The Arts Commission Announces 2026 Art Loop Schedule

Prepare to immerse yourself in Toledoʼs arts scene this summer and fall as The Arts Commission invites you to join us for a series of captivating Art Loop events! Explore the local creative community through celebrations of art, artists, and spaces that inspire a vibrant Toledo.

Art Loop is a program of The Arts Commission, presented in partnership with the artists and participating venues who make it possible. All Art Loops are free community events.

Theyʼre kicking off the season with Art Loop: Starburst, part of Metroparks Toledoʼs Watershed Weekend!

Enjoy live music and dance performances, hands-on craft stations, international market, and a silent disco. All entertainment and activities are free and open to the public. Food, beverages and art available for purchase.

Event Details:

Art Loop: Starburst
Thursday, June 11 • 5 - 9pm International Cove (Main Street & MLK Bridge)

As part of Metroparks Toledoʼs Watershed Weekend, The Arts Commission invites the community to Art Loop: Starburst, a celebration of public art, creativity and connection along the Glass City Riverwalk.

Guests can stroll through the newly restored International Cove at Glass City Metropark – Upriver (formerly International Park), where art and community come together along the Maumee River waterfront. The evening will include music and dance performances, hands-on artmaking, a live pop-up mural by Mind & Soul Gallery, a Sunset Silent Dance Party and an international vendor fair featuring local makers and global flavors.

The event also marks the debut of Starburst, a 15-foot illuminated sculpture that features community-inspired phrases in multiple languages and reflects the many voices and perspectives that contribute to Toledoʼs identity. Starburst is just one of many public works of art that helps shape the Riverwalk as a welcoming space for gathering, discovery and shared experiences.

Performances and activities are free and open to the public; snacks and vendor merchandise available for purchase.

For more information about Metroparks Toledoʼs Watershed Weekend, visit www.metroparkstoledo.com/watershed  

Performances:

Welcome / Emcee Tracy Haynes

5:15 - 5:30pm   El Corazon de Mexico

5:35 - 5:50pm   Mollyʼs Irish Dance

5:55 - 6:10pm   Kazenodaichi Taiko

6:15 - 6:30pm   Aegela Center for Middle Eastern Dance

6:35 - 6:50pm   Poonam Indian Dance

6:55 - 7:10pm   Toledo Chinese American Performing group

7:15 - 7:30pm   Toledo Tango Club

7:35 - 7:50pm   JP Dynasty African Drums

Highlights:

• Silent Disco Dance Party with DJ Fercho and DJ Mpress 8 - 9pm

• International Vendor Market

• New Sculpture: Starburst by Blessing Hancock

Theyʼre seeking volunteers to help make the event a success! Visit www.theartscommission.org/support/volunteer to sign up to volunteer at Art Loop.

More Upcoming Art Loop Events:

• Art Loop: Print Jam
  Saturday, August 1 • 12 - 4 pm
  The Arts Commission (1000 Adams Street)

  Save the date and ink a plate! The Arts Commission hosts Toledoʼs first-ever printmaking festival at our new home in Uptown Toledo. This community event will feature live demos, hands-on projects, a vendor fair, music, food trucks and more. Meet local and regional printmakers, purchase original and limited-edition works of art, and try your hand at some accessible printmaking methods. Demonstrations and activities are free; vendor merchandise and snacks available for purchase.

• Art Loop: Ohio Poetry Day Takeover
  Saturday, October 17 • 5 - 8 pm
  Main Branch Library, 325 N. Michigan Street

  The Arts Commission partners with the Ohio Poetry Day Association and the Toledo Lucas County Public Library for a celebration of Ohio poets and poetry! Writers and readers from around the state and the Toledo community are invited to enjoy poetry readings and workshops, literary-themed art-making stations, word games and puzzles, typewriters and live jazz music. Admission and all activities are free. Snacks, nonalcoholic beverages and participant books will be available for purchase. Activities will appeal to all ages.

  About The Arts Commission

  The Arts Commission 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.

  About Watershed Weekend | June 11 - 14, 2026
  Watershed Weekend marks the halfway point of Glass City Riverwalk with four days of events and activation along the Maumee River. The celebration highlights reclaimed public space, restored access and new connections between neighborhoods on both banks of the river. It reflects visible progress shaped by public support and sustained by Metroparks Toledoʼs commitment to stewardship and long-term community impact.