The Toledo Museum of Art will mark the 10th anniversary of its beloved block party on Saturday, September 13, from 3 to 8 p.m. This free celebration of creativity and community will fill Monroe Street with music, dance, artmaking, food and family activities, capped by the event’s firstever drone light show.
Most activities will take place outside the Edward B. Green Building and SANAA Glass Pavilion on Monroe Street, which will be closed to traffic between Parkwood and Scottwood Avenues. Featured entertainment includes Toledo native DJ Jalen Tol, DJ Tony Rios, student drumline My5tery Music and dance company Naach by Aha. WTVG-13 ABC’s Kristian Brown will serve as the event’s host, and NBC’s “The Voice” finalist Jan Dan, along with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, will headline the event.
The museum and its galleries also will be open during the party, giving visitors the chance to explore exhibitions indoors as well as enjoy the festivities.
New This Year
To mark the 10th anniversary of the block party and celebrate TMA’s exhibition, “Infinite Images: The Art of Algorithms,” the museum will introduce new experiences that highlight the intersections of art and technology. Visitors will get a preview of the upcoming documentary “Generative” in the Little Theater in the Green Building, followed by a conversation with producer Amber Tordoff-Gibson and director Ben Spilling, moderated by Julia Kaganskiy, curator of “Infinite Images.” The celebration also coincides with the opening of “Transient Bloom,” a provocative new installation by internationally recognized digital artist Beeple.
As evening falls, the party shifts into high gear with an AlgoRave—a livecoded music performance where artists manipulate sound through code in real time—and concludes with its first-ever drone light show, filling the night sky with patterns designed by three artists featured in “Infinite Images.” Together, these additions bring the exhibition to life across sound, screen and spectacle, adding a new dimension to the tradition.
Schedule of Performances Afternoon performances kick off with the My5tery Music Drumline, 3 p.m.; DJ Tony Rios, 3:50 p.m., and a special Indian dance performance by Naach by Aha, 5 p.m. Guests also can take part in the Key to the Museum Presentation, 5:30 p.m., a party tradition that recognizes a community leader who embodies the museum’s core values of community, diversity, innovation and trust. Evening sets include Toledo native DJ Jalen Tol, 5:45 p.m., and the headline performance by “The Voice” finalist Jan Dan with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, 7 p.m. The celebration wraps up with the spectacular drone light show at 8:15 p.m.
Admission and parking are free for the party and the museum, although tickets to “Infinite Images” are $10 each and free for TMA members. Food trucks will be located on Monroe Street, where visitors can purchase refreshments. Outside, lawn chairs are allowed. The event will be held rain or shine.
Please note: Performance times are approximate and subject to change. The most up-to-date schedule will be available at toledomuseum. org.
For more information call 419-255-8000 or visit toledomuseum.org.
