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backstory: Blocks

So, in my office, I have a lot of blocks. These are blocks that my kids played with when they were younger but outgrew. 

There are two sets. The first set is made of wood, maybe cherry, and have curved edges. You really have to work to build something out of them because curves don’t stack well. The other set is magnetic, and faded pink, blue, green and orange. I brought them into my office sort of instinctively. And I use them ALL the time. You can ask almost anyone with whom I work at the museum—at one point or another I’ve used those blocks to demonstrate a point (or multiple points). Sometimes I build something out of them on my coffee table to demonstrate the ways in which a project is built from multiple pieces. Sometimes I toss them around the room (gently) to demonstrate how things have become scattered and need to be pulled back together again. All the time.

When’s the last time you built something out of blocks?

Tracy Fitzpatrick
Director, Neuberger Museum of Art

Find me on Twitter @tracyfitzart