Yoko Ono’s “Wish Trees” installation is currently on display at the Broad museum in Los Angeles, offering visitors a space to express their hopes and concerns during challenging times. The interactive exhibit, featuring olive trees outfitted with paper tags for writing wishes, has attracted hundreds of participants who have contributed their messages in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, German, Italian, Chinese, Persian, French, and Turkish.

The exhibition opened amid a backdrop of social and environmental unrest, with the museum expediting its launch to provide a platform for reflection and optimism. Sarah Loyer, curator and exhibitions manager at the Broad, emphasized the installation’s timely relevance, noting that it gives people a means to articulate hope amid global difficulties such as climate change, political uncertainty, and local issues affecting Los Angeles.

Visitors are invited to write wishes on paper tags provided at the site, with instructions encouraging them to share the experience with others. The hopes expressed vary widely, ranging from calls for world peace and an end to war, to personal aspirations related to financial stability, health, and family. Among the poignant messages are requests for strength amid caregiving and pleas for loved ones’ visa approvals. Loyer highlighted the installation’s therapeutic qualities, pointing to its ability to foster community and connection through shared vulnerability.

The exhibit has inspired responses both heartfelt and lighthearted, with some participants leaving drawings rather than words. The wishes are displayed prominently on the branches of several olive trees, one of which was designated as the official “Wish Tree” and outfitted with a platform to facilitate visitor access. The public engagement was immediate and robust, with the main tree filling up rapidly and visitors spreading their wishes to surrounding trees.

To accommodate the high volume of participation, Broad staff collect and preserve the submitted wishes daily—amounting to between 500 and 800 messages per day—before clearing space for new tags. These collected wishes will eventually be sent to Ono’s studio in New York, joining a global archive that has already amassed over two million contributions.

Responses from visitors reflect a broad demographic and range of emotions. A museum staff member shared being personally moved by a child’s wish for their parents’ visa approval, connecting it to current immigration concerns in the city. Meanwhile, couples visiting the exhibit found the ritual of tying their wishes together to be a meaningful and romantic experience. Younger visitors on school trips expressed surprise and appreciation for the collective optimism in what they described as “dark” times.

As the exhibit continues, the rustling wishes, including aspirations to “have a child,” “go to camp,” or seek “prosperity,” underscore the installation’s enduring message of peace and communal hope. The Broad sees the project as both a reflective space and a call to action, highlighting the power of shared wishes to inspire healing and collective engagement.