Building Black Stories, One Brick at a Time
Syreeta Gates is using LEGO bricks to preserve Black culture in the most unexpected way. Through her company, Most Incredible Studio, she transforms simple plastic bricks into powerful works of art that tell Black stories.
Her goal is bigger than art—it’s about legacy. Gates dreams that generations from now, someone will discover her creations in their grandma’s attic and feel the culture, love, and history inside every piece.
Most Incredible Studio: A Cultural Movement in Bricks
Founded in 2018, Most Incredible Studio is more than just a creative outlet. It’s a movement. The studio’s motto says it all: “Every brick we place is a step toward immortalizing who we are and where we come from.”
Gates builds everything from mini-figures to full LEGO sets. She uses them to highlight the joy, brilliance, and stories within Black culture. “Art should be a living dialogue with the past, present, and future,” she says—and her work proves it.
How LEGO and Books Sparked a Legacy
Surprisingly, Syreeta didn’t play with LEGO as a child. She discovered it as an adult while browsing books at a Brooklyn Barnes & Noble. Near the staircase, she spotted the LEGO Architecture collection and was instantly hooked.
“My pops was an architect. I love buildings,” she shared. That spark grew fast. Soon, she and her nephew were building landmarks like the Empire State Building—then going to visit them in person. But something felt off. She asked herself, “Where are our stories?”
Filling the Cultural Gaps with LEGO
“I’m committed to creating what’s missing,” Gates explained. She saw LEGO’s potential to bring play and storytelling into a space where Black culture could truly shine.
So she got to work. With each set, booklet, and box, she’s rewriting what gets remembered. “It brings me immense joy,” she said. “We tell stories all the time. Now we do it with LEGO.”
From Archiving the Past to Shaping the Future
Gates is more than an artist—she’s also a trained archivist. With a master’s degree in moving image archiving and preserving, she’s deeply focused on keeping memories alive.
“My grandmother passed when I was 21,” she shared. “She was born in 1926, and I wanted her to last forever.” That mission became her career. Gates believes in the power of archives—books, film credits, acknowledgments—and now, LEGO.
Photography, Memory, and New Collaborations
One of Most Incredible Studio’s recent projects is a collaboration with Because of Them We Can, called Because of You: Legacy in Focus. It celebrates Black photographers and memory-making with a LEGO set shaped like a camera and photo frame.
“It made sense,” she said. “My mom met my dad at a photo studio. Photography is in my DNA.” The project honors visual storytelling while connecting history to play.
Dreaming Bigger, But Staying Aligned
Gates is already imagining future collaborations. Her only request? Work with people who share the same values. “If we’re value-aligned and have a vision, let’s do it,” she says.
At the heart of everything is her belief in joy, connection, and deep storytelling. Whether it’s through a LEGO minifig or a buildable camera, Gates is showing that Black history doesn’t just live in books—it can live in playrooms, museums, and yes, Grandma’s attic.
Leaving Behind More Than Toys
What does legacy look like to Syreeta Gates? “Legacy looks like people—Black people, all people—seeing our LEGO sets and connecting with the stories inside,” she says.
Through Most Incredible Studio, she’s creating a physical archive. One that will last for generations, bringing smiles and sparking pride. And maybe one day, a child will open a dusty old box and say, “Look what Grandma saved.”
