- February 19, 2025
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Angela Beights founded BrickUniverse because of the inspiration she saw Lego products offering her children.
However, she emphasizes the Lego fan expo, which will make its debut at Robarts Arena from Jan. 4-5, isn't just for kids.
“When we have people come to the door, young and old, they just cannot believe that you can make something like that with Lego,” she said.
Since its beginning in 2014, the family-owned event, which is advertised as "everyone's favorite Lego brick art exhibition," has found its way around the country, from the east coast of California to northern states like New York, to multiple Florida cities.
She said the family, who live in Virginia, thought of Sarasota due to the season, as they always try to hold events in the south during the winter months.
“We hope to come back year after year,” she said.
While the family doesn't have any relationship with The Lego Group, which manufactures the toys, the expo nonetheless will bring some widely recognized figures within the world of Lego art.
Featured artists will include Paul Hetherington of Canada, known for his imaginative creations, Lia Chan of Dallas, Texas, inspired by the legacy of NASA and depict vehicles and space exploration, and Ethen Teeters of Orlando, who creates large mosaics.
“There were other events, but there weren't events that actually highlighted Lego as art, and that's what our family set out to do,” Beights said.
The creations that will be on display range from intricate works on a microscale to others reaching three to five feet.
Artists will be on site to talk with attendees and discuss their creative process.
One creation Beights thinks attendees will be excited to view is Hetherington's "It's a Small World," inspired by the Disney theme park ride of the same name and on display for the first time in Florida.
However, there are different ways attendees can be inspired, and the event also welcomes local hobbyists. Beights said it is one of the few events in the country that does not charge hobbyists to display their creations, and as a result, she said, some have gone on to become Lego artists.
Attendees can also visit building zones, where they can make their own creations after being inspired by what they've seen.
Finally, they can browse vendors selling items including rare minifigures, discontinued sets, custom accessories, and more.
Beights hopes that from the experience, what people will take away is inspiration.
"That's the main thing that we love. We love getting people inspired to go home and build something, just be creative," she said.
That goes for everyone.
"Lego is something that's universal, and everyone has grew up with them or heard about them, or their kids want them," she said. "So it's something that both young and old can come out and enjoy."