BrickUniverse Lego Fan Convention brings local Lego lovers to downtown Louisville

Mac Aubrey, Staff Reporter

A room full of hundreds of Lego creations and tens of thousands of Lego bricks is a wonderland in the eyes of Lego lovers alike. BrickUniverse Lego Fan Convention showcased that wonderland at the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Louisville on Jan. 19 and 20.

Children and adults gathered at the event with a list of attractions to visit. Fans met professional Lego artists, viewed massive displays, created Lego creations, visited the Lego Building Zone, viewed Art on the Block gallery, visited the Blue Brick Build Area, and met famous characters from popular franchise Star Wars.

Professional Lego artists Paul Hetherington, Rocco Buttliere, E.J. Bocan III, and Jonathan Lopes were on site for the BrickUniverse Lego Fan Convention. The artists sat in their galleries, ready to talk to Lego lovers and autograph prints. The galleries showed off Lego art creations, including more than 40 mini replicas of world landmarks, a 62,500 Lego brick model of New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, and a 14-foot model of the Manhattan Bridge.

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  • A steam robot entitled “Unchain my Heart” by Paul Hetherington is made up of 18,300 Lego bricks and took the artist 230 hours to build.

  • “Mouse Guard” by Paul Hetherington is made up of a total of 12,500 Lego bricks and took the artist 156 hours to build.

  • Children and guardians gather at the Lego Building Zone to create projects of their own.

  • Children admire Abbie Bocan’s reproduction of classic video game Super Mario. This art piece is made up of 2,190 Lego bricks and took the artist 18 hours to create.

  • A child observing “Poseidon Guardian of Atlantis” by Paul Hetherington. This piece is made up of 23,450 Lego bricks and took the artist 230 hours to build.

  • “Ziggy (2017)” by Jonathan Lopes is inspired by one of the characters in his wife’s book series titled “Super Happy Party Bears.” The character is an ode to the life of David Bowie.

  • A reproduction of Vincent van Gogh’s famous “The Starry Night” by artist Abbie Bocan. This piece of art is made up of 8,515 Lego bricks and took the artist 42 hours to create.

  • “Manhattan Bridge (2011)” by Jonathan Lopes is 12 feet long with a total of 16,500 Lego bricks.

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The Lego Building Zone consisted of tables with hundreds of different Lego bricks piled atop them. People of all ages gathered around in concentration to begin their very own Lego creations.

Kids took part in a Lego building competition at the Challenge Zone where they were instructed to build the best space station they could in an allotted time. The winner of the most creative space station was chosen by Challenge Zone host and judge Roland Beights.

BrickUniverse vendors were on site selling anything and everything Lego-related. New sets, old sets, custom sets, new parts, old parts, custom parts, merchandise, t-shirts, jewelry, new minifigures, old minifigures, and more were available to buy during the event.

Since 2015, BrickUniverse has curated one of the largest Lego fan events in the world where local Lego lovers take part in building, learning, and playing amongst professional Lego artists.