A museum to honor manufacturing

When your initials spell "ART," there is a good chance your future might be creative. At least, that is the case for Adam Reed Tucker of Arlington Heights, Ill.

You might recognize the Lego-certified professional — one of just 14 worldwide — through his intricate versions of world-renowned structures built entirely with Lego bricks. His current exhibition at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry features 13 of his architectural Lego creations, including a 60-foot-long recreation of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and an enchanting interpretation of Cinderella's castle.

This spring, Tucker is finishing up his latest creative endeavor: an art gallery-inspired museum experience called Blocks to Bricks, which takes visitors on an educational and inspirational journey through five types of three-dimensional building materials, including a major focus on plastic.

"Blocks to Bricks is the journey from stone blocks to plastic bricks and everything in between," Tucker said in a phone interview.

The museum, though still under construction, is located inside Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Ill., about 40 minutes northwest of Chicago, and slated to open in May. Its space ​ on the second-floor mezzanine overlooking the atrium spans roughly 13,000 square feet and, once completed, will house 13 distinct walkthrough zones exploring 3D creativity with plenty of exhibit pieces on display dating back more than 150 years.

Those interested in seeing some of Tucker's private collection and office at the museum can pay $30 to get access inside what he is calling "the Vault," but they must be accompanied by the artist himself. General admission into the museum is $15. A 1,400-square-foot retail area allows visitors to buy on-site injection molded bricks as well as brand-exclusive items, one-of-a-kind pieces, vintage sets and limited editions.

A self-guided tour through the museum, which will operate as a nonprofit, starts with a two-minute introductory video in the theater room before moving on to stone, winding through wood, metal and paper, and ending with plastics, showcasing various plastics objects or construction toys like tangrams, girders and panels as well as pieces from big names like PlayPlax, K'Nex and Lego.

Tucker said the plastics section makes up 60 percent of the museum, a majority of which will be focused on the Lego brick.

"There are so many plastic construction and creative toys out there that you'd be amazed once you see this collection," Tucker said.

The 46-year-old architect-turned-Lego enthusiast has invested about $3 million in the "hard costs" of the museum, he said, plus an estimated $5 million worth of artifacts that he has collected over the last decade, purchasing the unique finds through auction houses, catalogs, private collectors, eBay, flea markets and antique shops.

"That artifact collection spans about 26,000 pieces, but there will … probably [be] between 5,000 and 7,000 pieces on display at any one time," said Tucker, adding that one of his coolest finds is an original Lincoln Logs set designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright's son, John, dating back to the 1920s.

Tucker is also looking to crowdsource an additional $10,000 via Kickstarter to cover some extra construction costs. As of Feb. 27, nine backers have contributed a total of $550 to the all-or-nothing campaign with 41 days left to reach his goal.

Beyond the museum's revolving displays of artifacts, artwork from various artists and other interactive zones, Blocks to Bricks will house an all-electric 30-ton injection molding machine from Toshiba Machine Co. America in what Tucker is calling the "production lab."

"I love the idea of a Mold-A-Rama in like zoos or museums, and I want to take that to the next level," Tucker said.

With a two-cavity mold, the Toshiba press will be producing standard 2-by-4 interlocking plastic bricks made from ABS. Tucker said he is talking with decision makers at Chroma Corp. in McHenry, Ill., on custom brick colors and perhaps Pantone color matching, and he is looking for a materials supplier to provide the raw ABS.

"My hope is to offer up to almost 500 different colors of opacity, translucency and metallic, pearls. … It's really a design your own 2-by-4-brick factory," he said.

Through Toshiba's Tom McKevitt, vice president and general manager based in Elk Grove Village, Ill., Tucker was introduced to members of the Plastics Industry Association, including Steve Petrakis, vice president of industry affairs for the association's equipment council.

"The equipment council is getting involved by donating auxiliary equipment to go along with the molding machine," Petrakis, a plastics industry veteran whose career spans 42 years, said in a phone interview.

Frigel North America Inc. is supplying a Microgel portable temperature-control unit for cooling and heating the mold, Dri-Air Industries Inc. is supplying a material dryer, and Maguire Products Inc. is supplying a feeder, Petrakis said.

"When I explained what was going on, they were certainly interested in getting involved because everybody in their own way wants to give back," Petrakis said of the companies' involvement.

"[The museum is] going to give you an appreciation for manufacturing through the ages and where we've come to date and the possibilities of the future," he added.

At the end of the tour — and age is no obstacle here because it is for "anyone who enjoys creativity," Tucker said — visitors will have a chance to sit down in the "Make and Take" area to build creations of their own using the injection molded bricks. Visitors will be able to purchase their finished designs for a fee determined by weight.

"Anything that they build, they can buy," Tucker said.

"There are so many things that I think are going to blow people away in terms of the abstractness that I'm trying to instill about [how] creativity surrounds us if you just take the time to stop and think and look and appreciate," he added. "Those are the things that really make the world what it is today."