Brickshow 2008

Brickshow2 068
Originally uploaded by clarity2199

Despite the controversy and personality behind the Toy and Plastic Brick Museum, I really admire the work Dan Brown has put into getting the museum off the ground. I met Dan when he first approached COLTC to create some displays for his museum. Dan's background was in corporate salvaging. Up until then, Dan had been collecting retired LEGO models used in various LEGO stores & roadshows. The LEGO group sold Dan many broken models, and with Dan's love for the hobby, he hired several individuals to help restore them.

Dan had also bought a retired school building in Bellaire, OH -- he's spent hundreds of thousands of dollars (and the last few years) bringing the museum up to code; and hundreds more making it all legit both with local authorities & with TLG.

As an observer, I've thought that several of Dan's ideas & approaches with regards to the LEGO community has been bass-ackwards. Then again, Dan was running a business, not mayor of a community. But even from a business perspective, his approach seems unpolished and a little bite-the-hand-that-feeds him. However, his perseverance is paying off... earlier this year, Dan announced Brickshow 2008 on the heals of BrickFair in DC. And without much fanfare, he's release some of the first pictures from it on Flickr. The building is looking better, the rooms/displays look good, the turn-out looks small, but for the most part, it looks like a museum.

BrickShow 2008

So BrickShow 2008 has been announced. If you're following LEGO events, it's the weekend directly following BrickFair in DC. Which BrickFair is over Labor Day weekend... The events will be about 6 driving hours apart -- I should know, I've driven it a few times -- so if you live in the north-east United States, you might be able to attend both events, time and money permitting.

I'm not going to bad mouth Dan. I admire his gumption, but I think his energy can be better channeled. I can understand his "bigger picture" view -- to promote his museum -- but I think he's putting the cart before the horse in this case. I don't think I'll be going to BrickShow, but I wish him well with his venture.

LEGO Antique Toys & Dolls Collection To Be Offered

To quote from the article:

"As collecting has grown over the years, and dolls and toys are reaching stratospheric prices within an arena of hundreds of thousands of dollars, collectors have become just as concerned for the preservation of these precious objects as a museum might be. Any collector who pays $100,000 for a doll will most certainly work to display and cherish that object in the same way a museum does. In some ways even better, as the financial and emotional ties are stronger."

That's an interesting spin on dumping a whole collection on to the market... I wonder why they haven't found another museum to house the items or take over the collection? I see it was offered... I wonder where the proceeds from the auction will go to?

Follow-up:

I remember listening on NPR a few weeks ago about the high cost of up-keeping a museum -- the cost of staff, utilities, cost of restoration. On top of that, they have problems of having enough room to display everything and those things they can't be displayed, don't always get stored properly -- a lot of donated items become damaged over time... So I sympathize, but wonder why the change...