The Arts Commission Announces Restoration and Reinstallation of ‘Kabuki Dancerʼ in Boeschenstein Park

The Arts Commission of Greater Toledoʼs Art in Public Places Program is pleased to announce the impending completion of a major conservation effort to reinstall the sculpture Kabuki Dancer by Jerry Peart. The sculpture will be installed on the morning of Friday, June 12th, 2026.

Kabuki Dancer was removed from its original location in Levis Square Park in 2024 ahead of the parkʼs complete renovation. The sculpture underwent major repair efforts offsite to remove corrosion as well as a full recoating to restore its surface. During this time, a committee formed of Art in Public Places staff and committee members worked to find a new home for the sculpture, ultimately selecting Boeshenstein Park at the corner of Washington St and Summit St in downtown Toledo, where the sculpture will be featured alongside two other notable works in the Cityʼs public art collection: Major Ritual by Beverly Pepper and Swan Waves by Athena Tacha.

Kabuki Dancer was originally purchased in 1984 from Chicago-based sculptor Jerry Peart, creator of over 35 large-scale public art commissions throughout the United States and internationally. The sculpture is rendered in his trademark fluid form with bold, distinctive color blocking that references the traditional art of Japanese Kabuki theater and dance. The sculpture featured prominently in the 1984 Citywide Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition held by The Arts Commission and the Toledo Museum of Art, having been newly acquired to serve as the centerpiece for Downtown Toledo's Levis Square Park at the time of the exhibition.

The new site for Kabuki Dancer at Boeschenstein Park features a permanent base embedded in the hillside at the corner of the park as well as integrated uplighting to illuminate the sculpture for nighttime viewers.

More information about Kabuki Dancer and other public works of art can be found on The Arts Commissionʼs website and on the Art Commissionʼs free Digital Public Art Guide via Bloomberg Connects, where visitors can access a variety of accessible tours and maps of the City of Toledoʼs public art collection.

About The Arts Commission
The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo is the longest standing arts commission in the state of Ohio, founded in 1959, administering the City of Toledoʼs One Percent for Art Program since 1977. The Arts Commission is supported in part by the Ohio Arts Council and by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.