‘Curtain Call,’ which captures renowned ballerina Jasmine Perry in sculpture, bows at Segerstrom
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Taking a bow at curtain call is an act of relief, exhaustion, accomplishment and triumph. It’s a feeling acclaimed artist Karon Davis aimed to capture in her sculpture “Curtain Call” on view now at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
“This is about celebrating the arts and celebrating the performers that grace the stages here and giving them their flowers.” Davis said.
The work was presented Thursday before the evening’s premier of the San Francisco Ballet’s “Frankenstein” in Costa Mesa. The unveiling coincided with the start of the center’s 2025–26 dance season.
“Dance is at the heart of Segerstrom Center, and Karon’s work has a very specific resonance for the center because it represents the ballerina,” said Limor Tomer, vice president of programming and production. “With our history with dance, and Judy Morr’s legacy of bringing the most extraordinary dance companies from all over the world to Orange County, this sculpture speaks to that effort.”
Tomer noted the sculpture honors the mission of Henry Segerstrom, who was committed to making art, both visual and performing, accessible to the Orange County community. Segerstrom, who died in 2015, built South Coast Plaza and became a dedicated arts philanthropist.
“The center is the brainchild of Henry Segerstrom, who conceived of it as a home for all of the arts and, in fact, commissioned, installed and collected an incredible collection of works of art,” Tomer said. “Of course, there is the signature piece, “The Firebird,” which is part of the architecture … visual art is integral to the very DNA of the center. This work continues that mission.”
Davis’ nearly 6 1/2 feet tall figurative work of a ballerina in a deep bow after a show, clutches a bouquet of red roses with a tiara balanced on top of her head. The piece embodies the hard work and satisfaction of stage performers after a show but also demonstrates the fragility of the human body. Davis modeled the piece after Miami City Ballet’s renowned dancer, Jasmine Perry.
“She is based on [Perry] but when I look at her, she is every dancer,” Davis said of Perry, who is Black and Filipino. “She has put in her time, put in the money, put in the blood, sweat and tears to get to this very moment, to be celebrated.”
The work is part of Davis’ series, “Beauty Must Suffer,” which amplifies the life and labor of Black dancers and their experience in the dance industry, particularly within the historically European tradition of ballet. The series debuted at Salon 94 in fall 2023 and “Curtain Call” comes to Segerstrom on loan from the New York-based contemporary art gallery for a yearlong stay.
Davis used plaster to cast Perry in the bowed position, with “many breaks” she noted, and 3-D scanning technology was used to scale up the original form. The bronze sculpture was then painted and dressed in handmade clothing. The process was long and detailed, giving Davis the space to build the story that surrounds the piece.
“I wanted to capture that moment a dancer feels in that final bow, of exhaustion and of victory … that sense of accomplishment,” Davis said.
Prior to its installation at Segertsrom, “Curtain Call” was displayed at New York City’s High Line Park. Davis said she is pleased with the sculpture’s new home, in a performing arts space among real ballerinas.
“This is where she belongs,” Davis said.
