“I can’t think of a more accessible and immediate form of co-creation than Lego,” says James Steward, the manager of Ipswich Museums, Suffolk. Steward describes The Big Lego Ipswich Build, which ran for a week in March 2018, as “a milestone in community engagement” for Ipswich Museum and Art Gallery.
With “brickologists” on hand, the event entailed making a miniature replica of the town of Ipswich. Involving 3,000 local adults and children, the event was a hit, with an impressive 1,800 visitors to the museum over one weekend for the final exhibition. But the best measure of its success was in “bringing a community together, people of all ages, in a gallery space to be creative and vocal about the development of the town”.
The Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum in Dunfermline held its first Lego event in 2015 and the result of its latest build – a three-metre dinosaur inspired by Diplodocus carnegii, a species named after Carnegie, the US philanthropist – is on display until next month. Lego has proved such a success that the museum has a dedicated Lego corner, where visitors are encouraged to take photos of their builds and share them on social media.
“Lego and Lego Duplo are suitable for all ages and they are something that parents and children both enjoy,” says Kirke Kook, the Carnegie’s curator and manager. “It also allows endless creativity. Lego events bring together engineering and arts, and are great for covering Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) education topics. It’s light and quick to tidy up.”
The Brick History exhibition at Historic Dockyard Chatham (HDC) last summer was the first time the venue used Lego on a large scale, although it had used it in the past to support Stem education projects. Held in No. 1 Smithery, the museum’s temporary exhibition space, the show consisted of more than 30 Lego models grouped into themes such as arts and culture, democracy and technology.
“The strategy for this space is to host exhibitions that may not necessarily have a direct link to the dockyard, but create triggers to visit, pulling on the power of well-known brands to raise awareness,” says Paul Barnard, the director of communications and development at HDC.
“The Lego exhibition is a perfect example of this. During the show we welcomed 55,000 visitors to our site and, of those, 60% have told us that their main motivation to visit was to see this exhibition.”
In Leeds, the Thackray Medical Museum is using Lego to raise funds for a £4m capital improvement project, asking visitors to donate £1 in return for the opportunity to place one brick on a 150,000-piece model of the museum. They can also buy a “minifigure me” to appear in the recreated galleries, or limited-edition commemorative bricks to keep.
“Engaging the public and allowing them to place their brick is key to the project’s success,” says Sofi Lundgren, the director of development and communications at the Thackray.
The project has also provided new opportunities to work with community groups, she says. Using Lego is not without its challenges, though. The company is “fiercely protective of its brand, and rightly so”, says Barnard.
Like several other museums running Lego projects, HDC worked with the Edinburgh-based consultant (and lifelong Lego enthusiast) Warren Elsmore, whose company can supply models, exhibitions and expertise.
For Steward of Ipswich Museums, not having enough Lego was one problem, but also the fact that he is still finding bricks around the museum. But its potential to make connections with new and existing audiences is clear.
With “brickologists” on hand, the event entailed making a miniature replica of the town of Ipswich. Involving 3,000 local adults and children, the event was a hit, with an impressive 1,800 visitors to the museum over one weekend for the final exhibition. But the best measure of its success was in “bringing a community together, people of all ages, in a gallery space to be creative and vocal about the development of the town”.
The Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum in Dunfermline held its first Lego event in 2015 and the result of its latest build – a three-metre dinosaur inspired by Diplodocus carnegii, a species named after Carnegie, the US philanthropist – is on display until next month. Lego has proved such a success that the museum has a dedicated Lego corner, where visitors are encouraged to take photos of their builds and share them on social media.
“Lego and Lego Duplo are suitable for all ages and they are something that parents and children both enjoy,” says Kirke Kook, the Carnegie’s curator and manager. “It also allows endless creativity. Lego events bring together engineering and arts, and are great for covering Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) education topics. It’s light and quick to tidy up.”
The Brick History exhibition at Historic Dockyard Chatham (HDC) last summer was the first time the venue used Lego on a large scale, although it had used it in the past to support Stem education projects. Held in No. 1 Smithery, the museum’s temporary exhibition space, the show consisted of more than 30 Lego models grouped into themes such as arts and culture, democracy and technology.
“The strategy for this space is to host exhibitions that may not necessarily have a direct link to the dockyard, but create triggers to visit, pulling on the power of well-known brands to raise awareness,” says Paul Barnard, the director of communications and development at HDC.
“The Lego exhibition is a perfect example of this. During the show we welcomed 55,000 visitors to our site and, of those, 60% have told us that their main motivation to visit was to see this exhibition.”
In Leeds, the Thackray Medical Museum is using Lego to raise funds for a £4m capital improvement project, asking visitors to donate £1 in return for the opportunity to place one brick on a 150,000-piece model of the museum. They can also buy a “minifigure me” to appear in the recreated galleries, or limited-edition commemorative bricks to keep.
“Engaging the public and allowing them to place their brick is key to the project’s success,” says Sofi Lundgren, the director of development and communications at the Thackray.
The project has also provided new opportunities to work with community groups, she says. Using Lego is not without its challenges, though. The company is “fiercely protective of its brand, and rightly so”, says Barnard.
Like several other museums running Lego projects, HDC worked with the Edinburgh-based consultant (and lifelong Lego enthusiast) Warren Elsmore, whose company can supply models, exhibitions and expertise.
For Steward of Ipswich Museums, not having enough Lego was one problem, but also the fact that he is still finding bricks around the museum. But its potential to make connections with new and existing audiences is clear.