Today, Aug. 10, is The LEGO Group’s first World Play Day, and what better way to celebrate than with a colorful, new place to play?
The LEGO Group is teaming up with artist Hebru Brantley to create an immersive play installation in West Harlem, New York. Called Fly Away Isles, the art installation was inspired by the creative minds of local kids from non-profit youth development organization The Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis). The installation follows research from this year’s LEGO Play Well Report, which found that a third of parents in the U.S. said they don’t play enough as a family, and 82% of kids living in New York wish for more play.
Hebru created an accessible, inclusive, and creative space to take visitors on a cosmic journey through the eyes of kids. Some of the art includes a rocket soaring through clouds, pyramids inspired by volcanoes, and stepping-stones between colorful islands. Fly Away Isles is Hebru’s first mural in New York, installed in collaboration with NYC DOT Public Space and presented in partnership with NYC Department of Transportation’s Art Program. The installation opens today, on the LEGO brand’s 90th anniversary, and will stay open to the public until Nov. 5 of this year. The mural will remain until next July.
Based in Harlem, BroSis is a social justice youth development organization that educates young people, organizes with them in pursuit of justice, and trains educators across the U.S. The LEGO Group has supported the group’s work since 2020, helping the group run a leadership program for youth interested in environmental protection, and a food distribution program for families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Families can visit the Fly Away Isles installation in Johnny Hartman Plaza, 140 Hamilton Place, New York, located outside The Brotherhood Sister Sol between W. 143rd and W. 144th Streets. Click here to find out more about LEGO’s events and surprises planned for World Play Day.
