Exhibit: Stories That Click: Reimagining Chicago Brick by Brick

A new exhibit, Stories That Click: Reimagining Chicago Brick-by-Brick, opens on the 9th floor of the Harold Washington Library Center on April 3, 2026. The exhibition features LEGO models from Chicago Public Library’s call for submissions, alongside archival materials from the Special Collections Unit. The exhibit closes in April 2027.

About the Exhibit

We asked, “What exactly would your Chicago look like?” This exhibit is the answer to that question.

Displayed on the 9th floor of the Harold Washington Library Center, LEGO models are paired with historic rarities and archival materials from Chicago Public Library’s Archives and Special Collections Division creating a dialogue between past and present.

By placing the LEGO artists’ creative expressions alongside archival treasures, the exhibition highlights how storytelling, memory and imagination can shape how Chicago is seen, understood, and reimagined.

The archival materials featured in the exhibit were selected based on the artists' stated inspirations behind their LEGO models, as well as connections drawn by the curator between the models and the collections. The exhibit has two goals: to share Chicagoans’ creative, heartfelt and fun expressions of their city and to showcase and celebrate the depth and richness of CPL’s archival collections.

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