Legos take over the MAC

Legos are a joy for children with imaginations and the bane of parents stepping on them in the middle of the night, but now they’re also the focus of an exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

Artist Sean Kenney has created 27 large showpiece items on display in the museum, including an intricate red rose, a fox sniffing a small rabbit and a hummingbird sipping nectar from a flower. More than 45,000 Legos were used to build a life-size bison with a small cowbird perched on its back that took more than six weeks to build.

The museum was swarming with families Saturday who came to check out the new exhibit. There were also several tables covered with loose Legos for kids who got inspired and just had to snap some colored bricks together.

“This is like my house,” one woman said as she used her foot to move a few errant Legos out of the walkway.

But while parents and grandparents marveled at Kenney’s creations, the kids seemed drawn to the many large display cases holding Lego projects by other kids. Over 200 children in grades K-12 entered their creations in a contest run by the museum. There are cash prizes for each age bracket, and the winner of “Best in Show” will also get to take home one of the Lego figures attached to the outside of the museum.

People who visit the museum can vote on their favorites through Dec. 19. The winners will be announced on Dec. 20.

“We’re delighted and surprised that these are getting as much attention as Sean’s,” said museum spokeswoman Alison Highberger.

Alexander Quiroz, 12, persuaded his family to bring him to the exhibit Saturday. He’s an avid Lego fan and estimates he owns about 500 pieces.

“They’re fun to build creative things with,” he said.

Quiroz said he got a few ideas for future projects by examining the pieces that other kids made. His favorite of the pieces by Kenney was the bison.

“It’s one of the biggest, all these different Lego pieces put together to make a ginormous thing,” he said.

Anne Hanley, who is visiting Spokane from Chicago, said she and her family didn’t know about the new exhibit and were just checking out local museums Saturday.

“I think it’s so cool they have the kids’ creations here,” she said. “We loved the hummingbird. That’s stunning.”

The Lego exhibit brought back a few memories of her son, who is now 22. “We have all his Lego kits still,” she said. “They’re mounted.”