2013-2019 | Evolution of SKYLANDING by Yoko Ono
October 18, 2016 | Dedication of SKYLANDING by Yoko Ono in the Garden of the Phoenix, Wooded Island, Jackson Park, Chicago.
SKYLANDING by Yoko Ono | Evolution 2013-2019
SKYLANDING in the Garden of the Phoenix in Jackson Park, Chicago, is the first permanent work of art by Yoko Ono in the Americas, and a marker of her place as an artist of profound international influence and her lifelong mission for world peace.
SKYLANDING brings the artist's personal sense of hopefulness for humanity to the public at large. Her intention during its conception was to invite visitors to walk into the center of the lotus that rises from the ashes of the Phoenix Pavilion and look within oneself and realize that peace and harmony begins within each of us.
Born in Tokyo in 1933, Yoko Ono is an artist, poet, musician, and peace activist. Since the early 1960’s, audience participation and social activism have been crucial aspects of her work. Ono is widely regarded as a pioneer of early conceptual, film, and performance art and for involvement in the Fluxus movement. She collaborated on art and musical projects with her husband John Lennon until his death in 1980. In recent years, Ono has focused on environmental protection and human rights.
Read also, Yoko Ono’s SKYLANDING Arrives in Chicago’s Jackson Park published in Japan Airline’s Sky Magazine (2016).
May 15, 2013 | Yoko Ono’s First Visit to the Garden of the Phoenix
In 2013, shortly after her 80th birthday, the artist was invited to visit the Garden of the Phoenix and the site of the Phoenix Pavilion in Chicago's historic Jackson Park. The Pavilion was a gift from Japan to the people of the United States following the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and was lost to arson in 1946. There, the artist became inspired to create SKYLANDING.
June 15, 2015 | Ground Healing Ceremony (Phase I)
On June 15, 2015, Yoko led a ground-healing ceremony to cool the site of the arson and make it well again "by bringing the sky down to the earth." For this ceremony, the two large mounds were installed in the shape of yin-yang. The ceremony was attended by many prominent citizens including the Mayor of Chicago, Consul General of Japan, and Chicago Park District General Superintendent.
October 17, 2016 | SKYLANDING Dedication (Phase II)
On October 16, 2016, the completion of SKYLANDING was celebrated by the artist. This phase of the work included the installation of a 12-petal lotus sculpture that rises from the ashes of the Phoenix Pavilion. This phase of work also included the CD-release of SKYLANDING Music of Yoko Ono by the Miyumi Project, the launch of skylanding.com.
Watch video, SKYLANDING by Yoko Ono with Yoko Ono (2016). The video includes dedication visuals and music from the 2016 CD.
October 18, 2016 | Dedication of MENDED PETAL at the Art Institute of Chicago, Pritzker Garden in the Modern Wing
On October 18, 2016, the artist and others held a ceremony at the Art Institute of Chicago for the installation of MENDED PETAL (obj. 237641), the 13th lotus petal designed by Yoko, in the Pritzker Garden in the Modern Wing. MENDED PETAL was created by Yoko to commemorate the ground healing on June 15, 2015.
February 19, 2019 | Finalized Design for Phase III of SKYLANDING
Ob February 19, 2019, the artist completed designs for Phase III, the final elements for completing the SKYLANDING experience including additional landscaping and other new elements, including lighting, formal approach from the main path, and an overlook and other features to fully integrate SKYLANDING with the Japanese garden within the Garden of the Phoenix and its surroundings on the Wooded Island.
September 23, 2019 | Peace Day begins at SKYLANDING
On September 23, 2019, Master Charles Kim began Peace Day in Chicago in Jackson Park, the site of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and where the world came together for the first time as a global community with a shared vision for world peace. Master Kim is President of the Chicago Peace School and son of the founder of Peace Day in Chicago in 1978.
Next…
Contact the Garden of the Phoenix Foundation. Work is underway to complete the Garden of the Phoenix projects, including Phase III of SKYLANDING.
Visit and experience SKYLANDING.
