Exhibition In Focus Brick by Brick

Perc Tucker Regional Gallery

13 December 2013 – 23 February 2014

Perc Tucker Regional Gallery’s recent major exhibition Brick by Brick was the region’s largest ever exhibition of LEGO® history and products, and visitors responded in turn; a total of 102 320 visitors and participants engaged with the exhibition during its ten week showing, far surpassing the previous exhibition attendance record for the venue and all expectations. The success of the exhibition was then duly recognised with a Highly Commended Award from the prestigious Museums and Galleries National Awards (MAGNAs) organised by Museums Australia.

100 000+ visitors to a single exhibition is a historic first for a regional Gallery in Queensland and one of only few regional galleries to achieve this milestone nationwide. This is a testament to the enduring popularity of LEGO and also to the quality of the exhibition that was developed.

Beyond the exhibition display, developed engagement strategies included a Writing Competition, LEGO® Minifigure Design Competition, and a Find the LEGO® Minifigure Competition run through the Townsville Bulletin, and public programs within the Gallery and delivered as outreach programs at Willows Shopping Centre. 90 demonstrations, drop-in workshops, booked workshops, and exhibition tours were undertaken in total, with 5 542 eager participants in these events alone.

Brick by Brick was a major cause for celebration; a coup for the city and a significant boost for the region’s arts and cultural sector. Further, it has been pivotal to the generation of cultural tourism, with over 30% of the exhibition’s visitation hailing from interstate or overseas, with direct economic benefits for the region stemming from these visitations.

However the secret to the exhibition’s success wasn’t as simple as filling the Gallery with LEGO® bricks.

In September 2012, Gallery Services developed a Visual Arts Strategy that would ensure a proactive and holistic strategic approach towards core service-level delivery. The Visual Arts Strategy recognised current changes in societal frameworks, and aimed to increase the galleries’ qualitative and quantitative outcomes while meeting the evolving needs of our community.

The Strategy identified a host of deliverable programs, many of which challenged the traditional view of a Gallery and its function. Gallery Services sought to increase its genuine engagement with all sections of the community – to break down the stigma of ‘the white box’ - while retaining the organisation’s commitment to the delivery of high quality fine art, contemporary art and museological exhibitions.

The method identified as most effective in engaging this broader cross-section of the community was the development of popular culture exhibitions, something that had not previously been done at Perc Tucker. The first such project identified was an exhibition examining the history and impact of The LEGO® Group – an iconic product that has influenced and inspired all of us at one point or another. Importantly, the product provided huge scope to explore its evolving design and extensive history.

The intent of the exhibition was to appeal to both adults and children by concisely charting the product’s development over nine decades, displaying key items that illustrated important milestones, and exploring The LEGO Group’s impact on popular culture. Simultaenously, the exhibition needed to be fun, contemporary, engaging and participatory.

A partnership with LEGO Australia was pivotal in securing historical information, images and materials, and in negotiating the loan of 53 historical items sent directly from the LEGO Idea House in Billund, Denmark. In a number of instances, it was the first time these objects had left Denmark. These items were carefully complemented by interactive activities, and largescale sculptures by the Southern Hemisphere’s only LEGO Certified Professional Ryan McNaught, aka The Brickman.

As could be expected from an event attracting some 31 000+ visitors to the region, Brick by Brick also generated national discussion and assisted in positioning Townsville as a destination of vibrant arts and cultural events. Many staff fielded email and phone enquiries from interested persons, a number of which were from arts and museum peers enquiring if the show would tour and how they could access it.

Beyond the enormous amount of coverage gained through social media channels, and a strategic local advertising and media campaign, the exhibition was also celebrated in the following national industry related materials:

• Article in Creative Foyer’s national e-publication ARTiculate

• Museum and Gallery Services Queensland (MAGSQ) blog entry: http://magsq.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/perctuckerregional-gallery-townsville-lego-exhibitionsmashes-attendancerecords/

• What’s On e-bulletin Article distributed nationally by Artshub

• Arts Queensland blog entry: http://www.arts.qld.gov.au/blog/index.php/brickby-brick/

Brick by Brick was a whirlwind of success, built on a commitment to community engagement and quality, and reliant on partnerships to best realise the exhibition vision.

But what better way to concisely describe this mammoth undertaking than some quotes from our visitors:

+ “Brought back many childhood memories - awesome exhibit. Thank you for bringing it to Townsville.”

Hanne – Townsville

+ “Fantastic! An exhibition for all ages! Interactive and amazing! Should be more for Townsville! Well done!! Bring it back again? LEGO-Amazing!”

Warren and Sarah –Townsville

+ “My jaw still hasn’t risen from the floor”

Nick – Perth

+ “Fantastic! Our students enjoyed this display so much - something for everyone - so inclusive! Thankyou!”

TCLC – Townsville

+ “Great display. Worth the trip from Cairns.”

Trav – Cairns

+ “This is wonderful! Kids had a great time. Will be back again during the holidays.”

Gabrielle – Townsville

+ “A brilliant look at the history of LEGO. The play sections were a hit with the kids.”

Dan – Townsville

+ “Took me back in time. Lovely, helpful staff. Variety of activities - the grandchildren loved it.”

Sue Saffey – Wollongong

+ “Worth the 20 hour flight!”

Joshua, Jennifer, Jamie, David and Daniel - Canada