The National Building Museum Partners with Rockwell Group for Block Building Exhibition

In partnership with Rockwell Group, the National Building Museum will display the Play Work Build exhibition starting on November 18. The exhibition takes place in three galleries and will combine items from the museum’s architectural toy collection with Rockwell Group’s Imagination Playground. The Imagination Playground features loose parts and blue foam blocks of various shapes and sizes.

The earliest American construction toys, including alphabet blocks made by S.L. Hill in the 1870s and finger-joint building blocks made by Charles Crandall in the 1860s, will be displayed in the first gallery. Blocks by Friedrich Froebel and early Erector sets such as Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, a variety of plastic molded toys, skyscraper, house, and a village will also be displayed in this first gallery. Wall texts from architects, designers, and engineers will accompany the sets on display.

Foam blocks will be found in the second display gallery. Rockwell Group designed the blocks on display exclusively for the exhibition. Both children and adults can enjoy building opportunities with the variety of shapes, holes, and connectors provided in the gallery. The visitors can construct structures on the floor, off the wall, or combine both to invent their own creative narratives.

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Cynthia Ghazali

Cynthia Ghazali

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