BRATTLEBORO-Last year, a Barbie Dreamhouse, a portrait of Peter Pan, a Minecraft structure, and an ocean wave, all constructed from thousands of dominoes over two and a half days, toppled in a few awe-inspiring minutes.
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center's (BMAC) annual Domino Toppling Extravaganza returns for the 17th year on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 5:30 p.m. The colorful spectacle is the longest-running domino event in the world, organizers say, and this year, it will take place before an audience in the building next door to the museum (28 Vernon St.). Members of the in-person audience can win the chance to start the whole chain reaction by guessing the correct number of dominoes used in the building process. The event will be livestreamed on Facebook as well.
Internationally recognized domino artist and YouTube star Lily Hevesh, along with a team that includes Chris Wright, Michael Fantauzzo, Alex Huang, and Matt VanVleck, will arrive on Friday, Oct. 4, to begin the domino-installation process.
Hevesh has been dubbed the "queen" of domino art by Inc. magazine and "the brightest star in the domino universe" by The Washington Post, and her toppling videos have amassed nearly 2 billion views on social media. She has collaborated on projects with Google, Disney, Marvel, Ford, Honda, and Lego, and has been featured on NBC, Fox News, Nickelodeon, CNN, and CBS, and in the award-winning 2021 documentary film Lily Topples the World.
According to Hevesh, BMAC's domino event is unique, mainly because "zero things are planned ahead of time." She says, "For an artist, that's really fulfilling. We just start building and see what happens."
In 2022, Hevesh and her fellow artists used 26,000 dominoes to fill the museum's Wolf Kahn & Emily Mason Gallery. Last year, they used approximately 20,000 to cover the floor in the former Marlboro College Graduate School building next door to the museum.
"I love this event, not only because it's quirky and colorful and dramatic, but also because it draws audience members from all around the country," says BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld. "It's always astonishing to see what Lily and the other builders create. Their work expands the meaning of artistry for so many people."
Doors open to spectators at 5 p.m. on Oct. 6, and the toppling begins at 5:30 p.m. The Facebook link will go live at 5:15 p.m.
Parking is available at 28 Vernon St. Backpacks and strollers will need to be left at the door.
In-person admission to the event is free for children 8 and under and $5 for all others. Tickets are available in advance or at the door, but because space is limited, advance purchase is advised. Buy tickets at brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124, ext. 101. There is no admission fee to watch the livestream.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.