From Attic to Atrium
Once banished to the attic, the great “Sassy Toes” has returned — this time, to soar.
Originally created by artist Francisco Benavides for Submersive Productions’ 2017 immersive theater experience H.T. Darling’s Incredible Musaeum Presents: The Treasures of New Galapagos, this larger-than-life mastodon puppet — affectionately known as The Ice Beast — once roamed The Peale’s darkened halls in a world where art, science, and imagination collided.
Now reborn as a luminous chandelier installation in The Peale’s main staircase, Sassy Toes embodies the same spirit of curiosity and innovation that fueled Rembrandt Peale’s 1816 Gas Light Museum, where Baltimore first saw the light — literally.
The mastodon’s journey from attic to atrium mirrors The Peale’s own revival as Baltimore’s Community Museum — a place where art, science, and story once again share the same light.
