Honolulu, Hawaiʻi —Bishop Museum, the State of Hawai‘i Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is proud to present Aloha Bricks ’26: Stories of Hawaiʻi, a family-friendly exhibition celebrating the people, places, plants, animals, and legends that shape the islands. In partnership with the Hawaii LEGO® Users Group (HILUG) and middle school students from across the state, the exhibition will combine play and culture through dynamic models, original artwork, and hands-on experiences. Bricks opens in the Museum’s Castle Memorial Building on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

One of the highlights of the Museum’s newest original exhibition is a Middle School Mosaic Gallery representing 50 schools across the state of Hawaiʻi, with LEGO®-like brick creations built by students.

“Building the exhibit has been a lot of fun for us internally and we wanted to find a way to share that fun with the broader community,” said Brad Evans, Bishop Museum director of exhibits and lead designer of Bricks. “Statewide, there was just the right amount of middle schools to fill up our back gallery with brick mosaics of their logos and mascots. We put out the word and 50 schools from all the main islands responded. All together, the students from the various schools placed nearly half a million bricks on the mosaics!”

Evans’ team worked to design and order custom kits of the various schools’ logos and/or mascots, then delivered or mailed the kits to the schools free of charge. Student teams then spent the next several weeks building their mosaics for installation in the exhibition. When the exhibition closes, the mosaics will be returned to the schools to keep.

“I really enjoyed this project!” said Jamie Nause, social studies teacher at Island School on Kauaʻi. “It was a great way for students to work together and succeed in feeling satisfaction about a project in which they only saw a small piece at first, and then saw the entire finished mosaic put together. I would love to do a project like this again.”

While working as teams, different students had different approaches to their builds, and different preferences as well.

“My preference (in building with bricks) is definitely to build based on instructions, instead of free play,” shared Patrick, a student at Island School. “I always end up making a mess with no instructions. Instructions guide your way and help you build correctly — unless you accidentally do something wrong.”

Ariel Villanueva, an Industrial Engineering Teacher at ʻEwa Makai Middle School on Oʻahu, has used bricks in his curriculum in the past and sees the value of a brick-building project like the mosaics.

“They help develop problem-solving strategies within a team,” said Villanueva. “The students learned to work together and compromise in a professional manner to accomplish their goals.”

ʻEwa Makai Middle School students Vera and Emma shared their school pride in leading their team to build their mosaic.

“Our school mascot, called ʻBattle Cat,’ represents how trustworthy, helpful, reliable, and able we are to be able to work together well,” they shared. “Our mascot represents how we are able to carry our school to victory.”

Additional features of the Aloha Bricks ’26: Stories of Hawaiʻi exhibition include:

• Mini-figure scale models of Hawaiian landmarks including Hawaiʻi Theatre, ʻIolani Palace, and the Arizona Memorial, plus a Pasha Hawaii container ship and the Hawaiian Airlines fleet through the decades
• Large-scale brick sculptures of endemic Hawaiian species such as the humuhumunukunukuapua‘a, kalo, and the Kamehameha butterfly
• A “Tales of Maui” installation
  • 2D mosaics of Hawaiian flora and fauna, inspired by species researched by Bishop Museum scientists
• Interactive and immersive experiences including a 10-foot wave and Free Play Zone

When asked what they’d like to see in future bricks exhibitions, the students shared many creative suggestions, from representations of their home island to characters from popular culture.

“I would like to see them build a model of Kauaʻi,” said Gemma of Island School (located on Kauaʻi).

“We would like them to build a Pokeball with Pikachu inside. And Pikachu wearing an aloha shirt representing Hawaiʻi,” said Vera and Emma.

In reflecting on the exhibition, Villanueva and Nause shared their thoughts on the impact it may have on visitors.

“Seeing themes and models related to Hawaiʻi, I think, brings all the myths and legends of Hawaiʻi to life,” said Villanueva. “I think through this type of media, it turns simple ʻstory-time’ into actual conversations students can talk about and see.”

“Seeing three-dimensional representations of Hawaiʻi helps students to see meaningful parts of our lives in tangible ways,” said Nause. “For example, our school mascot, the Voyager, is deeply integral to the culture and history of Hawaiʻi. When students can see concrete representations of the mascots that embody our schools, they can feel more of a connection to the schools and communities that make up Hawaiʻi. Additionally, the inclusion of our school in the exhibit is a source of pride for our students. Knowing that they had a hand in creating a mosaic for the exhibit brings a sense of school spirit and pride for the students involved. Many students have expressed interest and excitement in seeing the other school mascots that are involved. As many other schools make up our communities, students feel a sense of togetherness when the entire community is celebrated and united.”

For more information on Aloha Bricks ’26: Stories of Hawaiʻi, please visit BishopMuseum.org/Bricks.