Running from August 1-31, 2013 at the RAW Gallery of Architecture and Design in Winnipeg, Building Toys features a variety of building and construction toys from the postwar period to today, complemented by digital and print interpretive material. The exhibit presents the history of building toys from the modern era and examines how these toys have influenced our view of architecture and cities.
Building toys are not just for fun, though they undoubtedly are. They are also formative for those who play with them. Many of our most notable architects and designers have been influenced by the educational building toys they played with as children whether they were Lincoln Logs, LEGO, skyscraper kits or wooden blocks.
Architecture is the most encompassing of all of the visual arts. We live, work and play in buildings, most of which are designed by architects. This exhibit will allow adults and children to learn more about the art and science of architecture and have some fun creating their own designs.
Curated by Winnipeg Architecture Foundation director Susan Algie, Building Toys aims at capturing the imaginations of young people and the young at heart. While the exhibit itself will be hands-off, visitors will have the chance to design and create their own building in a construction zone. Throughout the duration of the exhibition, creative complementary activities will be programmed with children and adults in mind.
The Winnipeg Architecture Foundation (WAF) is a registered charitable organization. Incorporated in November 1996, the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation is dedicated to advancing the awareness and appreciation of Winnipeg’s built environment through public education. For more information, please visit www.rawgallery.ca and www.winnipegarchitecture.ca.