There are many ways for an artist to judge his or her success—a major museum retrospective, a public commission, inclusion in an art history text, a lasting impact—but Yoko Ono has achieved one of the rarest, and kookiest. Lego “Master Sculptor” Veronica Watson has designed a Ono figurine in honor of the Fluxus pioneer’s current show at the Museum of Modern Art. Incorporating the artist’s famous green apple piece, and her slogan art, plus her winsome white hat, the piece was created out of 240 pieces. “I saw the MoMA exhibit in July,” said Ms. Watson, who has previously tackled Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, “and I thought it was really great; I especially enjoyed reading through a wall line with the text from Grapefruit (1964). I really admire Yoko, I think her work is important, and I think it is great that she has finally gotten her “one woman show!” She continued: “I am always looking for inspirations… especially ones that reference things that are happening in New York or pay homage to famous figures.
I knew that MoMA’s ‘Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960-1971’ would be closing in a couple of weeks (Sept. 7), and I thought it would be great to celebrate Yoko with a LEGO build.” The Yoko model, though not for sale (that’s a hint, MoMA gift shop) will be on display for the next 3 months at the Lego Discovery Center in Westchester.Tomorrow would be Pablo Picasso’s 133rd birthday. Can you guess what we got him to mark this milestone? If you answered, “a replica of his gut-wrenching rendering of the bombing of a Spanish town made out of children’s building blocks,” you are correct! The master builder-in-residence, Veronica Watson, of the Legoland Discovery Center at the Ridge Hill megamall in Westchester, New York, has crafted a Lego version of Picasso’s “Guernica” (1937). “I was familiar with ‘Guernica’ before recreating it in Lego,” Watson tells Hyperallergic. “It is probably my favorite of Picasso’s Cubist works. This style used to represent the chaotic subject matter of the Spanish Civil War makes it an incredibly powerful piece in 1937 and in 2014.
The most difficult aspect of making the Lego version was deciding how much detail to include. There is a lot going on in the painting. Rather than explicitly recreating every detail, I worked at suggesting the right forms so that the painting would be instantly recognizable.” The bas-relief replica is considerably smaller than the 137.4-by-305.5-inch original, measuring just 14.5 inches across and 7 inches in height. While it took Picasso about a month to paint his gloomy antiwar masterpiece, which depicts the bombing of the titular Basque town by German and Italian forces on April 26, 1937, Watson created her version in under two days, using more than 800 Lego bricks. What Picasso piece will you be making out of Legos tomorrow?The Art of the Brick Exhibition : Discovery Times Square... Graffiti Street Art Gallery in Brooklyn - The Bushwick Collective... Exhibition - "Swing Time: Reginald Marsh and Thirties New York"... Secret Museum Hidden in an Abandoned Freight Elevator in Tribeca...
Scavenger Hunt NYC - Discover The New York City Like Never Before... Boobies Bounce House Makes Me Smile: Museum of Sex... The 17th Century Experience: The Philipsburg Manor... Hidden Indoor Tennis Club in Grand Central Terminal NYC... Central Park Sheep Meadow in 1900-1910... Hand Embroidered New York City Pillows ... Classic French Brasserie: Cherche Midi... Breakfast at Tiffany's... fall in love in nyc Startup Day Office and Co-working Spaces in NYC...Star Wars and LEGO fans have a new exhibit to enjoy beginning March 15-16, when LEGOLAND Discovery Center Chicago opens its doors: Star Wars: Episode IVA New Hope. The exhibit is exclusively available at this location through December 2014. My family and I recently had the opportunity to walk-through the exhibit, which offers fans an intergalactic immersion into the sights and sounds of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Young Jedi visiting can help the Rebel Alliance destroy the Galactic Empire’s powerful Death Star, experience the epic duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, watch in awe as the Millennium Falcon rises from the deserts of Tatooine, discover the bustling city of Mos Eisley and take in the busy cantina where the band plays its familiar tune and dangerous characters lurk in dark corners.
The display replaces the Center’s previous Star Wars Miniland, which featured scenes from Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. That exhibit transported fans from the beautiful rolling hills of Naboo, with its ancient domed city and cascading waterfalls, to the treacherous terrain of the desert planet of Tatooine. During the weekend’s festivities, guests will be able to build their own LEGO creation in Build and Test, meet members of the Star Wars 501st Legion and take photos with life-sized LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader and LEGO Star Wars R2-D2. My son is a Star Wars fan and loves to build using Legos so checking out this exhibit was a highlight of the month. It’s amazing how well he behaved and quickly homework was done the weeks leading up to this visit. I’m not the only one who uses these visits as a carro. Marina Kuperman Villatoro wrote about her experience planning for a LEGOLAND Florida trip and how well her kids behaved the entire year leading up to their visit!
In addition to the new exhibit, visitors to LEGOLAND will have the opportunity to see firsthand some of the Center’s renovations, including: LEGO® Racers Build & Test: A newly renovated track where kids can design, build and race their own LEGO car creations. O Factory gives guests a behind-the-scenes look at how the infamous toy is made. 4-D Cinema: An enhanced 4-D theatre experience. Duplo® Farm: A new Duplo® play area allows more space for the Center’s youngest visitors to explore and create. LEGO® City Soft Play: Coming this spring, new and improved mazes and climbing areas. For the benefit of parents and other caretakers, the Center’s Café has also been updated. It now boasts free WiFi (thank you!), as well as other new amenities, providing families with a comfortable space to refuel before our next LEGO adventure. LEGOLAND Discovery Centers can be found throughout the country in six locations;
LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Atlanta opened in 2012. Each has its own LEGOLAND Master Builder and one of our highlights was interviewing David Howard, the newly-appointed Master Builder for this location! Don’t miss this intergalactic milestone. The Force returns to LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Chicago for two days of out-of-this-world fun during ®Star Wars on March 15-16. LEGOLAND Discovery Center Chicago Streets of Woodfield in Schaumburg, which is about a 30 minute drive west of downtown Chicago. If you’re looking for some good places to eat, check out Pilot Pete’s. In addition to good food, the places is filled with antique model planes and a runway you can look out onto and watch private planes land. For a more unique Chicago experience, Portillo’s Hot Dogs Schaumburg location has a fun 50s/60s retro theme and arguably some of the best hot dogs in the area. Check out LEGOLAND Discovery Center Chicago’s newest exhibit, LEGO Star Wars Miniland and don’t forget to schedule some time to eat, too!