The Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) will hold its ninth annual Block Party on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 3 to 7 p.m. The free event is open to all ages and will feature live performances, interactive art-making activities and artistic demonstrations.

The block party will take place across the museum’s 37-acre campus including part of Monroe Street, which will be closed to traffic between Parkwood and Scottwood avenues. Activities will extend into the Edward Green Beau-Arts Building where visitors can view the new exhibition, “Ethiopia at the Crossroads,” and into the Glass Pavilion where visitors who preregister will experience an Ethiopian coffee ceremony performed by Yatreda : ያጥሬዳ, an Ethiopian digital artist collective.

In addition, Adam Levine, Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey President, Director and CEO, TMA, will present the Key to the Museum. For the third year, the key will be awarded to a community leader who exemplifies diversity, community, innovation and trust—the museum’s core values.

The entertainment for the day will feature:

• 3 to 3:30 p.m.: Glass City Steel, Toledo School for the Arts’ steel drum band.
• 3:45 to 4:30 p.m.: DJ Marc Folk, president and chief executive officer, The Arts Commission.
• 4:45 to 5:45 p.m.: Island Guys, a Caribbean steel drum band from Detroit.
• 6 to 7 p.m.: Headline performance by Ethio Dankira Traditional Group, an Ethiopian music and dance group based in Washington, D.C.

   

Other activities will include:

• Aerial acrobats and roaming performers from Birds Eye View Circus.
• An interactive art display installed by Gerard Nadeau, assistant professor, Department of Architecture and Environmental Design, Bowling Green State University.
• Outdoor glassblowing demonstrations featuring Ellie the Baby Dragon, TMA’s mobile glassblowing furnace.
• Art-making activities for all ages, outside and inside the Green Building.
• Free health screenings provided by local health insurance company, Paramount Health Care.

   

For exclusive block party perks, visitors are encouraged to preregister for the even online or by phone before Sept. 12. Non-members will receive a free ticket to the “Ethiopia at the Crossroads” exhibition, and TMA members will receive an “Ethiopia at the Crossroads” souvenir poster.

Admission and parking are free, and outside lawn chairs are allowed. Food trucks will be located on Monroe Street where visitors can purchase refreshments. The event will be held rain or shine. For more information about the block party, call 419-255-8000 or visit toledomuseum.org.

Block Party Accessibility: Know Before You Go

• Lot 5 will be the designated accessible parking area for Block Party; please note that this is the lot closest to many of the block party activities, but accessible parking spaces are available in all Toledo Museum of Art parking lots.
• Noise canceling headphones will be made available to borrow in the Sensory-Friendly Area, located in the Glass Pavilion Courtyard. Noise canceling headphones will also be available at the Glass Pavilion Visitor Services desk, as well as the Libbey Court Visitor Services desk.
  • Earplugs are also free to take from the sensory-friendly area on a first come, first serve basis.
• The Sensory-Friendly Area in the Glass Pavilion Courtyard will serve as a designated spot throughout block party where guests off all ages can come to take a break from the sights and sounds of block party! There will be coloring activities, as well as a basket-making activity related to the Ethiopia at the Crossroads exhibition. Guests can also pick up a sensory kit in the Glass Pavilion Courtyard, free of charge, with some fidgets to help with overstimulation and focus. Sensory kits are available one per individual on a first come, first serve basis.
• There are accessible restrooms throughout the museum’s buildings, as well as a wheelchair accessible portable toilet.
• Visitors who need to use a family restroom can find one off of Herrick Lobby in the Green Building.
  • This family restroom as a universal changing table for those who need it.
• There will be a blocked off accessible seating area near the performance stage to allow for those with limited mobility to sit and be able to view the performances.
• Live captioning will be available. Scan a QR code near the performance stage to access captioning on your phone!