Sean Kenney’s ‘Nature Connects Made with LEGO Bricks’ exhibit is coming to Houston Botanic Garden

Nature Connects is an exhibit designed to highlight and illustrate the delicate balance of nature. Kenney’s exhibit seeks to convey that balance of nature and the greater ecosystem through life-size statues of various plants and animals.

Produced by Imagine Exhibitions, an Atlanta-based company, Nature Connects has depicted important topics that Kenney, a New York-based artist, holds dear, from protecting animal habitats, to planting a garden, to using a bike instead of a car, since 2012.

For the Houston Botanic Gardens, this exhibit serves as an opportunity to help people around the city get involved and get in touch with their inner green thumbs, while providing a thorough educational experience.

“I think this is a really exciting exhibition for us to help continue to introduce the garden to families and others that don’t know how much they’re gonna fall in love with this place,” said Houston Botanic Gardens President Claudia Gee Vassar. “The sculptures are really beautiful and whimsical for all of us who love legos, except for when we step on them!.”

Coincidentally, the Botanic Gardens are also celebrating their second anniversary alongside this exhibit, with a very special Family Festival occurring on the exhibit’s opening day, featuring food, games, and various nature activities throughout the garden.

“It’s really fun to be able to celebrate two years,” Vassar said. “I know that we’re all experiencing pandemic time, so it’s on the one hand surprising that it’s been two years, and yet at the same time it feels as though it’s been a really long time. So it really is just a wonderful time to think about. The garden has grown so much and changed so much since we opened, and continues to change.”

Despite opening in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Botanic Gardens has hosted several events like this exhibition, as well as special Horticulture Seminars, one of which they’ll be hosting on Sep. 17, a few days before the exhibition opens.

According to Vassar, The Botanic Garden had been a dream of many Houston nature lovers for a number of decades. The garden started as a small nonprofit that eventually grew into the garden we know today in 2015, when the lease for the property was officially signed with the city of Houston.

“I hope that everybody who comes to the garden falls more in love with this place,” Vassar stated. “And feels a deeper appreciation and commitment to plants, nature, and our planet, so that we’re all inspired to do something a little bit more to get closer to nature and care for our precious plant biodiversity.”

For those looking to attend, the Nature Connects exhibit is included in the cost of general admission to the Houston Botanic Garden. Cost of admission is $10 for children ages 3-15 and students with a valid ID and $15 for adults. “Discount days” pricing of $8 for children ages 3-15 and students with a valid ID and $12.50 for adults is available Monday-Thursday.