members $8
Explore the Model Railroad to learn more about power sources, and then make your own balloon powered brick car with LEGO building blocks. Registration is required and space is limited. A materials list will be provided with registration. Appropriate for ages 6 and up.
Building Workshop: Brick Bridge
Saturday, December 7, 10:00am and 11:30am
Members $6, Non-members $8
Learn to build a brick bridge with LEGO building blocks. Will it be stable enough to support weight? Registration is required and space is limited. Materials provided by the Morris Museum. Appropriate for ages 6 and up.
About the Morris Museum
Celebrating 100 years, the Morris Museum is an award-winning, community-based arts and cultural institution which serves the public through high caliber exhibitions in the arts, sciences and humanities. The Museum also offers educational programs, family events, and is home to the Bickford Theatre and its wide range of performing arts offerings. Continuously serving the public since 1913, the Morris Museum has been designated a Major Arts Institution and has received the New Jersey State Council on the Arts' Citation of Excellence, among other awards. The first museum in New Jersey to be accredited, the Morris Museum was re-accredited in 2013 by the American Alliance of Museums.
The Morris Museum is a Blue Star Museum, offering free admission to active duty military personnel and their families, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
The Museum is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road (at the corner of Columbia Turnpike) in Morristown, NJ, and is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11:00am to 5:00pm and Sunday, 12:00 to 5:00pm. In addition, the Museum is open evenings from 5:00 to 8:00pm on the second and third Thursday of the month. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults and $7 for children, students and senior citizens. Admission is always free for Museum members and is free to the public every second and third Thursday of the month between 4:00 and 8:00pm. For more information, call (973) 971-3700, or visit www.morrismuseum.org.
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