CityView Magazine

30 | September/October 2016 "e sculptures are also glued brick-by-brick as we build them," Kenney says, "Once the sculptures are done, they're sprayed with a UV- protectant chemical, similar to what's used on car windshields or sunglasses, to protect the LEGO pieces from becoming brittle or yellowing." e completed sculptures are then trans- ported in custom-built foam-padded museum-quality exhibition crates from garden to garden. "Installing the show is quite a huge feat! We have three installers and a show director that work together with the local garden's facilities staff to first determine where each sculpture will be sited and how to best landscape them. en when the show arrives (it fills an entire 55-foot long tractor trailer) the installers use forklis and Bobcats and pallet jacks to unload the truck and move the sculptures around." Some of the largest sculptures, when crated, weigh over 500 pounds. Al- though the show has been on the road for five years, none of the artwork has been broken or needed to be replaced. Building giant LEGO sculptures is very different from building small model he says, because his large sculptures usually need to be braced with internal steel armatures, or mounted to wood or metal bases. All of Kenney's creations are glued so they can withstand their own weight, as well as the rigors of shipping and public display. "I love working on large projects!" Kenney says, referring to the scale of his exhibit. "ey're fun because they require a lot of creative planning, a lot of building and they always end up eliciting a big 'wow' from both parents and kids." e Cape Fear Botanical Garden's self-proclaimed mission is "to trans- form people's relationship with plants and the natural world." e sculptures, displayed throughout the Garden, will be shown alongside interpretive panels promoting environmental stewardship, conservation and connecting children to the natural world around them. "Fundamentally the show is about connections," Michi Yahata, Kenney's Studio Director, explains. "Much as LEGO pieces connect, everything in Nature is connected in an intricate balance." She says that Kenney feels it is important to him that each individual sculpture attempt to illustrate some of these "connections" found in nature, whether it's a fox hunting a rabbit, a hummingbird feeding on a trumpet flower, baby ducklings following their parents on a walk or squirrels raiding a bird feeder as the birds stand by helpless to stop them. "Other [sculptures] showcase the beauty of nature," she says, "like the giant seven-foot tall rose or the five- foot praying mantis." ere's also a life-sized lawn mower that visitors oen mistake for the real thing "which is good for a laugh, but also shows humankind's connection to nature." Kenney explains the tie between his artwork and nature: "Just as LEGO pieces interconnect, everything in nature is interconnected in a delicate balance...NATURE CONNECTS is foremost an educational platform and secondarily a means of artistic expression." Suraci adds, "To complement the exhibit, there will fun and educational games for families, hands-on building stations and design competitions." Suraci also notes that there will be "pop-up" activities throughout the course of the exhibit. "Viewing the exhibit is an opportu- nity to appreciate both nature and the sculptures as something beautiful," Suraci said. "Seeing people, especially children, become inspired or excited by an experience in the Garden—be it an art exhibit, a concert or learning about plants and animals—brings me joy." Don't miss CityView and CityView Family's Hands On Build Station at the exhibit! NATURE CONNECTS at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden runs from September 20, 2016 through January 8, 2017. Visit the Garden's website at capefearbg.org or check out their Facebook page. Learn more about NATURE CONNECTS at seanken- ney.com. CV

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