Public Art at International Cove
Coming Soon: 'Starburst'
Public Art Installation
"Starburst" will be a 15-foot-tall, illuminated sculpture designed as an iconic piece that visitors will pass through. The sculpture is a gift to the community from donors, facilitated by the Metroparks Toledo Foundation. The project is being coordinated by the Arts Commission.
The piece will be a feature of the International Cove area of Glass City Metropark, which will celebrate the people who came from many countries and established the Toledo community. The International Cove area is currently under construction and expected to open in spring 2026 on the site of the former International Park. It is part of the Glass City Riverwalk development, which will span both sides of the Maumee River between the Anthony Wayne Bridge and the Veterans Glass City Skyway.
The Cove and the art will be true to the original intention of International Park, which was established more than 40 years ago by Toledo's ethnic communities.
A gift from the family of late Yehia Hussein "John" Shousher, a well-known Toledo community member who was integral in the development of International Park, helped launch the project.
More About the Work and Process
Words and Languages Toledo
Community engagement is a hallmark of Blessing Hancock’s approach and last fall Metroparks hosted both in-person and online community engagement opportunities, inviting people to share words that remind them most of Toledo. The response was inspiring—232 submissions in total, including 193 online and 39 in person, representing 18 different languages.
From there came the thoughtful and challenging work of narrowing and selecting the final words and languages. Blessing Hanckock’s team and Metroparks partnered with The Arts Commission, Toledo Sister Cities, and Toledo Design Collective to develop a framework that honored Toledo’s diversity while reflecting the original spirit of International Park, with the goal to reflect major cultures and global connections present in our community. Toledo Sister Cities generously provided translations, helping bring this vision to life.
10 Words Etched in Starburst will be:
• Community • Home • Welcoming • Resilient • Vibrant • Faith • Diverse • Love • Family • Unity
These words will be repeated within the sculpture in following 18 languages:
Arabic, Bulgarian, English, Filipino, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
The words will be cut into panels to create the structure of the sculpture, resulting in a tapestry of communities woven into the sculptures, honoring the spirit of International Cove, the many people who built Toledo, and our collective hopes for the future.
‘Starburst’ is scheduled for installation in Spring 2026.
About the Artist
Blessing Hancock is known for her monumental, site-specific works. The award-winning artist has created more than 60 public and private art pieces worldwide. Community engagement is at the heart of Hancock’s work, with each of her public projects featuring an element that connects the artwork back to the community where it is located.