Lego artist displays 23 sculptures at Lisle's Morton Arboretum

Artist Sean Kenney knows a little something about creating art one brick at a time.

Or, in the case of his outdoor exhibit that officially opens Friday at Lisle's Morton Arboretum, 494,770 Lego bricks at a time.

The Brooklyn-based artist is displaying 23 sometimes larger-than-life sculptures created entirely from Lego bricks and inspired by nature through Nov. 1 at the arboretum.

The exhibit, which took more than 4,000 hours to create, is called “Nature Connects: Art With Lego Bricks” and it will cause visitors to see the so-called children's toys in a whole new setting.

“His sculptures bring nature to life in an incredibly engaging way,” said Mary Samerdyke, manager of interpretation at the arboretum. “They appeal to all ages because as a child they're fun to build with, and as an adult you can appreciate the artistry and engineering that goes into building them.”

The sculptures, which include a nearly 7-foot peacock, an 8-foot dragonfly and a mosaic face cutout for visitors to play the parts of ants, will be arranged in 13 displays placed strategically throughout the arboretum's east side.

The arboretum also is providing fun facts about the subjects of each display and several Lego-themed events and activities during the exhibit's run. There will be a showing of “The Lego Movie” on Saturday, July 18, and a play-and-stay area that will allow children of all ages to get creative with Legos each day.

Kenney is one of the world's first Lego certified professionals and has been sculpting with the colorful quadrilaterals for more than 30 years. His “Nature Connects” collection has been on tour since early 2012 and contains more than 50 sculptures. He continues to add more to keep viewers' attention, and the arboretum display features several new pieces.

To select individual sculptures, Kenney worked with garden staff and other experts in the fields of botany, insects and animals.

“Fundamentally the show is about connections. Much as Lego pieces connect, everything in nature is connected in an intricate balance,” Kenney said in an email. “It is important to me that each individual sculpture attempts to illustrate some of these connections found in nature.”

One display in the exhibit, the “Monarch Feeding on Milkweed,” is the most visually intricate model Kenney has ever made. He spent more than 160 hours on the milkweed flower alone.

Another challenge the artist faces when working with his manufactured medium is the limited number of shapes and colors sold. He said the milkweed is two shades of pink, but Lego does not make pink in very many different sizes.

“I've never purchased so many pink pieces in my life,” Kenney said.

His larger sculptures typically need to be braced internally with steel or mounted to wood or metal bases. Every creation is also glued to ensure it withstands its own weight and the stresses of travel and display.

Kenney's work also is featured in Water Tower Place in the forms of the Trump International Hotel & Tower, Tribune Tower and the Water Tower Place itself.

Arboretum employees urge visitors to bring a camera and their inner child to the show.

“I love the way the exhibit has come out; it's really exactly how I imagined it,” Kenney said. “Seeing a sculpture installed outdoors really makes the piece shine. It's nice to see a work like this be given proper presentation.”

Samerdyke said the arboretum has been bringing in traveling exhibits since 2007 in an effort to draw a different audience and encourage visitors to look at trees and nature and their connections to art.

“Nature Connects” is free with admission. Visit mortonarb.org for information.

If you go

What: “Nature Connects: Art with Lego Bricks” by Sean Kenney

Where: The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle

When: Friday, July 17, to Sunday, Nov. 1

Cost: Free with admission

Info: (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org