Jacksonville Museum Seeks LEGO Entries Ahead of Bicentennial Exhibit

Jacksonville, Nov. 11, 2025. The Jacksonville Area Museum is reminding residents that the submission deadline for its annual Building with Brick The Art of LEGO exhibit is Nov. 23. The exhibit opens in December and will run through February, providing an extended winter showcase that coincides with holiday traffic and the city bicentennial year.

Entries are accepted in five categories, including kit builds open to all ages, original builds for ages 13 and older, original builds for ages 8 to 12, original builds for children under 7, and a special Jacksonville 200th category tied to the citys bicentennial. During the exhibition visitors will vote for favorites and winners in each category will receive a $100 LEGO gift card. Submissions are being accepted during museum hours and late drops after Nov. 23 will be received but will not be eligible for voting.

For Morgan County residents the exhibit serves both cultural and economic purposes. Local museums and community events often act as anchors for downtown activity, drawing families and out of town guests who spend at nearby restaurants and shops. The December to February schedule means the exhibit will cover peak holiday tourism in December as well as slower winter months, offering the museum a chance to sustain foot traffic and community engagement across a traditionally mixed retail period.

The prize structure and visitor voting system add measurable incentives for participation. A $100 gift card is a modest but tangible reward that can encourage higher quality submissions and greater community turnout on voting days. The Jacksonville 200th category further aligns the exhibit with citywide bicentennial celebrations, creating cross promotion opportunities for municipal events and local nonprofits.

Beyond immediate economic effects, the exhibit carries educational value. LEGO building promotes spatial reasoning and problem solving, and the age tiering encourages youth participation that can complement school STEM programming. For museum administrators and local policymakers, this kind of public programming supports cultural infrastructure that often yields outsized civic returns in terms of volunteerism, civic pride, and small scale tourism.

Residents who plan to submit should bring entries during museum hours before Nov. 23 to be included in voting. Those who miss the deadline may still display work for the duration of the exhibit but will forfeit eligibility for visitor choice awards. With the city celebrating 200 years next year, the exhibit offers a practical and festive way for families and hobbyists in Morgan County to join the bicentennial observance while supporting a local cultural institution.