Eagan Man Uses Lego Parts To Honor Daunte Wright

EAGAN, MN— An Eagan man is working to honor Daunte Wright in a unique way. Wright, 20, was killed after being shot by a Brooklyn Center police officer in April.

Brian Kelley, director of Young Builders and Designers, is building a mosaic of Wright-made from Lego parts.

Kelley told Patch that he was inspired to do the project as a reminder of the men of color who have been killed by police.

“With all of the challenges that we're having in society regarding men of color, myself, an African-American man, a multi-ethnic man like Daunte, I felt like it needs to be a continued reminder that these things are going on and not in a ‘in your face’ kind of way, but in a way to honor someone who lost their life in the midst of what would have been just a routine traffic stop,” Kelley said.

Kelley has been working with Lego parts for 25 years, he said. An example of his work is a 3’x4’ mosaic of the Puerto Rican flag constructed at the Puerto Rican Festival in Milwaukee two summers ago. Kelley said the building process took over 40 people working in shifts for nine hours to build.

Around 14 volunteers showed up to Bridgeview Park on Saturday to help Kelley sort the Lego parts into the five colors he wanted to use: black, white, dark grey, light grey and lime green.

There will be a second event at Bottineau Field Park on Friday at 4:30 p.m., Kelley said. At this event, kids will have the opportunity to participate in building the mosaic of Wright.

This summer, Kelley will be doing a mosaic of Cap Wigington, a Black architect who worked in Saint Paul, he said. Young Builders will also host a variety of summer camps for kids in Eagan and Burnsville, he said.

“I’m trying to do as much here in Eagan as I can and trying to incorporate ways of engaging the community through creative art methods,” Kelley said. “So I feel like the Lego designs are creative and also a great way to engage kids. So that's what I'm attempting to do with creating the mosaics with Lego parts.”