Nature’s building blocks
Bigger than life Lego sculptures of animals and insects are attracting swarms of visitors to the South Coast Botanic Garden
Photos (civiccouch.com)
“The Nature Connects Exhibit” at the South Coast Botanic Garden through May 8, features sculptures of animals and insects built from Lego blocks by artist Sean Kenny. A giant bumblebee hangs in the courtyard near the garden’s entrance and a rabbit and a fox can be found in the Discovery Garden Promenade.
Adrienne Nakashima, the Botanic Garden Foundation’s CEO, heard about Kenney’s Lego art at an educational conference. She found to her surprise, that his work had only been exhibited on the East Coast and in Midwest.
She said that interest in the exhibit since it opened on February 19 has been immense. “It’s not unusual to have 1,000 folks come on a weekend day and weekend visitors to the garden have increased by 50 percent,” she said.
She added that many of the visitors are Peninsula residents who are visiting the Botanic Garden for the first time.
Her hope, she said, is that the exhibit will encourage people to become more connected with nature and in the process “encourage people to find connection with friends and family.”
The exhibit’s success has encouraged Nakashima to bring more art exhibits to the garden ans also movie nights during the summer months.
A closing part for the exhibit will be held Friday May 6. For more information, visit SouthCoastBotanicGarden.org
