PREVIEW: The Art of the Brick Expo Brings LEGO Works of Art to Schenectady
Beginning 8/7 @ Armory Studios, Schenectady
**This article originally appeared in our August 2025 issue.**
“I still am a kid at heart. And I think you need to be a kid at heart for art in general.”
For nearly 100 years, LEGO has been delighting us with its revolutionary system of play. Colorful, modular bricks that encourage imagination, provide education, and hurt like hell when you accidentally catch a rogue one underfoot.
For some, LEGO are toys. For others, whimsical home decor. For artist Nathan Sawaya, it goes beyond that: they are a tool to create carefully orchestrated, eye-catching pieces of art.
“I've done sculptures out of clay, out of wire, even out of candy. But I found LEGO was something that a lot of folks could relate to because of their familiarity with the toy, and it hadn't really been done before as an art medium, so I wanted to explore that,” Sawaya tells me from his Las Vegas studio. The wall behind him is lined with shelves that house rows and rows of color-coded, plastic bins, each containing a specific size and color LEGO brick. He has over ten million in his personal inventory at all times.
“It’s definitely a large amount,” he laughs, “but it's almost necessary, because if I'm working on a big project that I need red bricks for, I don't want to have to order [them], and wait a few months for them to get here. I want to be able to just start working when I'm inspired. And as you may know, colors sometimes go away and come back because LEGO is a toy company. They're not an art supply store.”
Beginning August 7th, the Capital Region will have the pleasure of witnessing Nathan’s work in person, as his show The Art of the Brick comes to Schenectady’s Armory Studios. The show has been running for an impressive 18 years, now with multiple tours across the globe. It’s something Sawaya does not take for granted.
“I never thought this show would be anything other than a one week show. And now here we are, years later. It's very exciting to meet folks from all over the world. I might not speak the local language, but I'm still able to connect with people through LEGO. It's very universal—everyone knows it. Everyone's played with it.”
On display will be nearly 100 builds, including Sawaya’s iconic life-sized sculpture of a man opening his chest as a cascade of yellow bricks spills out, and an 18’ long Tyrannosaurus Rex for fans to ooh and ahh at. Each build goes through a painstaking amount of planning and design before making it to the exhibition’s floor.
“You definitely need patience,” Sawaya admits. “These big projects, they're not afternoon builds. They take days, weeks, sometimes months. It all starts with the idea, of course. When I'm ready to create a new piece, I'll make a plan and try to figure out how it's going to come together. When I'm working, I'm actually putting a little bit of glue on each individual brick so that these sculptures stay together, which means it is a slow, slow process. If I make a mistake, I have a hammer and chisel to tear it apart.”
It should go without saying that it takes a certain mind to be able to not only look at a LEGO brick and envision unique sculptures like the ones Sawaya is creating, but also to be able to execute them flawlessly to plan. These are true works of art. It’s a testament to the versatility of LEGO. When the concept was first dreamt up back in 1934 in a Danish woodworking shop, it was never intended to just be a toy. Rather, a hands-on way of encouraging children to use their imaginations. With LEGO, the possibilities to create are endless, far beyond what comes in their standard, retail packages. Yet, it also goes even further than that.
“I find it very therapeutic to just sit and build,” Sawaya says. “When I'm in my studio, I'm working on imaginary projects that no one's seen before. But I still go and build the sets from time to time, because it is just a relaxing way to let your mind go. I absolutely think it is good for mental health.”
It’s something this writer can affirm firsthand, as he stares at his collection of nearly 50 Brickheadz displayed proudly on a shelf not far from his favorite build, the Harry Potter Hogwarts Icons set (which Sawaya also owns).
From getting his first LEGO set at five years old, to temporarily leaving it behind in college, to rediscovering the medium as an adult, Sawaya’s journey to this successful exhibition has been pieced together, brick by brick. He still remains exhilarated by each build, as do his audiences.
“I'm very happy working in my studio alone, my dogs at my feet, music playing—just doing the creative part of it is very satisfying. It's a great job that I've created where I can just use my imagination. I still am a kid at heart. And I think you need to be a kid at heart for art in general. But the best part is seeing someone who's never seen my art before, and seeing their reaction to it. That's always rewarding and also scary.”
For tickets and more information, visit https://theartofthebrickexpo.com/schenectady/
